Thank you very much to the bloggers and reviewers who helped with the launch of MARSHLIGHT. Your help is very much appreciated. Joy, Joffe Books and Jill
What the bloggers and reviewers thought:
The Word is Out There are beautifully drawn and very likeable characters in this story that you immediately feel right at home with, as a completely absorbing tale is woven by a very gifted storyteller. It was also great to see former colleagues and characters such as DC Bryn Owen making another appearance as Matt and Liz show their detective streaks are as strong as ever. There is plenty of suspense throughout the story which has a shocking yet immensely satisfying ending. Highly recommended (I couldn’t put it down) and I sincerely hope we get more of Matt and Liz in their new roles. 5*
Booklover Bev As always this author Miss Ellis never disappoints her readers, with her work, I loved every detail in this book chapter after chapter as we read into some new characters and get to grips with some gruesome stuff.
Bookish Jottings Crime writing supremo Joy Ellis is onto another winner with Marshlight which is a compelling slow-burn of a novel that builds to an intense and terrifying crescendo that will keep readers engrossed all through the night. The strong sense of place and Joy Ellis’ gift for creating brilliantly nuanced characters will keep readers eagerly turning the pages as the tension and suspense intensifies leaving them desperate to find out what is going to happen next.
Nicki’s book blog This is a very different book from Joy’s other ones as we don’t really begin with a murder and the loveable Rory. A tale of complex relationships and the damage coercive control can do along with narcissism and toxic personalities. Whilst this is fiction people like this really do exist as some know to their cost. A topic sensitively dealt with and as ever a very well thought out captivating read. A treasure of a book.
Linda Strong Book Reviews As I have found with all this author’s previous books, it is well-written, the plot is full of solidly drawn characters. Gina is the one to watch. She’s vicious while sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth. The background of the lights on the marshes was a terrific backdrop to the crimes committed. It’s a page turner, for sure. Although 4th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. I do recommend reading in order because of the backstories of Matt and Liz.
Ginger Book Geek ‘Marshlight’ is superbly written although in my opinion, all of Joy’s books are superbly written. She has a way of creating lead characters who are impossible to dislike and making them sound so realistic. For me the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I love the way in which Joy Ellis makes ‘The Fens’ come alive. I feel as though I have a real feel for the area despite never having visited. Joy makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action. That’s how I felt at any rate. Reading ‘Marshlight’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way.
Peter This is a great mix of psychological thriller, murder mystery and an examination of manipulation and people under pressure.
Sue Loves to Read
Turn The Page Blog
Beyond the Books
Sarah Lizzie
Black Books Blog
MARSHLIGHT (Detective Matt Ballard book 4)
Format: Kindle
Publisher – JOFFE BOOKS
Publication Date – 8th July 2021
Genre – Crime Fiction
Author – Joy Ellis
Available from AMAZON
Read more on GOODREADS
A new psychological thriller from bestselling author and British Book Awards Crime & Thriller of the Year nominee Joy Ellis.
MATT AND LIZ MAY HAVE RETIRED FROM THE POLICE, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN A QUIET LIFE.
An old friend’s sister disappears without a trace. There’s no sign of foul play, but she’d been acting very peculiarly . . .
Meanwhile, Liz’s cousin Christie comes to stay. She takes an immediate — and uncharacteristic — dislike to the local bookshop owner, Gina. Why does everyone put up with her awful behaviour?
HUNTING WILL-O’-THE-WISPS ON THE MARSHES CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS HOBBY.
Christie is convinced that Gina is manipulating everyone around her. Is she onto something dangerous or just pushing her new friends away?
No one believes her suspicions until another friend goes missing late at night on the misty Fen marshes.
Can Matt and Liz uncover the truth in time to save lives?
DISCOVER A TOTALLY ENTHRALLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
What readers are saying about JOY ELLIS:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A terrific read that I guarantee the reader will not want to put down.” Hannelore
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Once you start you just can’t put it down the story line gets more intense and intriguing with every turn of the page.” Gordon
“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
“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.
My Review
Another ‘winner’ by the phenomenal Joy Ellis. When I open a book by this author I know I am guaranteed a treat and I certainly wasn’t disappointed this book was a real treat. It has several aspects to it: I psychopathic character, weird goings on with Jack-o-lantern, and cold case murder. All tie together perfectly towards the end where, as with the previous Matt Ballard books, we are left with the question: Who dunnit? I know who my money is on but I will leave you to make up your own mind and we may find out in future books who knows what Joy has in store for the characters.
Although this is very much a Matt and Liz book Gina and Christie are the main characters. Christie a lovely woman with a very caring nature who sees Gina for what she really is whereas Tom, Delphi and Jane see her through rose tinted glasses. Gina is a master manipulator she is very intelligent and uses this to maximum advantage to mess with peoples’ minds. When Gina decides to use Christie in her games she even manages to get Christie doubting herself.
Christie, Liz’ cousin, is a researcher for an author and arrives on the Fens to research Jack-o-Lantern and other mysterious goings on for Auden’s latest book but she is in a race against time. Auden is ill and Christie need to get what Auden needs so finish his ‘last’ book. Matt is looking into a 2 year old murder of a young girl for his old boss and Liz is searching for Frances’ sister, Amy who has disappeared. 3 seeming different investigations that all come together to make an absolutely gripping pageturner.
I seem to say this with every book but this could be Joy Ellis’ best book yet.
5 golden stars from me
ALSO BY JOY ELLIS
DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD
Book 1: BEWARE THE PAST
Book 2: FIVE BLOODY HEARTS
Book 3: THE DYING LIGHT
Book 4: MARSHLIGHT
THE BESTSELLING 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
Book 12: SECRETS 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
Book 7: THEY DISAPPEARED
STANDALONES
GUIDE STAR
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!”
You may also like:
Beware the Past (Matt Ballard #1)
Five Bloody Hearts (DI Matt Ballard #2)
THE DYING LIGHT (Matt Ballard #3)
