This was my first outing with Joy Ellis and it won't be my last.  I already have book 1 of this series lined up on my Kindle and I cannot wait to read it.  Five Bloody Hearts is the second book in the Matt Ballard series but works absolutely fine as a stand alone however, it does have some references to book 1.

Matt Ballard is on the verge of retirement when an old case is dredged up from the past.  The fiancée of a serial killer (Grace Repton), jailed by Matt, arrives at the station with news that a copy cat killer is likely to strike after contact with Jeremy.  Claiming Jeremy is totally reformed, it is requested that Matt works with him to figure out who the copycat killer is - if he exists!

This novel has so many elements to it and very cleverly crosses genres.

Joy Ellis creates a very realistic insight into the frustrations of police officers working a case. At first I was a little unsure as to why there were almost two separate stories running in the novel but then realised that actually, at no time would a police station be concentrating purely on one case and therefore this creates a truthful vibe of the time, staff, budget constraints of working several cases. There are other reasons too but I'll let you discover those for yourself.  A frenzied vibe is created and it draws you in so that you too begin to feel pressured and frustrated alongside the characters.

Additional to the procedural aspect is the psychological one.  delving into the minds of Jeremy Reader and Grace Repton is simple fascinating.  We get to see them from various perspectives, including psychologists, prison wardens and police officers and it's fascinating to read.

About half way through the book I was so sure that I had a couple of solid theories, both were incorrect (I'm not the best at the guessing game).  Ms Ellis uses clever tactics to throughout the book to give red herrings and false clues and keeps you guessing until the very last few pages.     

This is such a brilliantly written, highly realistic and chilling crime thriller that will hold you hostage until you are finished.

4 stars

DCI Matt Ballard is ready, more than ready, to retire after thirty years of being a police officer. He is dragged into what may be his final case...

A woman comes into the office looking for Ballard. She tells him that she is convicted serial murderer Jeremy Reader's fiance. She says that a death will occur in Reader's style; there is a copycat out there. Should Matt believe this fantastic tale? The stakes are too high to ignore it.

This is a fast-paced novel that is well written and plotted in Joy Ellis' usual manner. I wasn't disappointed. I liked Matt and his team. They worked well together. Joy Ellis is a genius at writing no matter what she turns her hand to. I will definitely read most anything she writes.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

DI Matt Ballad is waiting to retire from the Police Force but due to staff shortages his replacement is delayed on another case. Meanwhile a third Eastern European man's body is found in the countryside leaving only one member of the team to look into the murders. Matt is contacted by Grace Repton a prison visitor who is about to marry Jeremy Reader , who is a serial killer in which Matt was involved in giving evidence to convicting him.
This is a very complex murder case but still very enjoyable.

I selected this book based on the publisher’s review, I had never read this author, nor did I realize it was the second book in a series. There were references to the previous novel, but the book worked fine as a standalone. At first I did find the many characters confusing, perhaps had I read the first novel, I wouldn’t have had this problem. The plot was ingenious, and given the depth of detail regarding the two storylines, the author has done her research. Will this series continue, I hope so.
Many thanks to netgalley and Joffe books for an ARC. Recommend.

Joy Ellis at her best! Without a doubt the best story I have read for a long while! Don’t want to say anything about the plot, read it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!

Joy Ellis is among my favourite authors, and this book is just as good as all her others! I found this to be a fast paced twisted story. The characters are complex and realistic . It was also interesting to learn a little of the culture and lives of the migrant community as the book involved them I have much admiration for their innate ability to survive the abuse that can be hurled at them.I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller.

Absolutely gripped me from start to finish! Although this is a sequel to 'Beware the Past', it made no difference to the enjoyment of this page turning thriller. So many twists and turns, which is exactly how a good thriller should be. I am not going to write what the story is about as i prefer one to read it for themselves, but i do highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy, and this is my honest review.

DCI Matt Ballard's last case as a policeman. Will he come back as a PI? - we'll have to wait and see.

A good story with many twists and turns. Matt is still working beyond the time he should have retired. In his last case he and his sargeant were both injured with Liz still unable, and never will be able, to return to work. She and Matt have decided that they will become PIs, but fate seems to have a way of delaying or stopping them. There is a killer of young men - said to be the Baltic Mafia - as well as a serial killer, banged up by Matt and his team, worried that there was a copycat killer about to begin killing. There is, but is the original masterminding the copycat. These are the problems facing Matt and his team - depleted by his sargeant Liz - and also depleted as each member of the team is suffering from their previous case.

Loved it.

Another outstanding book from Joy Ellis and the second based around cases for Detective Matt Ballard and his team. Two strings intertwine throughout - one a series of copycat murders by ex-sanguination of blonde young women (that murderer caught by Matt and team and now incarcerated for life) and two, murders relating to an age old family vendetta between Lithuanians and Latvians. Matt and Co twist and turn trying to find leads, interviewing characters from the previous story (but not in a way to require that story to have been read first) gradually concluding that there are links between the two threads. The story remains taut throughout, the characters interact well and felt real especially in respect of their psychology dealing with the cases. The suspense builds nicely right through to the final few pages even if I did work out who the perpetrator was quite early one (normally I don't). How they got to where they are did keep up the suspense. The atmosphere of the Fens remains excellent - remote, untamed (untrue but there you are), backwater yet with the nastiness of modern life insidiously pervading. I like the occasional links to Ms Ellis' other characters - Nicki Galena, Rory, Sam and Laura, Jackson for example - although each of those have their own and different characteristics. It's as if she writes in several bubbles that occasionally overlap. I always look forward to the next book in the various series. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffre Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I downloaded this book knowing nothing about it or the author , started reading and couldn’t stop!! Loved it. It kept me hooked. Highly recommend this book.

The sequel to Beware The Past this book continues with the aftermath of that story. Another great book by Joy Ellis again set in and around the Fens. Brutal murders, overworked dectectives and great subplot development. Fans like me of her other series, Nikki Galena and Jackman & Evans will enjoy the many crossover characters and references.

Another brilliant book from Joy Ellis who is one of my favourite authors. The plots are just so different each time and there is no predictability. The characters are very believable and as the tension builds I was afraid for them. I could not see how all the threads would come together and suspected everyone. I won’t give any spoilers. I recommend the first book in the series which was equally brilliant before reading this one,especially if they are read back to back. I was just sorry when Iread the last page. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to give a review.

This is a thoroughly exciting police thriller set in the distinctive location of the atmospheric fenlands. This is the second in the series featuring DCI Matt Ballard, left struggling in the wreckage of his last case and seeking to retire. A good looking and seemingly stable woman, Grace Repton, comes to the police station on the instigation of her fiance, a man she is planning to marry shortly, the notorious serial killer, Jeremy Reader. Reader is incarcerated in a high security prison for life, arrested and put there by Ballard himself. Reader is now claiming to be a new and changed character, regretting his murderous history, who is now only looking to help the police. He has an acolyte, Alex, who is planning to emulate Reader's horrific crimes in the form of copycat crimes. Many have bought into Readers change of character, but can Ballard really trust him? In the meantime, a Lithuanian migrant worker is found dead with a Tree of Life tattoo. In a story of murders and twists, the under resourced police struggle to get the truth in this action packed and fast paced, highly compelling piece of crime fiction.

Another unique storyline from this brilliant author. When a prolific serial killer speaks through his girlfriend to the police from his prison cell it sets alarm bells ringing. Is he just another attention seeking fantasist or are his fears founded that someone is going to start a spree of copy cat murders? He has everyone convinced that he is a reformed character and only wants to help the police. This is a fantastic book, for fans of crime thrillers, it's a must-read.

I voluntarily reviewed this book through Netgalley, thanks to the publisher and the author for a chance for the ARC.

I've read and enjoyed Joy Ellis's novels and this one is no exception.
Another brilliant unpredictable pacey plot, with engaging characters that held my attention from start to finish.

So this is the second in the Matt Ballard series and while it does work as a standalone, I would suggest you start with the first book Beware The Past.

Matt is on the verge of retirement when two cases pop up. The first a series of murders of young Lithuanian migrant workers all with the same tattoo. The second involves a woman named Grace Repton, who says she in love with serial killer Jeremy Reader and they’re about to get married. She claims to have knowledge of a man named Alex who says he wants to carry on killing in Jeremy’s name. Already a colleague down, as DS Liz Haynes is still recovering from their last case, the team is stretched to breaking point, why they manage to solve the cases before another person loses their life?

This is another clever and captivating police procedural from Joy Ellis!

I very much enjoyed the first one of this series, which incidentally was my first ever Joy Ellis book, so I was so happy that she decided to carry on this series.

I love a literary serial killer but Jeremy Reader is different from the rest. He claims to be remorseful for what he did but can Matt Ballard, the person who arrest him, completely trust that he’s telling the truth?

I can say to much more in case of spoilers, but I did think the conclusion, while satisfying, relied a little bit too much on coincidences but of course that’s just my opinion.

Overall Five Bloody Hearts is an addictive and enthralling read that will have you hooked from that very first chapter. I hope this not the last we’ve seen of Matt Ballard!

What a fantastic introduction to DCI Matt Ballard for me, although it is actually book 2 in the series. This is the sequel to "Beware The Past" where Matt was battling against evil personified. He came away from that case scarred both mentally and physically, his sergeant Liz Haynes was left with life threatening injuries and a close friend lay dead. Little wonder that Matt has made the decision to retire but has to delay as his replacement is held up in court. A Lithuanian migrant worker is found dead on the Fens with no ID but he has a tattoo of the Tree Of Life on him. He is the third such man to be found in this way and it is looking like a gang war over drugs or between different ethnic groups. DC Bryn Owen finds himself given the responsibility of investigating the identities and motives almost single handed whilst battling with the lack of trust in police of the migrant community. Then Matt finds himself in charge of a second really strange case. A beautiful woman called Grace Repton walks into the station and tells him she is shortly to marry Jeremy Reader, a man who brutally killed five women. He was caught by Matt Ballard and is serving a life sentence in prison. Grace tells him that Jeremy has an admirer who has declared he is going to carry on the killings that Jeremy started. Jeremy is apparently a reformed character who wants to prevent this at all costs, but despite the fact that psychologists and the prison governor have all bought into this transformation Matt is not convinced that a leopard can ever change its spots. As the bodies start to appear and the team is stretched to breaking point, the race is on to understand who is lying and who is telling the truth. There is plenty of action, and new discoveries and dead ends for the team as they race along the way, dealing with fairly complex and very interesting plots as the past comes back to haunt them. There is definitely plenty for the reader to get their teeth into! Highly recommended and I sincerely hope we get more of Matt and Liz in their new roles (please!).

Brilliant plot, excellent main characters that you invest in. I read this book in one sitting and I would highly recommend it.

This is a British crime novel with a surprisingly good flow and an excellent plot. It's close to impossible to guess what's really going on, and with a well written story and great characters, this is a very enjoyable book.

Five Bloody Hearts, the second book in the DCI Matt Ballard series, is a rip-roaring read and perfect for valentines. It has just enough gore to satisfy without going over the top, and the modus operandi of the killer is very unique and rather brutal; that was all I needed to become totally engrossed in the story. All of the different plots and subplots make it a complex read, but it is still easy to follow and engage with. It's' as always, well written and gallops along at the ideal pace. The characters are complicated, realistic and so very human.

The twists and turns are plentiful and keep you guessing and failing miserably at it. There are a few heart-stopping moments that took my breath away, so much so that I ended up burning my dinner because I became so addicted to turning those pages, and I certainly wasn't expecting the explosive ending, but I loved it. I'm looking forward to the next instalment to learn more about upcoming retiree DCI Ballard and if he really will go into retirement.

Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.