DI Nikki Galena is back in the 6th instalment of this series. A woman has been found murdered and mutilated and she must investigate why and who committed this brutal crime.
A solid read and I enjoyed this. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Captive on the fens is Joy Ellis's sixth book in the Nikki Galena series. I have read and enjoyed every Joy Ellis book I have actually read. This series is brilliantly written, well-paced and so gripping. I find that you are able to read every book as a standalone due to Joy giving enough back story in all the books so you don't really have to go back to book 1. My issue is that Once you have read one you get the Joy Ellis bug and need to go back anyway!
The characters are all well fleshed out and believable, I really love Nikki for a start. Her relationship with Joseph is a key factor as well.
The story has its fair share of twists and turns and keeps you hooked till the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the copy of the book.

I didn't realize this book was part of a series. Being that it is book 6, I am not sure I will be able to read 5 books to review this one.. I apologize for the inconvenience

Well than! This book was better than i thought it would be! I love thrillers that I don't have the mystery figured out halfway through the book. Fun book to read, looking forward to more!

Captive on the Fens is a solid police procedural that has quite a number of surprising twists. If you are looking for a gripping, gritty read, you can’t go wrong with any of Joy Ellis’s books. One thing I love about her novels is the strength of her female characters, and the effort she puts into developing the entire investigative team. They are real, as opposed to two dimensional. The cases are dark and disturbing, but they are well done. In this case DI Galena is tasked with uncovering a murderer who kidnaps and mutilates young women. The narration alternates between the experiences of a captive woman and Galena and her team’s investigative efforts. Also, Freddie Carver is back, and Galena is determined to make sure he doesn’t set up another of his criminal enterprises.

If you like dark, realistic police procedurals, Joy Ellis’s novels are a fantastic choice. Captive on the Fens is a thrilling read that will satisfy fans and newcomers to the series alike.

4 / 5

I received a copy of Captive on the Fens from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

TENSION, THRILLS, ACTION & MYSTERY PACKED INTO A SUPERB THRILLER.
This is simply a superb thriller. It has multiple investigations going on side by side. Joy Ellis racketing the tension up as the novel progresses. So much so that at one point I was almost scared to get to the bottom of the page. It's got twists and turns but it's packed so full of action that you tangibly feel the excitement of the detective team, because Joy Ellis manages to make the reader seem part of that team. This is murder mystery at its very best. And I really mean it. If you like detective based murder mysteries you cannot miss reading this book. It is simply brilliant.
I do not intend to spoil the book by revealing the storylines but if you have read earlier D.I. Nikki Galena novels there is one mystery which is solved in "Captive". If you haven't read any of the earlier books in the series worry not. The author ensures the reader is kept up to speed when reference is made to earlier events. So it can easily be read as a standalone thriller.
Might I add that the author achieves this without the use of swearing or sex scenes. She doesn't need that to fill the pages she writes. An incredible talent. What has Joy Ellis got in store for us in her next book? She just seems to get better and better. "Captive" was a delight to read and anyone who misses the chance to read it is missing out on possibly 2017's best thriller.

I love this series and have read them all. Nikki and Joseph are great characters, as are the other members of the team. The chapters are short, crisp and exciting. Great read!

Great book. I love a good mystery and this novel has all of the elements I enjoy. The characters are well developed and while not always likable they are easy to identify with, This author kept me on the edge of my seat. Totally did not see the ending coming; I will read all by this author.

This book was simply not for me. Others may enjoy it.

I love this police crime series featuring Inspector Nikki Galena and her team who give her 100% loyalty. It is based in the Lincolnshire fens which includes large areas of uninhabited marsh land. Joy has a way of writing that make her books very easy to read and you soon get to know the characters. Highly recommended..

Joy Ellis never disappoints, and this latest is another gem for crime fiction enthusiasts.

I bypassed all my other books that are piling up to read this. Just love the characters, the area where it is, you can imagine, the dark fells with broody marshes, scary stuff if you're out late at night. I can't say how much I enjoyed this, I'm sorry it's finished. I hope Joy you do some more, would love to see how the characters develop.

Thank you Net Galley. Another excellent police procedural from Joy Ellis. As always the plotting and the characters are engaging and keep you hooked throughout. Thank you for introducing me to Joy Ellis. I have been able to buy and read books 1 and 2 in the series and soon book 3 ( I hope) as well. highly recommended.

Detective Nikki Galena is back for the sixth book set in the Lincolnshire Fens, a place of beauty but also danger – at least in Joy Ellis’ world, where roads lead nowhere but the back of beyond and at night, even headlights aren’t enough to stop you getting completely lost or falling in a ditch. I have to say it’s not the fens I saw when I visited but I was only there a day or so. Now, I’m not sure I would go back. Unless of course I was in trouble and needed Nikki’s help.

Here, she and her team are on the hunt for a serial kidnapper, a man who takes young women, traps and tortures them; a kidnapper who seems linked to a local gangster (Carver) no police officer has ever been able to pin anything on – even though they know he is guilty of murder and worse. Nikki is convinced if they can catch the kidnapper, they can catch Carver, and sets her team on the trail of both. It’s a trail that leads them into the Fens and into neighbouring Derbyshire where more young women are turning up dead.

By heading into Derbyshire, Ellis was able to introduce a new character, Ben, who I hope we’ll be seeing more of, and give space to Cat, a member of Nikki’s team. I really liked that she did this, having Nikki not be centre stage the whole time and letting other characters come to the fore. Because there were different voices in Cat and Ben, it also changed the tone and the pacing of the book as it alternated between their investigation and Nikki’s. Neither of these were bad things and made the book feel different than previous reads and kept it fresh (something not always easy in series). Woven through is the voice of a kidnapped girl, one in pain, scared and possibly with not long to live – adding to the tension.

This is the third Nikki Galena novel I’ve read and one of the things that keep bringing me back is the tension Ellis brings to her stories, making you turn the pages. Another is that each has had a twist that turns the story on it’s head and makes you look at it afresh. They lull you into a false sense of security, making you think you are reading one story then realising you’ve been reading another. It’s taken me a while to catch on each time and, even though I should be prepared for it now, I still got caught out here.

I won’t say more than that for fear of spoilers, other than this is a well written, well plotted and well paced book with a strong and interesting female lead surrounded by characters I like in their own right. I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend it.

This is the first book that I have read by Joy Ellis but definitely not the last .after reading Captive on the Fens I want to go back to the start and read every book in the series to see how the the characters have developed through each book. Great read characters believable and plenty of twists and turns in the storyline what more can you want.

I have read all the books in the DI Nikki Gallena series and enjoyed all of them. The characters have developed well and the stories flow better with each novel. Look forward to the next one

DI Nikki Galena and her team investigate when a woman's body is found in a farm barn in the Fens with a finger missing. Is there any link to a similar case in Derbyshire. To add to their problems villain Freddie Carver has been seen in the area.
Another excellent read with these well rounded characters and a good mystery. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book in the series so far and look forward to reading more about these characters.

Another addition to Ellis' Fen series featuring DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter.

I regret the change in cover as I don't much like sensational covers and prefer the previous covers.

As in previous novels, the location becomes a character. The Lincolnshire fens are both beautiful and mysterious and getting lost in the fens can be risky.

Ellis' human characters ring true and feel like old friends when you meet them again. I liked that Cat gets more attention in this book when she teams up with Ben, a Derbyshire detective who has not given up on a case similar to the one Galena's team is tasked with solving.

An interesting twist relates to an unsolved case from a previous book. Nikki's mother Eve plays an important, if brief, role. Eve has an intriguing background, and I hope she will continue to play a part in future books.

It is not necessary to read these books from the beginning--each one works perfectly well on its own thanks to Ellis' skill, but if you follow the series, it is rewarding to see connections and get reacquainted with characters from previous books.

Captive on the Fens has a kind of serpentine effect going on that keeps the reader following closely, trying to weave the various threads into whole cloth.

NetGalley/Joffe Books

Crime/Police Procedural. Jan. 25, 2017. Print length: 315 pages.
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OK, so it is no secret that I absolutely love this series. I can't believe we are at book 6 all ready. Back with DI Nikki Galena and her team, I couldn't wait to start this book when I was approved to read an early copy via Netgalley.

By god it's a good one. I know we tend to say it a lot, but each book is just getting better and better, and I'm really hoping this will be a long running series.
​I love the characters, especially Nikki and Joseph, I think their working relationship is first class. I keep wanting it to become more than just friends, but then I think it would completely spoil the stories going forward.

This time around a woman's body is found in an old barn, the woman has a finger missing.
It's not long before another case is linked to this, and the team can start to move forward.

The team also learn that Criminal Freddy Carver has been seen back on the fens, and that can only mean trouble. Trouble Nikki does not want or need. And she's determined to track him down and put a stop to whatever it is he is up to.

​The banter between the team is first class, the feelings they have for one another is first class, they are certainly a team that stick together.
I really can't wait for more of this series. I would not hesitate at all to recommend this series to anyone who likes a good crime thriller with lots of twists and turns.

​Having read the previous books I do feel it gives me a better understanding of the characters back stories, and for me that helps make each book that little bit better. So if you are going to start them, and believe me I think you should, then please do start from book 1.

​Joy Ellis has written a blinder of story here. I NEED the next book NOW.

Read this procedural for the terrific characters, especially Nikki, and for the twisty plot. I loved the setting but hate to think so many awful things would happen in such an area. Good writing and well paced, this is part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone. THanks to netgalley for the ARC. Try this if you like British mysteries set outside of London. I liked it.