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![BEWARE THE PAST a gripping crime thriller with a huge twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 1) by [JOY ELLIS]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Tb4M37d1L._SY346_.jpg)
BEWARE THE PAST a gripping crime thriller with a huge twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition
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ONE TERRIBLE CASE ALWAYS HAUNTED DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD. NOW MANY YEARS LATER, THE KILLER SEEMS TO BE BACK. AND THIS TIME HE’S AFTER MATT.
When Matt Ballard was starting out his career, three boys were murdered in the same area, the remote and bleak Gibbet Fen. When the main suspect was killed in a hit-and-run, the killings stopped. But Matt was not satisfied that the real murderer had been caught.
Over 25 years later, Matt gets a photo in an unmarked envelope. It’s of the Gibbet Fen crime scene. And the picture was taken before the murder took place.
More photos arrive, relating to the historic murders, as well as intimate pictures of Matt’s very secret private life.
A KILLER WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO DESTROY A DETECTIVE.
Then another murder happens, with some of the hallmarks of the old case. Has the killer returned or is this just a sick copycat determined to ruin Matt’s life and reputation? Everyone around Matt is in danger as the killer plays mind games with the detective.
In an absolutely breathtaking conclusion, Matt and his team race against time to stop a vicious killer who knows no limits.
Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BEWARE THE PAST:
“I think I forgot to breathe every now and then while I was reading and really begrudged having to put the book down.” Barbara “A simply brilliant book, so many twists and turns, I had no idea what to expect at any time.” Janet
“The suspense starts on Page 1 and continues through the twists and turns until the very surprising ending.” Linda Strong
“OMG, this book was fantastic I absolutely loved it. I was gripped from the first page but as the tension and suspense mounted throughout the book it just got better and better and that ending, well just WOW!” Dawn Jones
“Gripping from beginning to end.” Olga
“Without doubt Joy Ellis' best yet, this from someone who has read all of the Ellis novels.” Ron
THE SETTING
England's rural fenland is a strange place, with its never-ending fields, winding tracks, and long straight droves (the old livestock routes) that lead to nowhere. The lonely lanes are flanked either side by deep drainage ditches and are, for a good part of the year, filled with tall, whispering reeds. Closer to the Wash, high seabanks form a barrier between river and marsh, and the richly fertile soil of the drained land. But when the mists come down, as they so often do, perspective is destroyed and all sense of direction lost, and then the fens become a rather frightening place of mystery and danger. Somewhere that you do not want to be at night.
ALSO BY JOY ELLIS
THE BESTSELLING NIKKI GALENA SERIES
Book 1: CRIME ON THE FENS
Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENS
Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENS
Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENS
Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENS
Book 6: CAPTIVE ON THE FENS
Book 7: BURIED ON THE FENS
Book 8: THIEVES ON THE FENS
Book 9: FIRE ON THE FENS
Book 10: DARKNESS ON THE FENS
Book 11: HIDDEN ON THE FENS
Book 12: SECRETS ON THE FENS
Book 13: FEAR ON THE FENS
JACKMAN & EVANS
Book 1: THE MURDERER’S SON
Book 2: THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS
Book 3: THE FOURTH FRIEND
Book 4: THE GUILTY ONES
Book 5: THE STOLEN BOYS
Book 6: THE PATIENT MAN
Book 7: THEY DISAPPEARED
Book 8: THE NIGHT THIEF
DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD
Book 1: BEWARE THE PAST
Book 2: FIVE BLOODY HEARTS
Book 3: THE DYING LIGHT
Book 4: MARSHLIGHT
Book 5: TRICK OF THE NIGHT
STANDALONES
GUIDE STAR
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date17 December 2017
- File size3481 KB
Product description
About the Author
Joy Ellis is the author of three series of mystery and detective novels.
--This text refers to the audioCD edition.Product details
- ASIN : B078GWN38X
- Publisher : Joffe Books Mystery, Crime Thriller, Suspense Fiction (17 December 2017)
- Language : English
- File size : 3481 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 369 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 898 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 26 in Heist Thrillers
- 55 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- 85 in Police Procedurals (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the Sixties and Seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early Eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!
And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, and four Springer spaniels and one little rescue, Breton spaniel. I had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now I write full-time, and as my partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; my choice of genre is a no-brainer! I have an on-tap police and judicial consultant, who makes exceedingly good tea!
I have set my crime thrillers here in the misty fens because I sincerely love the remoteness and airy beauty of the marshlands. This area is steeped in superstitions and lends itself so well to murder!
I am lucky enough to be one of the amazing Joffe Books team of authors and am really enjoying being able to spend time doing what I love... writing!
The series so far:-
DI Nikki Galena, the Fen Series
Book One: Crime on the Fens
Book Two: Shadow over the Fens
Book Three: Hunted on the Fens
Book Four: Killer on the Fens
Book Five: Stalker on the Fens
Book Six: Captive on the Fens
Book Seven: Buried on the Fens
Book Eight: Thieves on the Fens
Book Nine: Fire on the Fens
Book Ten: Darkness on the Fens
Book Eleven: Hidden on the Fens
Book Twelve: Secrets on the Fens
Book Thirteen: Fear on the Fens
Detective Nikki Galena Books 1-3 Boxset
Detective Nikki Galena Books 4-6 Boxset
Detective Nikki Galena Books 7-9 Boxset
Detective Nikki Galena Books 1-5 Boxset
DI Jackman and DS Marie Evans series so far:-
Book One: The Murderer's Son
Book Two: Their Lost Daughters
Book Three: The Fourth Friend
Book Four: The Guilty Ones
Book Five: The Stolen Boys
Book Six: The Patient Man
Book Seven: They Disappeared
Book Eight: The Night Thief
Guide Star. A stand alone novel about love, loss and overcoming adversity.
Beware the Past. Detective Matt Ballard Book 1 A stand alone thriller still set in the Fens, but with new characters and very different feel
Five Bloody Hearts. Detective Mat Ballard Book 2 After overwhelming requests, this is a sequel to Beware the Past, with DCI Matt Ballard.
The Dying Light. Detective Matt Ballard Book 3 Matt Ballard is now retired, but he and Liz still take on difficult cases, but as private detectives.
Marshlight. Matt Ballard Book 4. They might have retired, but things are far from quiet for Matt and Liz!
Trick of the Night. Matt Ballard Book 5.Matt and Liz find themselves needing to work with some of their old colleagues in the Force when they embark on a sinister case that is far more serious than first thought.
These are available in both Kindle and paperback and now practically all of my books are available as audio books.
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Top reviews from Australia
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In ‘Beware the Past’ DCI Matt Ballard is approaching retirement and is still haunted by one case 25 years ago where three boys were brutally murdered in the remote Gibbet Fen. The killings stopped when the suspect was killed in a hit and run however Ballard was never certain that the suspect was guilty and now the nightmare begins again...
Ballard receives a large brown envelope containing the picture of the very last victim ...at the time of his death. More photos are received ...some were sent to his team. All are photos are of the three boys murdered all those years ago.
And then another boy is taken and killed. Is the murderer the same from before ... or is this a copy cat killer? How did he get these photos? What does he want with Ballard?
The book is haunting and disturbing in places however as a well written fast-paced crime thriller it really jumps off the page. I definitely was not disappointed with this stand alone book...
The writing draws you in so much that i was going to stop after a couple of chapters. But I continued and the investigation develops into a war of nerves. There are many reveals and twists and turns that will keep you enthralled.
There are a couple of frustrations and i do not like child abuse as a subject.
The only reason I didn't allocate a full 5 stars was the unfortunate use of language that crept in from time to time. Unnecessary. It jarred.
Top reviews from other countries

The characters were believable but I didn’t really care about them or their fate, beyond wanting the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose. Usually, I’m a fan of the detective tormented by their past, but here, I felt nothing towards Matt’s turmoil. The characters weren’t over-written, they just didn’t standout, thus the emphasis was the mystery. Ellis writes in a fluid way that means you can breeze through this novel despite the dark content; the chapters are short which allows you to sneak in another, and another, and another, till you decide you might as well go ahead and just finish the book.
The ending to Beware the Past was good, but predictable. It was due to the blurb – “an absolutely breathtaking conclusion” – and the tagline – “…with a huge twist” – that I figured out the ending, this isn’t a spoiler but those phrases made me think of the most outrageous, yet possible ending, and alas that was the ending. As you can see, the phrases give nothing away but I guess, once you read so many crime books, with some of the more straight-forward plots, you’re able to figure it out. There was some originality in the ending that I appreciated, and I think it would work well played out on the screen.
This was my first novel by Ellis and I would certainly read more from her in the future. Beware the Past is a good novel, well-written, but not one I would rush to recommend because I couldn’t connect with the characters and I guessed the ending. However, my favourite thing about this novel, it’s ‘old-school’ vibe.


Matt had as a young officer, been traumatised by the sadistic death of an eleven year old boy and he seemed incapable of shaking it off. The discovery of the murder of another young boy brings it all back to him, and at the same time he and his colleagues receive envelopes with photos which reflect things only known to the killer or someone who knew so much about Matts personal life.
By now you are so drawn into the series of events that it hard to put the book down and you are kept engrossed until the final paragraphs. Would certainly recommend and now download more of Joy Ellis’ books on kindle.

Have i been reading a different book to all those 5 star reviewers?

The killer seems to know everything about DCI Matt Ballard, whose life and grip on reality are brutally dismantled in a carefully orchestrated way, leading to an exciting climax with a neat twist. It all stems back to the murder of three boys early in the detective’s career. While the main suspect died, Ballard was never convinced of his guilt.
Is the real killer back to haunt Ballard?
The author’s direct style keeps the pace moving along as the suspense and tension are piled on with one setback after another until Ballard is left reeling and almost broken, outwitted at every turn by a clever and ruthless adversary.
Like many revenge thrillers, the villain seems to have endless time, resources and technological expertise. At times it seemed almost too easy for the killer to run rings around Ballard, which meant I had to suspend disbelief to some extent. It might also explain why I struggled to engage with the detective at times. He seemed to be pushed around too easily, often with little resistance.
Maybe there was just too much going on.
To be fair, the author explained every last detail and left no loose ends, including the identity of the original killer, revealing her mastery over the complex and intricate plot.
This is the first novel I’ve read by the author and it won’t be the last. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a tautly written thriller with an intricate plot.