Another fantastic read from Joy Ellis. The author is definitely up there with the best today. Always consistent and well written thrillers. The third in the Jackman and Evans series. This one was full of twists and turns, believable characters and a great story line. As for that ending....took me totally by surprise. Thank you to Net Galley and Joffe Books for my copy. I would recommend this book. I reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads.

Police Detective Carter Mclean has just returned to work after being on sick leave for eighteen months.He has been recovering from the injuries he sustained in a plane crash which resulted in the death of his four best friends.He is full of guilt because he was the sole survivor and has decided to complete a task that they left unfinished.

Eighteen months before the crash Suzanne Holland,who was the wife of one of Carter`s four best friends disappeared leaving a room with traces of blood but no other traces.

Adding to the team`s pressure,the Boss`s daughter has a stalker.Due to the sensitivity of the Holland case,Carter is put on the stalker investigation.

DS Marie Evens is the only person Carter can confide in.But even she begins to doubt whether he can really cope and whether he is actually losing his mind.

Jackman and Evens face a battle to untangle three mysteries,and can they really trust their friend and colleague Carter.

I think I might have a bit of a crush on Rowan Jackman,he's not your typical Boss,he's friends with all of his team,joins in with their banter and respects their opinion when they are working on a investigation,he's just so NICE.I love Jackman`s team,they are a mixed bag of realistic,likeable individuals,I love the banter and camaraderie that the team share throughout the book.Marie is under a lot of pressure because of Carter and it was really refreshing that the doubts about Carter didn't affect Marie and Jackman`s friendship.

Opening with a exhilarating,breath taking epilogue and having a sad,heart breaking ending this is a well written police procedural that has a hint of the supernatural to it.Although I enjoyed this book I didn't think it was as gripping as Their Lost Daughters.I thought it was too obvious who was Behind both the stalking of Superintendent Ruth Crooke`s niece and the disappearance of Suzanne Holland.Nothing unexpected happened,there where no jaw dropping twists or revelations.I think that the Cannon family angle could have been incorporated into the story more and used to add more intregue and threat to the story. I did however learn some interesting facts about blood splatter and brain injuries.

Although I personally didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous title in this series,I did enjoy it enough to finish it and would gladly recommend this series to other readers.I am looking forward to reading more books from this series in the future.

Another decent yet tragic instalment in this second series from Ellis. While in no way earth shattering it is a fairly enjoyable read for those who have read the previous books in the series

Joy Ellis is one of my favourite authors and I have read all her books so far. Another great story line with lots of action. Maybe not one of my favourites but definitely worth reading.

This book was fantastic! I am a big Joy Ellis fan so was excited to read this and it didn't disappoint. Loved the characters and story line, I really had a hard time putting it down. The book was so full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming it kept me on the edge of my seat. A seriously good 5 star read.

A very good detective/mystery novel but I didn't like the ending as much as the rest of the book due to the death of the main character.

I love this crime thriller by Joy Ellis which is set in the Lincolnshire Fens. There's lots of twists and turns, the characters are very believable and the writing flows well making for an easy read. I read this today in one sitting, thank you for the ARC. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Fourth Friend, the third novel to feature DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Lincolnshire police.

DS Carter McLean is the only survivor of a plane crash which killed his four best friends when they were en route to a stag do in Amsterdam. Now he is physically healed and after 6 months on desk duty is ready to return active duty in DI Jackman's team but is the team ready for him? Not really as they are busy investigating the cold case disappearance of Suzanne Holland who is the wife of Carter's friend Tom who died in the crash. Fortunately they can sidetrack him from this investigation when the superintendent reports that her niece is being stalked.

It sounds very complicated but it's easy to follow. The novel revolves around Carter McLean and his actions because he's not as well mentally as he outwardly appears. Marie and his psychologist, Laura, are aware of this but with no evidence they bow to Carter and the brass's will because Carter is a very good detective, if not one for rules and regulations. His character is well drawn.

The other characters, except Marie, have a much more peripheral role in the novel and are as well drawn as they need to be but the reader doesn't really find out much about them. Marie Evans is well depicted as Carter's confidant and perhaps crutch. I think that her exhaustion and helplessness in this role are well done - helping people in difficult emotional situations is very tiring.

The plotting is excellent. Ms Ellis manages to throw in enough red herrings to keep the reader wondering throughout. I had several guesses at what was going on and only one was even close. I do like a good mystery that keeps you guessing.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Fourth Friend and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

5 stars

DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans make a return in this novel about a young detective named DS Carter McLean who witnessed the death of his four good friends in the same plane crash that he survived. After eighteen months of convalescence, Carter returns to work. Evans, who is a close friend of Carter’s, especially feels that all is not well.

Jackman and Evans are currently investigating the disappearance of Suzanne Holland who is the wife of one of Carter’s dead friends. They, and the psychologist who is seeing Carter, think that perhaps he should not be involved in the Holland investigation, but the bosses overrule them. McLean is under the impression that his dead friends want him to complete certain tasks that they didn’t get to do before they died. For one, it was running a marathon for his father, for another it’s to find some money he had hidden away to give to his girlfriend, and so on.

When Superintendent Ruth Crooke’s young niece Leah is being followed, she asks Jackman is McLean and Evans can look into the case. McLean and Crooke can’t stand each other for some reason. Carter uses his unique contacts to locate the bad guys who kidnapped the girl and this leads him to the suspect. Through interviews, they learn that all of the harassing was done at the behest of another person, but the suspect changed the rules. Now they need to find the person who ordered the whole thing.

Meanwhile, on the Holland case, they receive some interesting information from Ms. Holland’s ex-husband, now living in Spain. They track down another lead and receive some exciting news from the forensic side.

The ending is very sad and yet it is exciting. The book is very well written and plotted, as are all of Joy Ellis’ novels. The tension started immediately as the reader wonders what will become of Carter McLean and continues throughout the book as we not only try to sort out the clues to the cases, but also worry about Carter. I like the way Jackman and Evans’ team get along. They seem to respect one another, and not all detective stories read that way. Well done, Ms. Ellis, and I hope another book is out soon!

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book to read and enjoy.

After surviving the air crash 18 months earlier that killed his four best friends, DS Carter McLean is finally certified to be back at work, but is currently being kept to his desk and away from the field. The problem is that in addition to suffering the expected survivor guilt, Carter sees his best friends. Talks to them.

DS Marie Evans is deeply concerned about Carter, and his psychiatrist worries that perhaps she has missed something.

Carter feels that all he has left is his job, but he is excluded from the case that involves the disappearance of the wife of one of his dead friends. Each of his ghostly friends has disappeared after Carter has done something for them. Only the last friend remains, and the only thing Carter has to go on is "Suzanne."

The Fourth Friend is another great procedural from Joy Ellis!

NetGalley/Joffre Books

Police Procedural. Aug. 30, 2017.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Another great addition to Joy Ellis' books, she just keeps getting better and better!
Carter is still deeply traumatised after surviving the plane crash that killed his 3 best friends, wracked by guilt. Cleared by his psychiatrist Laura to work in the field again, he hides his mental torment well in the workplace, but Marie and Jackman are not convinced he's fully ready. The team is working on a cold case; the disappearance of a woman from her blood soaked house. She happens to be his best friend Tom's wife, one of the 3 who died in the fiery crash. Carter is not allowed to work the case and is instead looking into the ominous stalking of the boss's niece, while suffering flashbacks all the while.
With a hint of ghosts, two interesting cases and a highly lovable police team, this is a must read. It's still set in the lovely fens and even has a couple of mentions of DI Nikki Galena, the main protagonist of Ms. Ellis' other gripping series.