DI Nikki Galena #12

One moonlight night, the bodies of two young people ar discovered lying entwined on a blanket in the woods. The young man is clutching a red rose. It looks like a lovers suicide pact until DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter look more closely. They had been murdered somewhere else then brought to the woods.

As the body count rises, Nikki and her team have to work hard to find out who is committing these murders. Nikki's mother and her friend Wendy are investigating the cold case of a painter, he had went missing a long time ago. Both stories are well written and tied up by the end. This is a really good series but the book could be read as a standalone.

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

Secrets on the Fens by Joy Ellis.
The latest offering in the Nikki Galena series
Someone is killing young goths in Greenborough and it is up to Nikki and her team to solve why.
At the same time Nikki’s mum is getting involved in a mystery of her own that may threaten her life.
Another brilliant read fast moving with just the right blend of action and humour. A great cast of characters who have all taken shape over the years. It is not graphically violent or overrun with sex scenes just a good read.

I always enjoy this series. It’s like the reading equivalent of meeting up with old friends or putting on your favourite slippers. When the bodies of two young people are found entwined out on the Fens Nikki, Joseph and the team need to cut through the misdirection to find the culprits and when more bodies appear and someone close to their hearts disappears the tension mounts.
Great development in the subplot and character’s lives too and nice crossovers with some of our friends from the Jackman and Evans series. All in all a delightful few hours of reading. I’m really looking forward to my next visit to The Fens

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Joy Ellis for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading Secrets On The Fens. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Liked the subplot, reminded me of ‘Rosemary and Thyme.’
I will recommend to family and friends.

5 stars

Two young people are found dead. It is clearly a staged scene. When Detectives DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter arrive at the scene in the middle of the night their first thought is that the scene has been arranged and they have two murders on their hands.

Eve, who is Nikki's mother, and Wendy her best friend find themselves in another mystery. These two elderly ladies certainly enjoy their little adventures. Nikki worries, but knows that her mother thrives on such escapades. Their latest foray into crime is the search for missing famous artist Robert Richmond.

Nikki and her team have much to worry about with this spate of “lover” killings. Two major crime families are set in opposition to one another by having their relatives included among the dead.

Nikki and the team are in a real run for their money in this latest thriller from Joy Ellis. All of the young people are from the Goth community. Does this have anything to do with the murders? As the investigation continues, the team learns that the couples were not boyfriend/girlfriend. What is going on? And someone is leaking information to the two crime families...

This book is very well written and plotted as are all of Ms. Ellis' novels. The favorite characters are back and true to form. I like Nikki and Joseph and the rest of the team. It is like visiting with old friends.

I want to very much thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Another fantastic entertaining storyline from Joy Ellis and her lead detective Nikki Galena. An intriguing plot which leads into the strange world of goths. With a series of murders with underlying tones of romance. Lots of twists and turns with a surprising outcome.

I always enjoy reading Joy Ellis books and this latest one didn’t disappoint. Set in the fictional Fenland town of Greenborough DI Nikki Galena and Joseph Easter are again challenged when four young people are found murdered in macabre staged settings. Two of the teenagers are from rival crime families and when another boy from the Leonard family goes missing the race is on to find him and prevent a gang war erupting. Another of the victims comes from a very religious family but with the motive still unclear the police have an uphill battle on their hands. Then a mole in the police is discovered selling information to both sides just to add more confusion.... Another subplot involves Nikki’s mother Eve, who is off to the Lake District with her friend Wendy to solve a mystery of her own.... A well written, action packed page turner that i would highly recommend.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoy this authors style of writing, the location and the characters in the story. Would recommend.

Returning to this series is like sitting down with old friends. I just so enjoy Nikki, Joseph, Eve and the gang. The stories always include a smart mystery but also quite a bit of the interactions of everyone.
This time, there are two stylized murder scenes - Romeo and Juliet and The Tunnel of Love. The murder victims are initially unidentifiable, which hampers the investigation. As identities are made, Nikki and Joseph have their hands full with the families involved.
There’s also a side story as Eve and Wendy research a long dead painter who met a mysterious end and a missing painting. Of course, someone in the present is trying to stop this investigation.
I learned something new reading this book. I’m a taphophile- someone into epitaphs and memorial stones. I’ve never heard that noun before.
I typically listen to this series, but this time I was given an advance written copy. Still, I had Henrietta Miere’s voice in my head.
I highly recommend this series to anyone that likes character rich mysteries with strong relationships between the characters. I guess it could be read as a standalone, but why would you want to?
My thanks to netgalley and Joffre Books for an advance copy of this book.

Nikki and team are back and better than ever! This has quickly become one of my favorite series, and Secrets on the Fens is another wonderful addition. Nikki and team find themselves in cases that seem to connect but are all too light on suspects, and where little is as it initially seems. Pulls back the curtain on family drama, thats for sure! The team dialogue is great as always, and the ending is a pleasant, unexpected surprise. And of course, Nikki’s mom Eve makes another appearance, and manages to find herself in the thick of things again. Trouble always seems to find her! Overall a 5 star read for me!

A gripping, multi faceted storyline that is fast paced and addictive. On the surface there are young people found dead and posed carefully with classical undertones as though they are lovers, but are they actually? I loved the Gothic aspect and the different layers of the plot as they unfolded. There is plenty to get your teeth into, the criminal underworld of rival families, religiously obsessive and oppressive parents, historic backstories with previously unsolved murder and intrigue and people on the fringes of society. This author is new to me but I didn’t have any difficulty catching up and jumping straight in and I warmed immediately to the main characters, definitely plan to read more of Joy’s previous titles now.

I didn’t realise this was the twelfth book in this series. I haven’t read the others but absolutely loved this book and not reading them didn’t impact my enjoyment of this at all.
It’s set close to where I live which made it all the more relatable to me. The story was gripping and I finished it so fast as I absolutely loved it.

Secrets on the fens Joy Ellis
DI Nikki Galena #12
This is the 12th novel to feature DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter. Two young couples are found murdered and both scenes had been staged like Shakespearean plays. As the team dug deeper into their investigation, they found that after initially thinking that the pairings they discovered at the crime scenes were boyfriends and girlfriends, that they were actually hiding a much darker secret. Add into the mix that one of the girls was the daughter of a member of the Leonard family, a family with a long criminal history in the area. One of the boys was a member of the Burgess family; rivals to the Leonards. Galena and the team had to work out whether these were revenge killings or whether it was something else. All of the victims were Goths, much to the dislike of one particular family who were deeply religious and this got the team wondering if the family were to blame.
Meanwhile Nikki’s mother Eve and her friend Wendy, part time super sleuths, were still investigating the mystery of the disappearance of a Victorian artist. This took them off to the Lake District to meet another super sleuth investigating the artist's link to the local area. It was a slight distraction from the main plot, but it was nice to keep up to speed with what Eve and Wendy were up to.
As always with Joy Ellis’ writing style there were lots of twists and turns with reveal after reveal keeping me enthralled and ensuring that this was another page turner. Just one more chapter led to me reading most of the book in one day, I couldn’t put it down. The DI Nikki Galena series is one of my favourites and I eagerly look forward to the next instalment.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance review copy of Secrets on the Fens in return for an honest review.

DI Nikki Galena, DS Joseph Easter, and their team are back when a young couple is found dead in a parkland in the Fens. Posed as lovers, the police dub them Romeo and Juliet while they work to uncover their identity.
The pacing of the story as the mystery deepens is wonderful, we get to follow the police piecing together bits and pieces of information gleaned from young Goths in the area, as well as two local crime families. I found the acceptance of the Goth lifestyle by the police, and in particular Joseph, as they learn more about it to be refreshing. Meanwhile Nikki’s mother Eve and her friend Wendy use their own skills learned from years in the shadowy intelligence service to solve the cold case of a local artist who disappeared.
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of this thoroughly enjoyable police procedural, I found it hard to put down.

I loved this latest installment in the DI Nikki Galena series! She and her team are tasked with the case of a young couple found in the woods, posed to look like they were lovers who committed suicide. But come on, these guys know better, and soon have their proof that this was murder. So why the theatrics? Before they can wrap their heads around it, another young couple is found, once again posed to look like lovers who met their end together. Stranger still, neither of two pairs actually were a couple in life, so what's going on?

When Nikki and her team learn the identities of the victims, they soon have reason to suspect not one, but two of the major crime families from the Fens. The Leonards they know well from past dealings and an unsteady truce, but the Burgess family aren't as well known. And there are whispers that this family wants to surpass the Leonards as the ultimate rulers of their area. To make matters worse, Nikki and Joseph's close young friend, Mickey Leonard, has disappeared and his adopted family is heartbroken that he could be found next.

Not only are these warring families involved, but the victims are also found to be members of the local Goth community. While they may appear quite alarming, Nikki and her team grow to better understand and respect their beliefs and can't see why anyone would target these innocent people. And you'll never guess how this group is connected to Nikki's mother and the new adventure she and her friend are on. We knew they were intrigued with the mysterious disappearance of a local artist many years ago, but how far will their curiosity take these older women? Can Nikki handle worrying for her mother on top of this newest case or will it prove to be too much?

There is so much going on in this story - non-stop action making it a true page-turner. Just when you think you know what's happening with any of the plotlines, I assure you - you don't! There is surprise after surprise as each part of the story unfolds. As always, once I reached the end, I was dying for more!

#12 in the DI Nikki Galena series. The series involves a fictional homicide DI and her colleagues on the Fenland marshes of Eastern England. The atmospheric setting forms a nice backdrop, and DI Nikki Galena herself and DS Joseph Easter, the lead detectives, are good strong leads to carry the story.

In general I would say this is very much a comfortable read with good intrigue that will keep you absorbed on a lazy afternoon.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Joffe Books, for an advance digital copy for review.

The main crime plot, involving the theatrically staged murders of two sets of what appear to be young star-crossed lovers, was intricate with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

The returning characters are interesting and it felt like the number of detectives, officers, pathologists, assistants, and police staff we meet in this book was more than I am used to with detective series. Lots of characters were drawn and I can see that this group could become familiar and welcome, like old friends, to series readers. This was my first read by this author and I probably should have read the series in order, although it was not strictly necessary to enjoy this book.

There was even a sub-plot with Nikki’s mother, Eve and her companion, Wendy, which on its own read like a cozy mystery involving a somewhat elderly pair of Nancy Drews or perhaps Miss Marples. I gather this is a regular occurrence in the series with these characters and think it is a nice touch.

Overall, I would give this book three stars. Without revealing any spoilers, I did find it a bit difficult to keep the crime victims straight, especially in the beginning, and the plot baffles with many loose ends that close a bit quickly and perhaps overly-neatly to warrant a four-star rating.

Joy Ellis never disappoints.... I’ve been waiting to read this book after devouring the others in this series last year! Fast paced as always with an interesting, gripping storyline! I love Nicki and Joseph and really want them to get married..... let’s hope the next book is out soon!!!

DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter are back with a puzzling case - 4 young people are dead, posed as lovers. At first they were thought to have committed suicide, but they were murdered and it takes quite a while before they are identified. They were Goths and we get some interesting views of the Goths' beliefs and lifestyles.
We also spend time with Nikki's mother, Eve, and her friend Wendy, who are investigating the cold case of the disappearance of a painter. That part of the book was very enjoyable; I like those two feisty women a lot.
Another exciting read in this series, this is a cracking good story - recommended!
Thank you Netgalley, Joffe Books and Joy Ellis for the eARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Secrets on the Fens, the twelfth novel to feature DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter, set in the fictional Fenland town of Greenborough.

When the bodies of a young couple are found in Saltern Woods it is initially assumed to be suicide but when the team look closer they think from the posing of the bodies that they have been killed elsewhere and then brought to the woods. With identification proving elusive they are nicknamed Romeo and Juliet and then another couple are found in a similarly mystifying pose.

I thoroughly enjoyed Secrets on the Fens which has an intriguing plot and likeable characters. It hooked me from the start with the picture of Romeo and Juliet, beautifully posed in idyllic surroundings and yet, undeniably murdered. Why? It takes a while and a lot of detective work to get there but it’s a rewarding journey. This novel is big on victimology with the team reasoning that the motive will be found in their lifestyle and history. It is reveal after reveal and I found myself burning up the pages getting to know the victims and watching the investigation progress. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but that’s the nature of investigations, one piece of information lets everything fall into place.

In the meantime Nikki’s mother, Eve Anderson and her friend, Wendy Avery, only have a minor role to play in the investigation, choosing instead to gallivant off to the Lake District to investigate the disappearance of Victorian painter, Robert Richmond in a thread carried over from the previous novel. It’s a distraction from the main event, but nice to see capable pensioners in a novel.

Secrets on the Fens is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.