Jackman and Evan's #7

Orla Cracken has disappeared. She's the head of IT. When she doesn't turn up for work, everyone is concerned. She had once worked undercover for the government.

Jackman and Evan's are told that two Urban explorers have gone missing from the sites they were working from. Neither of the men were known to just walk off a job and disappear. DC Robbie Melton is helping Rowan and Marie to investigate.

This is a cleverly crafted and engaging read. The more you read, the more the plot thickens. There's a lot of secrecy surrounding the abandoned military site. No one will talk about it. The two stories eventually link. It was nice to learn a little more of Orac's background. Another great installment to this series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JoffeBooks and the author #JoyEllis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness! What a whirlwind this book has been!
I found myself holding my breath several times!
The author manages to make the reader feel so immersed in the story, I felt that I was walking up the stairs, the fear was palpable.
The main characters were incredibly likeable, the story was believable and the author had obviously done a lot of research and I felt as though I knew a lot about urbexers once I had finished.
Absolutely amazing writing, one of my top reads this year.

I have read quite a few books by this author and I have never been disappointed. This is also a great crime thriller. Urban explorers are going missing and turning up dead. The killer is an enigma and has a personal adgenda. A race against time as this killer has a list of names which is rapidly decreasing. Everything I expect from this author and so much more.
Thanks to Joffre Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This is the seventh book in the excellent series featuring DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans working in the Fenland Constabulary police. DC Charlie Button is still off injured, but the rest of the very close and loyal team of DC Robbie Melton, PC Gary Pritchard, DC Max Cohen and the new “baby” DC Kevin Stoner are all present and correct. When the news comes through that Jackman’s nemesis Alistair Ashcroft has finally been incarcerated where he deserves, Marie and Jackman could be forgiven for believing that things might become a little quieter and more settled in Saltern-le-Fen. How wrong could they be? First comes the news that their whiz of an IT head Orac (Orla Cracken) has not shown up for work despite arranging a meeting with one of her staff. This is so out of character that the detectives, including senior officer Superintendent Ruth Crooke, are immediately concerned and start a search for her. With no sightings, the team are entrusted with the secrets of her incredible past service to the country in military intelligence and all the stops are pulled out to locate her. A message reveals she is on another mission entirely but unfortunately this could still mean she is in danger. Meanwhile Robbie gets a worried call from former colleague Stella North. Avid readers of Ms Ellis’ books will already be familiar with Stella from the novel Guide Star, and she was the encouragement behind Robbie making his transfer to his present team after they were both involved in a terrible incident. She tells him two urbexers (urban explorers) have recently simply vanished, one from an old cinema in Greenborough and one from a disused airfield in Randleby. One minute they were there with friends, the next all that was left was their equipment. Since both men were adults, the theory is that they have simply run off and nobody is really looking for them, but Stella, knowing more about the individuals themselves, is very concerned that something nasty has befallen them. When a third man disappears in similar circumstances, this time it happens on home turf and Robbie can get stuck into investigating officially. But how is the kidnapper taking them without a fight and without disturbing the silence of old abandoned buildings? More importantly, what is the motive for taking them and where are they now? Fears grow for their safety as Professor Rory Wilkinson receives some strange packages delivered straight to his morgue. The detectives wonder what links the abducted men. Is the kidnapper targeting individuals, groups of people or the places they visit? More worryingly, does he have more targets on his list? And just what is the secret of Randleby Airfield? When a gruesome scene is stumbled upon by other explorers, the case becomes even more bizarre. Marie & Jackman realize they are dealing with something far worse than they ever feared and everyone worries that it is not over by a mile. It will take the combined efforts of skilled detectives and experienced urbexers to bring this to a thrilling and shocking conclusion, where all the puzzles are eventually explained. This story has a host of brilliant characters that the reader can warm to immediately, such as pathologist Professor Rory Wilkinson, assistant Spike and his new recruit “Cardiff” Erin. I love the humour and the great feeling of camaraderie within the team of detectives, and makes the story all the more enjoyable. The plot is clever and superbly delivered, the characters wonderfully described, and the scenery and setting of these books is perfect. This series just gets better and better! 5*

Orla Cracken (Orac) has disappeared. She is the IT boss and when she doesn't show up for work everyone panics. She has never not shown up for work. It's all the more worrisome because of her background ... she once worked for the government, undercover.

Detectives Rowan Jackman and Marie Evans, a long with colleague DC Robbie Melton are told that two urban explorers have gone missing .... from the sites they were exploring. Neither of them were known to just up and vanish ...especially leaving their expensive cameras behind.

When their bodies are found hanging in ancient church ruins, having been left after being tortured. Jackman and Evans go into overdrive to find a killer ... and to see if this case is connected to their missing IT person.

As with all the books in this series, this is well-written, with twists and turns that rival a roller coaster ride. The suspense starts on the very first page and doesn't let up until the last sentence on the last page. I really enjoyed how the author brought in urban exploration of old buildings, in the middle of the night ... added suspense on top of suspense.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books N All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Love love love Joy Ellis books and this didn’t disappoint. A cracking read that I couldn’t put down, I really enjoyed it. Joy Ellis at her best. Highly recommend this was a great read.

Having read the the all the previous books in the series i was glad to review this one for NetGalley. This storyline includes urban explorers who mysteriously start vanishing while out with others venturing into old and derelict buildings. One goes missing while at an abandoned military airfield which becomes another mystery. Why is it such a secret? At the same time a member of their team disappears and it looks like the past has caught up with them. Will all these stories eventually be linked? This is a great page turner filled with plenty of twists along the way. Another great addition to the Jackman and Evans series, I particularly enjoy seeing all the characters developing as we learn more about their back stories.

My thanks to Joffe Books, Joy Ellis and Netgalley.
Joy Ellis is one of those few authors whose books I love, even though everyone is exceedingly nice!
Her tales are by no means "cozy." But, the characters are comforting. At least to me!
I thought I'd love this one, but I just didn't.
From around the age of 7, and up until my mid 30's, I loved exploring old places. I'd usually drag a friend along, but occasionally my sister. Eventually I had to grow up! Ha, LOL! Anyhow..
This is maybe the second or third book of Joy's that I just didn't get into.
Though I did love the Orac storyline!
Sadly, it took me ages to finish this book. I will say that the ending picked up! Unfortunately, I want all the book to be that great. Otherwise, if just read the last 25% of every book.
No worries. The next will be good. I'm already looking forward to it!

Joy Ellis returns to her beloved Fens, the setting of so many of her books, in this the seventh novel featuring Jackman and Evans. As always she allows her plot to unfold at a leisurely pace so we can savour every moment of it.
One after another person goes missing from old derelict properties in the Fens after persuing their somewhat strange hobby of photographing these often dangerous sites at night. What's the connection between them all?
The plot is clever and engaging.

Another fantastic story from Joy Ellis, Two different aspects of the story, finally come together through Urban Exploration. For any reader that has not come across Urban Exploration do as I did and google it, a fascinating subject to weave a novel around. A great read

In this latest installment of the Jackman & Evans series, the team is dealing with the disappearances of both local urban explorers and their head of IT, Orac. Orac has always been an intriguing character - with a unique hairstyle and chrome reflective contact lenses, she doesn't quite fit the profile of your typical officer. And now she's vanished and left the detectives in a lurch, as they're desperate for any assistance in their missing explorers case. But because Orac is so private, no one knows where she could be or why she would disappear, so the team have to do a little side investigation to learn more about their co-worker.

Leading the case of the urban explorers is DC Robbie Melton, who we get a little more insight into as a character in this story. He previously worked with an officer who dabbled in this type of abandoned building exploration and she and her friends give much needed assistance to Robbie throughout the case. He and the team (and the readers, as well) learn about this popular activity and what draws someone to become involved in such a dangerous, yet thrilling practice. But why would someone target these people and hurt them? Is there something special about the victims they've found so far, or are all of these risk-takers at - well, risk?

You'll have to find out by giving this one a read. It's a non-stop page turner with delightful characters that just get better with each new book!

Another excellent book in the Jackman & Evans books. by Joy Ellis. Just couldn't put it down. The IT boss Orac disappears and then urban explorers disappear and Detective Rowan Jackman and Marie Evans investigate their murders.

304 pages

4 stars

Things are a little slow at the cop shop until Orla “Orac” Cracken doesn't show up for work one day. Orac is the head of the IT Department at the police station. She has had a successful and much vaunted career in governmental escapades.

DCI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans are on the case. Orac's apartment has been cleaned out.

At the same time, DC Robbie Melton catches a case referred by an old friend and former partner Stella. It seems a young urbexer (someone who explores and photographs abandoned buildings), has disappeared. His name is “Rainman.”

Jackman and Marie become involved in that case, too. It seems that other urban explorers have also gone missing. When the bodies of three missing explorers are found, all together, the tension in the book ratchets up.

Could this case be tied to Orac's disappearance? What does all this have to do with an abandoned air field?

Reading a Joy Ellis novel is such a treat. This is the seventh in the Jackman and Evans series. Ms. Ellis' writing is always clear and error-free. The reader is so drawn into the story that time passes without notice. I very much enjoy reading her books and look forward to reading her next offering.

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

THEY DISAPPEARED by Joy Ellis. In the seventh of the DI Jackson and DS Marie Evans series, the focus on missing urban explorers and Orac. Learned about urbexers (urban explorers) and their fascination with old abandoned sites which was new to me. More interesting background insights into Orac's and Marie's pasts. The series keeps getting better. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I love Joy Ellis ! This book was full of the horror and twists that I look for in a book . If you like horror , suspense, and staying up late because you must finish reading then this is the book for you, it will not disappoint.

They Disappeared is the seventh instalment in the DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans series, set in the small town of Saltern-le-Fen, Lincolnshire. It begins with the team’s concern quickly turning to distress when they ask new CID member DC Kevin Stoner to take a laptop, containing sensitive material to help in the Kirby investigation, down to IT and hand it over directly to IT expert and undeniable genius Orla Cracken, referred to as Orac, but he comes back and informs them that she isn't in today, which is odd because she is always hidden away there in her basement kingdom. Orac is a former undercover agent with a bounty on her head so the government also become alarmed when they discover she is missing. Has her past finally caught up with her? Meanwhile, elsewhere, DC Robbie Melton, a recent transferee to the station, is contacted by a former colleague, DS Stella North, regarding the disappearance of a young urbexer (urban explorer) who vanished one evening after trying to infiltrate the old, disused airfield buildings at Randleby to take photographs. She also tells him of another urbexer called Anthony Hood, who went missing from an old cinema in Greenborough less than a month ago.

Then two decaying bodies are discovered inside the part ruined, part intact church in the village of Hallows Fen and the team realise they have a deranged and dangerous killer on their hands. This is a compulsive and absorbing crime caper and held my attention easily from start to finish. The writing is immersive and straight to the point, which makes it impossible not to get sucked into the excitement of the plot. I love the team dynamic, and we finally get a lot more backstory for the individual members, including Rowan and Marie, and I found it all added to the compelling nature of the story. The plotline with Orac vanishing was an ingenious method of allowing us to learn more about her, as she's quite a mysterious figure up till now. It all gels and makes for an interesting read. I had no idea about the urban exploring subculture where adrenaline junkies venture into abandoned buildings and take photos, known as decay photography. Because of the frowned-upon nature of this hobby, those involved are usually only referred to by their tag and not by name, making it more difficult to ascertain their identity when discovered. With an addictive, atmospheric and well crafted dual plotline, this is a pacy and suspenseful page-turner I highly recommend.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed it and will definitely be on the lookout for my titles by this author.

I have read a few Joy Ellis books and found this one to be just as enjoyable as all the others. It begins with the IT team worrying for their colleague Orac who hasnt arrived for work, totally out of character as they suspected she even slept there.
It moves on to the disappearance of urban explorers from different disused and abandoned buildings. Are the cases linked and how? The plot thickens as there is a lot of secrecy about an abandoned military site, why does nobody want to talk about it.
I loved the book, was nice to see the characters developing and new personnel emerging. Look forward to reading the next installment for the team

I always enjoy Joy Ellis’s books and have read the whole Jackman and Evans series. This book (no. 7) could be the best yet! In this story we enter the world of urbexers (urban explorers) who love to explore (usually at night) abandoned or derelict buildings and other sites and share photos of their exploits. This is called decay photography. I really enjoyed learning about this obscure hobby. I have to say it sounds rather fun and something I may have enjoyed when I was a lot younger (I always had a ‘naughty’ streak)!

In this book DC Robbie Melton, who recently transferred to Salern-Le-Fen, catches up with his former sargeant, DS Stella North), Stella retired from police work after a nasty injury but she was also a keen urbexer and is still into ‘the scene’. She raises concerns with Robbie about a couple of urbexers who mysteriously disappeared while exploring. With others! They apparently just vanished leaving all their equipment, including their precious cameras, behind. Robbie agrees to make some enquires but is met with a blank wall in Fenchurch constabulary. Soon another urbexer disappear on his own patch so Robbie is given carte blanche to follow this up.

At the same time Orac (Orla Cracken), their brilliant but strange cyber expert also does a disappearing act. She has a very murky past in national security and the powers that be are most concerned for her. There are also some questions about the disappearance of one of the urbexers from Randleby Airfield. On paper the base does not exist and any queries into the matter are met with a blank wall. Very mysterious! So how do urbexers, a missing Orac and an abandoned airfield tie together. It is very interesting to find out. I really enjoyed this book. Joy Ellis writes in an easy engaging manner and brings her characters to life. This time we learn a lot more about the mysterious Orac. There was also plenty of suspense and the pace, while not frenetic, was certainly fast enough. I couldn’t put this down! This book will appeal to all those who enjoy a crime mystery and/or thriller. Many thanks to Netgalley, Joffe Books and Joy Ellis for providing a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
This is the 7th in the DI Jackson and DS Marie Evans series.
It starts with Orac, their superb IT Chief going missing, causing much grief for the IT Department and the police team.
Then it veers into the case of two missing urban explorers, then another and finally the find of all three...horrifically murdered.
I enjoyed this book but couldn't really get into the whole urban exploration hobby. I like Jackman and Marie and getting more of a backstory on them as well as Orac, but was a bit bored with the urbexers' forays into the old buildings.
Still a pleasant read, and I will definitely read no. 8, because I'm invested in the series.