Thank you to #NetGalley and #JoffeBooks for my copy of #SolaceHouse by #JoyEllis

Holly Stewart and her family have moved to Solace House a rambling old house with loads of potential, but things start going wrong straight away and the house is back up for sale again, until she has a chance meeting with #DIJackman.
Hearing of the problems facing the family he is determined to help. When a new case lands in his lap he can’t help wondering if they are connected.
A gripping read that you won’t want to put down.

Joy Ellis writes such brilliant books and this is no exception.
The ninth in the Jackman and Evans and there’s lots going on. Two cases present themselves to the team, one official and one off the books as Jackman tries to help a family who have moved into the very unwelcoming Solace House. As both cases gain momentum the plots hurtle along as time runs out to catch the villains. The subplot is bubbling along nicely or so it seems until there’s unbelievable developments in that too. All the while both Jackman and Evans are being watched and we’re left with the knowledge that troubles never too far away in the future
As usual an engrossing unputdownable read

Joy Ellis does it again with Jackman and Evans with, apparently, two stories coming together in the end. The occupants of Solace House are being troubled by vandals, it's a gloomy house with a past. There's an unrelated death for the team to investigate and this rapidly become an investigation of a cult which seems to have been active for decades. Creepy. The two stories come together neatly, of course. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the copy of Solace House. This was my first book of the series and it took me a while to get into it. I loved the relationships between the characters and am now interested in reading the previous books. The story was interesting and there were some good twists. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

DI Jackman and the squad are at it again solving ritualistic murders in this addition to the series. This was a slow start but picked up soon after body parts are discovered on the side of the road.
I enjoyed the teamwork. The story went all little sideways but can't complain it was enjoyable. Looking forward to the next installment.

Joy Ellis never ceases to amaze me. Her imagination is epic. I love the interconnectedness of her three sets of detectives. One link being Rory, the pathologist who works with all of them, and, of course, the Fens.

Loved it - and I nearly worked this one out!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Solace House is the ninth installment of the Jackman and Evans series, I would definitely suggest reading the previous books just for backstory.

This book was slow to start but got twisty once it really picked up. As someone who doesn’t normally enjoy English police procedurals I’m surprised by how much I liked Solace House!

Detective Jackman goes home from his mother's stables and passes Solace House. He stops to talk with the new owner, Holly Stewart and meets her 7 and 8 year old Poppy and Aaron. He finds out her husband Hugh did not get the job he thought he had as a welder, and the children are being picked on by other children. Jackman tells Holly to take her children to his mother's stable and visit the horses. When he's home he calls a friend who is anxious to hire a welder. Meanwhile, as well as being a good neighbor, Jackman is working on a 21 year old case. They soon find that Locksford police have arrested a man who wasn't the one they were looking for, but he was acting strangely, and claimed to have information on tan old case of a woman killed at Birch Drove Farm.

Soon trash bags are found with separate body parts and a strange symbol carved on them, somewhat like the 21 year old case. Now they begin to realize a cult is still going. At the same time, the problems of the Stewart family are getting worse. While they are visiting the stable, someone has broken into their house and spraypainted both the living room and the children's bedroom. The children's room has a very scary picture. Then, with the police visiting, a man comes by in a tractor and sprays manure all over the front of the house.

Jackman's team works very hard to try to find where the cult is located as well as who and why someone is targeting the Stewards at Solace house. There is a very sad time, and some frantic policing which becomes very exciting. One thing I especially like in this series is the police who are very likeable good citizens as well as good police.

Another fantastic Jackman and Evans book! I couldn’t put it down, totally immersed in the lives of both the police and victims I felt every shock, it grabbed me from the first page and spat me out shaking. What an amazing read.

Solace House || Joy Ellis

Solace House is the 9th book in the widely acclaimed crime thriller series featuring DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans. While it’s not strictly necessary to read the other books in the series before this one, I’d recommend it as it provides the backstory for the characters, and it’s just a really fantastic series.

Set in the Fens, this book follows Jackman and Evans who during a rare slow period look into who is harassing and trying to drive a young family away from their newly purchase home, Solace House. Solace House was home to some gruesome murders both in the recent past and historically. When the dismembered body of a young women turns up with links to a cold case, Jackman and Evans must once again put their skills to the test and get to the bottom of what is happening and how these crimes all tie together.

If you’re a fan of English crime or police procedurals then this one will be right up your alley. Featuring a cast of easy to relate to characters, and an easy to become engrossed in story, this crime mystery will entertain and leave you wanting more.

Thank you to Netgalley, Joy Ellis and Joffe Books for an advanced copy of this novel.

I was slow to warm to the Jackman and Evans series, but I’ve been truly engaged by the last few. This, the ninth in the series, starts with Jackman taking on the role of Guardian Angel for a new family that have moved into a house with a dark past. In addition to helping the family, he and Marie take an interest in unraveling the stories of murder in the house’s past.
Thanks to some quiet time at the station, they begin to investigate a cold case involving a ritualistic murder. And then, Bam! body parts are found along the roadside with similar markings to that of the cold case.
Ellis does a great job of weaving all the different stories together along with some historical facts about baby farming and Victorian child rearing. By alternating between the different investigations, Ellis keeps a fast pace going throughout the book.
As with her Nikki Galena series, I’ve really become enchanted by the team here. They come off as real people I’d like to know (even Orac). That made a turn in this book especially painful.
My thanks to Netgalley and Joffre Books for an advance copy of this book.

A dismembered body discovered twenty years ago. A victorian “crèche” where babies were kept (or killed). The vandalism of a young family’s home. A cult. And another dismembered body found recently. These unrelated themes are skillfully woven together in SOLACE HOUSE by the master of British police procedurals, Joy Ellis.

Soon after DI Rowan Jackman befriends a young family who have moved into nearby (sadly mislabeled) Solace House, a threatening series of events forces them to temporarily leave their new home. In the past, a murder had taken place in Solace House and a former owner had been accused of murdering infants.

Then a man volunteers information about a decades old killing. He is distraught and appears to have been brainwashed, perhaps in a cult. Interviewing him is difficult and a psychologist is unsure if he is truthful. When another body is found, dismembered and missing a head, DI Jackman and his team realize that the cult is not only evil but still active.

SOLACE HOUSE has it all - a carefully crafted plot with unrelated themes, strong, likeable characters, and an atmospheric location. Solace House is a creepy place! This mystery/police procedural is a satisfying read by an award winning author. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Joy Ellis for this ARC.

This is the first joy Ellis book I’ve read and although it worked well as a stand alone it’s obvious it’s part of a series as it refers to things that have happened to some of the characters in the past . I’m curious enough to go in search of the first in the series and follow them through.

This was an excellent novel, a thrilling story which started slowly, then started throwing all sorts of twists and turns, deaths you didn’t expect, people turning out to be not who they initially seemed and an ending that left me feeling sad but keen for the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Can a house really bring cursed luck upon everyone who moves in? Solace House appears to do just that after multiple residents' lives end in tragedy over the years. The newest family is having quite a rough time, and they start reconsidering this fresh start for them and their dream home. Detective Jackman becomes close to the new owners and finds himself committed to keeping their family safe. But his time is stretched thin when a cold case suddenly becomes red hot.

A body is found that's marked with the same symbol as that of Jackman's cold case victim. The worst part that ties the cases together? The victims are missing their heads. And then a man suspected of an unrelated crime tries to bargain with what he says is information on these victims. He confirms that the murders are indeed related and tied to a local cult. Because of course there's a cult! So Jackman brings in his psychologist partner, Laura, to analyze the man as they interview him. He is a reformed member who was greatly traumatized by the brainwashing of the cult and the evil men in charge. Thus Laura needs to ensure that the detectives tread lightly, if they go in too hard for information on the cult, he may shut down and then they'll have no inside information to locate the killers.

Between Jackman and Marie, they devote their time and resources between the cult and the family in Solace House. The lines between cases soon become blurred and then an unthinkable tragedy strikes. Just how much more can these detectives take? I couldn't believe how the author just dropped in this heartbreaking twist! These characters are like family! Yet somehow, they keep their emotions under control long enough to go after the killers and keep them from destroying any more lives. It's such a loaded story - a gripping mystery and an emotional tale of loss and perseverance. I would expect nothing less from this incredible author.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Joffe Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Another wonderful edition to a fantastic series.

I love any Novel by Joy Ellis & Solace House is no exception, it has the usual dynamics of Detective Rowan Jackman & DS Marie Evans & the team but this outing has cold cases, creepy houses & cults what more do you need in book. Wonderfully full of twists & turns, joy & sorrow the story kept me hooked till the very last page and I can’t wait for the next one.

Holly Stewart moved into Solace House wanting a fresh start for her and her family. She knew a tragic murder had taken place there, but she didn’t know the full ghastly history of the house.
Now, her husband has lost his job, the children are bullied at school, and someone is prowling around the garden at night. Someone who wants them gone.
Detective Jackman wants to help. Instead he’s been pulled into a twenty-year-old cold case. The gruesome murder of a young woman whose head was never found. A new witness comes forward. He claims to have crucial evidence on what really happened that night.
Days later, a group of litter-pickers uncover black sacks containing dismembered human limbs. Attending the scene, DS Marie Evans is shocked to see a strange symbol carved into the victim’s flesh: the same symbol found on the headless girl all those years ago.
The murders must be connected. But why has the killer struck again after twenty years?
As the threats to the Stewart family escalate, Jackman must choose between helping people in the present and solving the crimes of the past.
Really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Joffe Books
I just reviewed SOLACE HOUSE by Joy Ellis. #SOLACEHOUSE #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.

I am a sucker for mystery/thriller/suspense and this one hit the mark. This is book #9 in the Jackman/Evans series and I have not read the other 8, but I didn't need to to enjoy this book. It can be read completely standalone.

We deal with a MC needing a fresh start, a house with a gruesome past, an investigation of an unsolved murder and possibly a connection and killer still on the loose. Sign me up!!!!

I love that it has a bit of a gothic feel to it and there is enough suspense and heart pounding moments to keep it in your hands until you finish it. I gobbled this one up and would recommend reading if you like this genre. And if you've read the other 8 to know the fully backstories on the detectives, even better, but it is not necessary to enjoy this one.

A compulsive. and unputdownable novel. A quiet time with no active cases, Jackman is drawn into supporting a family who are finding life difficult in their new home, the scene of an earlier murder. Then a man says he has information on a cold case and Jackman gets drawn into interviewing him At the same time things escalate and become violent at the local case and one of his team is injured. This is the first book I have read featuring Jackman although I have read some of the Nicki Galena books. I was not disappointed.

I really enjoy this series of books, by the author, featuring Jackman and Evans, although it took me some time to get into this one. There's a bit of gothic, combined with a really good police procedural, making this a bit different to the usual. I liked the unusual plotting and the characterisation, there are plenty twists and surprises for the reader. I look forward to reading more about Jackman and his colleagues in the future and I would recommend the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.