Once again a massive THANK YOU to all the awesome Bloggers, Reviewers and readers who helped with the launch of THE DYING LIGHT your help, as always, is very much appreciated.
What the Bloggers and reviewers thought:
Loopy Laura Wow, what an ending! The final pages had my heart breaking and my jaw dropping: completely unexpected but no spoilers from me!
Linda Strong Book Reviews It’s well written with nuances of the paranormal. The characters are deftly drawn. The plot is tightly woven and drew me in from the very first. Twists and turns lead to a very unexpected ending.
Beyond the Books The story is skilfully weaved with many different threads and Joy has managed to evolve it with plenty of twists and turns right to the end!
On The Shelf Reviews The ending was jaw dropping. I’m still thinking about it as I’m writing this review and honestly, it’s one of the most fraught and emotional I think Joy Ellis has ever written.
The Word is Out There is plenty of action towards the end, and the book has a fantastic ending full of surprises and shocks. Highly recommended (I couldn’t put it down) and I sincerely hope we get more of Matt and Liz in their new roles (please!). 5*
Nicki’s book blog A warmth and depth of character, wonderful scenery (without overly outdoing the plot as can happen with some authors) and a very clever captivating multi thread plot line.
Bookish Jottings Joy Ellis’ The Dying Light is a departure from her usual thrillers, but it is by no means any less gripping or captivating. A dab hand at ramping up the tension and suspense, The Dying Light is an engrossing and addictive thriller featuring two intuitive and meticulous detectives readers will thoroughly enjoy spending time with.
Eileen THE DYING LIGHT Is swiftly brought to where high tension reigns. Inexplicable mystery rapidly follows. When malicious and destructive events enter the picture the perplexing conundrum becomes exceedingly disturbing. There’s a pervasive eerie, sinister atmosphere ramping up suspense with the turn of every page. A tragic incident ultimately ties it all together eventually solving all mysteries…Or does it? THE DYING LIGHT IS A CHILLING ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WINNER!
Elaine Tomasso The Dying Light is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Booklover Bev i love the characters together, and makes this book a proper page turner, and a reading gem for all thriller readers. this is something different from the author, who never fails me in her work.
Black Books Blog
Sue Wallace Site
Ginger Book Geek
THE DYING LIGHT a totally enthralling psychological thriller with a stunning ending (Detective Matt Ballard Book 3)
Format: Kindle
Publisher – JOFFE BOOKS
Publication Date – 23rd July 2020
Genre – Crime Fiction
Author – Joy Ellis
Available from AMAZON
Read more on GOODREADS
From multiple #1 best-selling author Joy Ellis, comes a psychological thriller that will have you glued from first page to last.
WHISPER FEN HOLDS DARK SECRETS
As the mists roll over the fens and enigmatic lights twinkle in the distance, only the locals know their way along the hidden paths through the mysterious watery terrain of one of England’s most beautiful and sometimes dangerous places.
Detective Matt Ballard may have retired but there’s still plenty going on the fens to keep him busy.
Someone trashes an old lady’s garden and daubs her isolated cottage with hateful graffiti. Emilia Swain seems to be totally harmless, so why is she being targeted?
Matt’s best friend Will and his wife Kate moved to Holland House to put their past behind them. But Kate’s mental state is deteriorating and she’s obsessed with the tragic history of the house and an old doll she finds in the garden.
And why is Kate suddenly friends with a loner who haunts the fens?
Has the dreadful past come back to haunt the present owners?
Former detectives Matt and Liz want to help their friends and neighbours. But how can you help people who don’t want to be helped?
DISCOVER A TOTALLY ENTHRALLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM JOY ELLIS
My Review
I was so excited when I heard Joy Ellis had written another book in the Matt Ballard series and I wasn’t disappointed.
I have to start with the characters because this is a unique story with several damaged characters trying to find a way forwards all linked together by several events.
We met Matt and Liz in Beware the Past where Liz was left severely brain damaged and Matt emotionally drained. Liz is on a long slow road to recovery but some of the damage is permanent she will never work in the Police Force again. Matt retired to help support Liz and the pair are now doing private investigative work.
Kate had a breakdown after a tragic loss and is recovered but still fragile. Her husband, Will damaged his arm while on Police work and is now retired on medical grounds. They buy Holland House for a bargain price and Kate focuses all her energy on restoring the house back to its former glory.
Emilia is an elderly lady living alone after her husband died. She lives near Holland House but her cottage is very remote. She is a harmless old lady who puts all her effort into keeping her house and garden in tip top condition. However, someone is targeting her they kill her cat and play some other pranks. In a normal situation it would be put down to teenagers but doubtful they would go to the effort of travelling into the depths of beyond to have their fun.
Will asks Liz and Matt to help find out who is behind the actions and that brings them into contact with Kate who is acting very strangely.
As the story develops we are treated to several strands of investigation and get to know other characters who play a part in this gripping story. Laura and Sam also make an appearance and Sam plays a bigger part towards the end.
This is an absolutely gripping book unlike anything i have read before it has the ability to keep the adrenaline pumping and the brain cells whirring as we take a roller coaster ride full of twists, turns, red herrings and mind blowing shocks. And the ending …. Well WOW just WOW
5 golden stars from me
What readers are saying about JOY ELLIS
“The suspense starts on Page 1 and continues through the twists and turns until the very surprising ending.” Linda Strong
“OMG, this book was fantastic I absolutely loved it. I was gripped from the first page but as the tension and suspense mounted throughout the book it just got better and better and that ending, well just WOW!” Dawn Jones
“I absolutely loved it.” Viv
“Will keep you guessing until the end of the book.” Barbara
“What a book!!!” Sian
“I was so engrossed I sat up way too late to finish it in one sitting.” Elaine
THE SETTING
England’s rural fenland is a strange place, with its never-ending fields, winding tracks, and long straight droves (the old livestock routes) that lead to nowhere. The lonely lanes are flanked either side by deep drainage ditches and are, for a good part of the year, filled with tall, whispering reeds. Closer to the Wash, high seabanks form a barrier between river and marsh, and the richly fertile soil of the drained land. But when the mists come down, as they so often do, perspective is destroyed and all sense of direction lost, and then the fens become a rather frightening place of mystery and danger. Somewhere that you do not want to be at night.
Joy Ellis
UK #1 BEST SELLER WITH THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS, DARKNESS ON THE FENS, THE FOURTH FRIEND, BEWARE THE PAST, FIRE ON THE FENS, AND THE GUILTY ONES
OVER 2 MILLION BOOKS SOLD!
“I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the sixties and seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!
And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, a highly decorated retired police officer, and our four barking mad Springer spaniels. If I do get any spare time, which is rare these days, my one relaxation is painting, especially using soft pastels. We have been here for twenty years now and although I’ll never be a true ‘Yeller Belly’, a native born to this county, I have adopted it as my own. I love the mists, the big skies and the endless waterways. All my books are set here on the Fens, and why not? The location is perfect for murder!”
ALSO BY JOY ELLIS
THE BEST-SELLING NIKKI GALENA SERIES
Book 1: CRIME ON THE FENS
Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENS
Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENS
Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENS
Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENS
Book 6: CAPTIVE ON THE FENS
Book 7: BURIED ON THE FENS
Book 8: THIEVES ON THE FENS
Book 9: FIRE ON THE FENS
Book 10: DARKNESS ON THE FENS
Book 11: HIDDEN ON THE FENS
JACKMAN & EVANS
Book 1: THE MURDERER’S SON
Book 2: THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS
Book 3: THE FOURTH FRIEND
Book 4: THE GUILTY ONES
Book 5: THE STOLEN BOYS
Book 6: THE PATIENT MAN
DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD
Book 1: BEWARE THE PAST
Book 2: FIVE BLOODY HEARTS
Book 3: THE DYING LIGHT
STANDALONES
GUIDE STAR
