| Title | : | Secrets on the Fens (DI Nikki Galena, #12) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published February 18, 2021 |
Until Detective Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter look more closely. Romeo and Juliet, as they decide to call them, were murdered somewhere else and brought to the woods. But why?
Then another young couple are found dead, again beautifully posed as lovers. And Nikki knows they have a twisted serial killer on their hands. Who are the next victims?
EVERYONE HAS SECRETS. BUT SOME PEOPLE WILL KILL TO KEEP THEM.
Secrets on the Fens (DI Nikki Galena, #12) Reviews
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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. -
Detective Nikki Galeno and her crew are called to a murder scene deep within the woods in the middle of the night where the bodies of a young couple posed as lovers. There are no clues to the victims identity and also no evidence that is left behind by the killer. This case will have many complexities for the detectives than usual when Nikki's mother and her friend come across another set of bodies posed in the same manner as the first victims. With an apparent serial killer with an agenda, the team will have to move very fast because this predator has only just got started and isn't going to let anything or anyone get in his (or her) way.
This book is well-written with a wonderful and mysterious cover and has a cast of many characters with the Goth style of living seeming to be the most prevalent factor for this story. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I had great difficulty keeping track of who was related to who and which friend of what relative knew which victim whose other friend knew of the other relative who may or may not have known the other victim. For myself, there were just too many close knit characters who meant nothing to me and I found it very annoying and very slow without any suspense so even though there was a mystery in the background I found myself very bored with the whole story. In all fairness to the author I did not realize this was the twelfth book in the series so the large cast of characters would be known to most readers who read some of the previous books and enjoyed the familiarity of so many people being involved. This book has been given many good reviews by others but sadly it just wasn't my type of book since I just couldn't connect to any of the characters except Nikki and her team.
I want to thank the publisher "Joffe Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have give a rating of 2 1/2 Disappointing 🌟🌟🌠 Stars!! -
My thanks to Joy Ellis, Joffe books and Netgalley for the ARC, in exchange for an honest opinion.
Returning to this series is like sitting down with old friends. I enjoy meeting up with 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 Someone is killing young goths in Greenborough and it is up to Nikki and her team to solve why. As ever the main characters, Nikki and Joseph, are very well developed and complex They make a well-matched couple, both in their private and their professional lives.
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. Might just have been me being inpatient, but this part of the book seemed quite drawn out, and spoiled the pace of the book to me, this time. Not had a problem with them in the previous books.
Whereas this is part of a well-developed series, you could fairly easily read this as a standalone. Although I do recommend reading the whole series.
Scoring this book is difficult. The main story is easily 4-5 stars, but the side story I can’t give more than 3 stars, so overall 4 stars. -
DI Nikki Galena #12
One moonlight night, the bodies of two young people are discovered lying entwined on a balnket 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 seies 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. -
This is my first book by this author, and it turned out to be even better than I expected.
There are two mysteries here. One is the case led by the main character Nikki Galena and her team. The second is a mystery from the past that her mother, Eve, and her friend Wendy are trying to solve. Both are remarkably interesting, and both have a surprising solution. They are really satisfying. I like the balance between the time spent on one mystery and the other. I never felt that one distracted me from the other. Although, of course, the Nikki case has priority.
The main idea of murders posed as love scenes, I find fascinating and original. So is the presence of the Goth community in the plot. These threads caught my attention from the very beginning. The action is fast-paced and full of surprising twists. The stakes are high all the time and the case is satisfyingly complex. There are so many conflicting leads and potential suspects. And all equally possible. I am also glad that the solution was not the simplest answer.
As I already mentioned, this is my first book by this author, and therefore from this series. But I had no trouble with that at all. I had no problem getting to know and liking the characters. The main characters - Nikki and Joseph - are full-dimensional and complex with fully developed personalities. They make a well-matched couple, both in private and professional life. It was nice to see how they work together and understand each other well. There is also a large group of supporting characters, and at first, I was afraid that if I did not read the previous books, I would have a problem with figuring out who's who. But fortunately, I didn't.
It's a great story and I certainly liked all the characters. I think I will also read some other books by this author. I definitely recommend this book and not only to fans of this series. However, those expecting a classic mystery in a small town may be surprised. Personally, I enjoy it this way.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
3.5 stars
This review was first posted on Mystery and Suspense. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews.
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In this 12th book in the 'DI Nikki Galena' series, the detective investigates a series of odd murders. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Detective Inspector Nikki Galena and Detective Sergeant Joe Easter lead a police squad that oversees the Lincolnshire Fens, with the goal of keeping the peace and seeing that justice is served.
This can be a difficult proposition because rival criminal families, the Leonards and the Burgesses, both want to be the top mob in the region, and hostilities are easily provoked.
The animosity between the criminal clans ratchets up when homicide victims start appearing in the fens. First, the bodies of a young man and woman are found in the woods, posed like sweethearts. The couple, dressed in Goth attire, have no ID, and the police dub them Romeo and Juliet. Soon afterwards another young couple is found dead, in a boat in the Tunnel of Love. The boy and girl are again dressed like Goths and lack ID.
No missing persons reports match the deceased, and detectives Nikki and Joe speculate that the victims' families don't want police attention. This may in fact be the case because young people associated with both the Leonard and Burgess families are missing, and - instead of calling the authorities - the mob bosses accuse each other.
The situation escalates when Mickey Smith, a young man who was adopted into the Leonard family, goes missing. The Burgesses seem like natural suspects, but someone is anxious to divert attention from both the Burgesses AND the Leonards. An anonymous phone call to each mob family, and a note to the police, claims the perpetrator is a member of the Goth community.
The police interview the local Goths, and a Goth woman named Nova helps them identify the Romeo and Juliet and Tunnel of Love victims.
It turns out all the dead individuals were using made-up names and hiding their Goth identities from their relatives, who disapprove of the Goth subculture.
Following all possible lines of inquiry, Nikki and her team interview the victims' families, friends, and co-workers; speak with the mob bosses; and look for clues on cemetery tombstones where the Goths hang out.
While the police probe the fen deaths, Nikki's mother Eve and her friend Wendy - dedicated amateur sleuths - investigate a mystery of their own.
Eve and Wendy have been restoring the studio of a famous artist named Robert Richmond, who went out to paint flowers a hundred years ago and never returned. Eve and Wendy uncover hidden letters that hint Richmond was involved with a woman, and embark on a quest that has unexpected consequences.
Readers new to the series will meet an interesting array of characters, and established fans will enjoy visiting with old favorites, like pathologist Rory Wilkinson - who has a Shakespeare quote for every crime scene.
This is an artful mystery and police procedural that will challenge even the most clever armchair detective.
You can follow my reviews at
https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com -
Two bodies are found lying on a blanket in the woods. A male and female, the male holding a red rose. A suicide pact between lovers ... or murder?
Detective Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter and their team are called in to investigate. Medical examiner states the victims were killed elsewhere and then carefully staged the way they were found.
Than another couple are found, again posted as lovers.
Galena and Easter now have a serial killer to find ... hopefully before anymore victims are found. But how do they find the killer when they can't even identify the victims?
This is an intricate plot with several story lines merging into one. There are multiple deftly drawn characters within the swirling mists of mystery and suspense. I like how there's a blend of personal as well as professional. There's plenty of action leading to an unexpected conclusion. Although 12th in this series, this works well as a stand alone. However, I do recommend reading them in order so as to catch all those little gems that make this such a terrific series.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for t he digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. -
Detective Nikki Galena Book Twelve.
Full of secrets, Dynamic read, Chilling, will keep you hooked, So enjoyable, A slap bang wallop right till the end.
D I Nikki Galena gets a call from Sergeant Danny Crier to get to Saltmere Woods, a Romeo and Juliet strange? male and female death, suicide, star crossed lovers, murder victims, Goths she is on her way. D S Joseph Easter is alerted and its a big secret how these two can keep it from the team, it would change everything in their Jobs the longer its kept quiet and living close to each other is a big bonus.
Getting back to the bodies there are many clues noticed with a possibility of poisoning and been brought to their resting place in the woods, its definitely a Shakespeare. identities are unknown for a long time in for the team, and strange how now the mucky battered kid that these two rescued Mickey Leonard is missing, is there a connection? another two bodies are then found in a boat called the tunnel of love and none of these are couples so what is going on.
Once again this author has gripped me into a fantastic read, I could not put this book down, So many things are happening to entertain readers its a must read for all. -
Love a good Joy Ellis and this did not disappoint, it was a fantastic book that I read in one sitting. Very tense and dark in places and there were a few oh wow moments. Really well written, it kept my interest from page one and spat me out after about 5 hours wanting the next instalment. Very well deserving of five stars.
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Secrets on the Fens is the twelfth instalment in the DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter series, set in the fictional town of Greenborough. Galena and team are called to investigate when a couple of naturalists who had been observing an endangered badger sett deep in Saltmere woods discover the intertwined bodies of a young couple who have been posed in such a way to give the impression that they were lovers who committed suicide, which earns them the title of Romeo and Juliet. It doesn't take long before the team have evidence that this was murder committed by a killer with a flair for the dramatic. It appears they may have been victims of poisoning. The police realise that the way to discover the motive comes from identifying the perpetrator and that the theatrics associated with the deaths might be the key to working all of these questions out. But before they can get any sort of digging done another young couple are found aboard a boat called The Tunnel of Love and posed in a similarly strange way. Oddly, it turns out that neither of the couples were actually in a romantic relationship with one another; in fact, it comes to light that the couples have been mixed as the male and female from the two separate couples were together as were the other male and female. When Galena and Easter learn the identity of the victims suspicion falls on two warring crime families from the local criminal underworld but it is a long way from being concrete.
The Leonard and Burgess families are at loggerheads over lucrative business in the area with the Leonards being renowned for their antics and their firm grip over the area with not as much being known about the Burgess' way of behaving or handling things, although it is speculated that they wanted much more of a foothold in Greenborough. And is the disappearance of Mickey Leonard, who Nikki and Joseph have had dealings with in the past, anything to do with these brutal and thoroughly staged scenes; will he be next? Elsewhere, Nikki's mother, Eve Anderson, and her best friend Wendy Avery find themselves on another amateur sleuthing adventure. This time they are searching for a missing Victorian artist named Robert Matthew Richmond, who went to paint wildflowers one day never to be seen again. This is a riveting, enthralling and thoroughly gripping police procedural with plenty of fast-paced action and a plethora of twists and turns. I love that each instalment now feels like meeting up with old friends and is such a comforting read from start to finish due to this. The plot is well conceived and multifaceted and the main plot features a gothic aspect and involves warring crime families, religious parents trying to railroad their children into being the same way and heavy doses of murder, intrigue, drama and addictiveness. It's a high stakes, heart thumping read and one that concludes with a bang. Highly recommended. -
DI Nikki Galena, Ds Joseph Easter and the team have a double murder on their hands. A young couple looking like Romeo and Juliet have been found in the woods carefully arranged, one even having a rose in their hand. No-one knows who they are and there is nothing to identify them. Was it a suicide pact or a murder? Things aren’t quite adding up. A nearby estate has been ruled for many years by a gangland family and although they are mainly out of the area these days their legacy lives on. Meanwhile Nikki's mother and her friend are still on the trail of an artist who disappeared many years ago after travelling to the lake district. The two women have a knack for finding things- including trouble and the latest one does not disappoint. I so love these books, they are a wonderful comfortable read. Characters that you easily take to and a plot or two to keep the grey matter active whilst reading a cleverly crafted plot that even makes you smile in places. The “ je ne sais quoi” of losing yourself, that something special, only from a brilliant author that can put you there in the world of fiction in the fens. A brilliant read that kept me within the pages to the very end. -
DI Nikki Galena is called in to investigate a couple found dead in Saltmere Woods in Greenborough. The bodies were discovered by a couple of naturalists who were keeping a watch on an endangered badger sett. The dead couple appeared to be locked in an embrace.
Nikki’s mother Eve Anderson and her friend Wendy Avery have both taken up a hobby restoring artifacts and so. Their latest project is restoring a Victorian artist’s attic in a house in the town. The women were on a guided tour when they learned that the place has been left neglected for over a hundred years. The artist 👨🏻🎨 himself Robert Matthew Richmond had gone off to paint wildflowers and was never seen again. So the duo decided to do a bit of investigation of their own.
They had been working on the attic room and studio and after two months seemed to be making progress.
Meanwhile, another couple is discovered in the bottom of a boat posed in a similar manner as the first victims. It’s up to DI Galena to find the perp and bring them to justice. An interesting police procedural.
Thank you to Joy Ellis, NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC of this book. -
My thanks to Joffe books, Joy Ellis and Netgalley. It's been a book or two that I've been so pleased with a Galena and Easter book this much! I started reading with a wee bit of dread! No worries! From Nikki to her mom, both stories were creative as heck! I loved the Goth aspect! I've known a Goths and Emos, and both were highly creative. I'll confess that again, Ms. Ellis left me in the dust on figuring this mystery out. 75% on, it was easily figured out. I think it's just because she decided to have mercy on us! Great story and one I'd recommend!
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Joy Ellis just gets better and better and Nikki Galena is a series that just keeps giving so I was very excited to read this new addition to the series.
This book has a lot going on there are 2 stories running in tandem which makes it all the more gripping. In addition there are stories around minor characters that bring added suspense to the stories. Bent coppers, lies, mysteries and murder all add to the adrenaline pumping action and then a missing person, one very close to both Nikki and Joseph. Can the team juggle all the goings on and find the clues that will lead to the cracking of the case?
I love all the characters in this series but most of all Nikki. She comes accross as hard but inside is a heart of gold and there is nothing she wouldn't do for the people she cares about and that includes the team.
The case is a hard one there are few clues and the murders are 'arranged' to confuse and they do that brilliantly. Before the team can start to move forward with finding the murderer they must find out what they can about the victims who all seem to be living secret lives. Brilliant story just brilliant.
And then in the background we have the case of the missing artist which is being investigated by Eve and Wendy and you can be sure to smile where this dynamic duo is concerned.
Laughter, tears, intrigue, suspense, secrets, evil and of course murder this book has it all and it is all wrapped up in an ending that will leave you gobsmacked. Absolutely brilliant read. -
I have enjoyed listening to the audio versions of all of the DI Nikki Galena books until this one - number 12. I think this was a result of two distinct issues, the overdramatisation of the reading and the plot. Although read by the same narrator as previous books it was just far too much for me and in places made me laugh rather than the emotions I am sure it was meant to elicit. Secondly, a couple of books ago we were introduced to Nikki's mother and her gang of aging sleuths and I accepted them in one, maybe two plot lines but their presence here was disengaging. As other reviewers have noted they felt like a group of Miss Marples when what I have come to expect from Joy Ellis and her Fens novels are gritty hard hitting characters investigating well plotted crimes. The bringing together of the two story lines was subsequently almost pathetic.
I am so sorry to feel so negatively about a series I have previously enjoyed. Lets hope for a return to past glory! -
Once again Joy writes another wonderful book in the series of Nikki Galena, the team are fabulous, they all rally round to help her and even DI Jackman assists once again.
I think the characters are really good together, and Nikki’s mother makes me laugh. There’s always some mischief she manages to get herself embroiled in!
I noticed Tamsin, Joes daughter didn’t play a part this time, although her husband Niall was back to work which was good, after his injuries.
This time the team are faced with a young couple who on first inspection seem to have committed suicide, but it isn’t as cut and dried when another young couple are found dead. With the help of the lovely Rory and Spike, it’s soon apparent that there’s a serial killer on the loose. Coupled with that Mickey goes missing, what’s the connection? There’s a lot of red herrings in this one, and it did leave me guessing until the end.
In a way I’m grateful for lockdown as it means all these lovely authors write more that we can all read. Helps keep us all sane!
My thanks to Joy, and Joffe publishers for the arc. -
Initially I really struggled with this book and started it then left it and then went back. It is a slow burn but about 1/4 of the way I could understand what was happening and why there was so many characters. This may have been because I hadnt read other books in the series, so other people might get on better.
But once it got going and I understand how the characters interacted it was really good. I started really investing in the characters and now this is a series I must investigate further.
It is very well written.
I was given an advance copy of the book by netgalley and the publishers but the review is my own. -
This was a great read, not surprising as I enjoy this authors books very much.
I love trying to guess the antagonists and had no idea!
The story is well written and enjoyable and I highly recommend it.
This authors books always draw me straight in and keep me entertained.
As well as enjoying the main story, I loved the mystery that Eve and Wendy went off to solve - their trip to The Lakes and the antics that's they got up to!
Everything within this book felt realistic to me and I cannot fault this authors work.
Definitely worth more than 5 stars! -
‘Secrets on the Fens’ by Joy Ellis is the first of this series I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. I love finding a new series to get my teeth into, and I know I will have many hours of pleasure reading more of the Detective Nikki Galena stories.
When the bodies of two teenagers are found in the woods, their positioning raises many questions. Someone had taken a lot of trouble to set the scene, but why? Links to the goth community and those interested in the study of gravestones further complicate matters. Meanwhile Nikki’s mum Eve and her friend Wendy have a mystery of their own as they look into the disappearance of a local artist many years before.
Both stories had me gripped. There was excitement, tension and suspense throughout. The build up to the solution was so well done and I loved the twists and turns. I really like the two main characters, Nikki and Joseph. They came across as the kind of intelligent, caring police officers we hope exist in reality. An excellent mystery.
I was given this ARC to review. -
3.5 stars.
This one made a lot more sense than the previous book
Hidden on the Fens. Religious zealotry in all forms can be so damaging.
I actually find the historical case investigated by Eve and the other ladies much more surprising and I'm glad for once, the author didn't try to tie the two cases together.
At the end there though, I again wonder why the author didn't write out the interviews with the killers so the readers can get a more intimate view of them as well as Nikki and Joseph's immediate reactions. Instead it was just a team briefing to recap those interviews, which to me didn't provide enough insight into the killers' minds. But overall, another interesting case for Nikki and her team. -
"A mixed bag"
In a long-running series it's tempting to remind readers of what went before. If you're a first time reader the references to events that you have no idea about gets annoying. If you expand the detail to give the reference context, then the reader who has been with the characters from the beginning feels cheated. They've read a fair percentage of the latest book already. There were so many characters cropping up in this one with their part to play in bringing the two separate threads together - I lost the plot. -
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. -
Joy Ellis has really mastered the art of weaving together often gruesome murders with the personal lives of her investigators. Along with some light relief from Nikki's mother and her friends who manage to get into all manner of bother this makes for a really enjoyable read. That is not to say that the story does not contain all the elements of a truly great police procedural. There is plenty of tension and some truly heartstopping moments. All in all, a really good read.
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I found this one rather too slow and complex, too many plots at once . The story even included summing up passages, which were helpful. I never did get the actual murders clear in my mind.
The part with Nikki's mother and friends seemed unnecessary as it was really a separate story which distracted me from the main stories. -
A typically overly complicated murder or two, that makes no real sense BUT it was enjoyable, loved all the Goth history, and the old favourites on Nikki's team.
