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FIVE BLOODY HEARTS an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 2) by [JOY ELLIS]

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Joy Ellis

FIVE BLOODY HEARTS an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 2) Kindle Edition

by JOY ELLIS (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4,560 ratings

Book 2 of 5: Detective Matt Ballard Mystery

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From multiple #1 bestselling author Joy Ellis, comes a mystery that will have you glued from first page to last, with a truly shocking conclusion.

DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD’S LAST CASE MIGHT BE THE ONE THAT FINALLY BREAKS HIM.

Grace Repton, a beautiful older woman, walks into the police station to tell Matt she has information that could stop a murder. Her fiancé, the infamous serial killer Jeremy Reader, has told her that he has a disciple who is going to kill using Reader’s horrific methods.

Reader murdered five women and was finally brought to justice by Detective Ballard. Reader is safely imprisoned in a high security prison, and claiming to be a reformed man who wants to help the police.

But can Matt believe the serial killer or his peculiar wife to be? Can the love of a good woman really change a serial killer?

And the Fenland police also have another investigation on their hands. A Lithuanian migrant worker is found dead on the fens. There is no ID on him, but he has a Tree of Life tattoo. The third body to be found with this distinctive tattoo. Is this gang war or something even more sinister?

CAN YOU TRUST A KILLER TO HELP STOP A KILLER?

The police are stretched to breaking point with multiple copycat murders. And Matt and his girlfriend Liz will fight for everything they care about in a heartstopping conclusion that will have you on the edge of your seat.

This is the sequel to the #1 bestselling Beware the Past. Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.

A MYSTERY TO MAKE YOUR HEART RACE.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FIVE BLOODY HEARTS:

“This definitely is the best one yet, Joy’s books get better and better.” Carole

“I absolutely loved it.” Viv “Will keep you guessing until the end of the book.” Barbara

“What a book!!!” Sian

“I was so engrossed I sat up way too late to finish it in one sitting.” Elaine

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

Print length

335 pages
Language

English
Publication date

10 February 2019
File size

1283 KB
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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 ‏ : ‎ B07NL6SCNQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books mystery (10 February 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1283 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 335 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 857 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 20 in Heist Thrillers
- 42 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- 63 in Police Procedurals (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4,560 ratings

About the author

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Joy Ellis

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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.

JOY ELLIS
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Customer reviews

5 star		56%
4 star		34%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Five Bloody Hearts

Reviewed in Australia on 1 May 2019

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This is a great story there’s so many twists and turns in fact it’s now 1.15 am in the morning and I just finished the book,Joy Ellis is a great storyteller I really enjoyed it, I think this is one of the best stories she has ever written,l must add I’ve read most of her books,but it’s not for the faint hearted l must warn you.
I have given it five stars, I only wish I could add more stars to it.

5 people found this helpful

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Bernadette Aitken

Really twisted

Reviewed in Australia on 14 July 2019

Verified Purchase

I have loved all of Joy Ellis’s books and this is no exception. I love the way she has links to her other series through some of the supporting characters. I love the way she has woven two seemingly separate cases into a cohesive finale.
Poor Matt Ballard can’t seem to retire without being targeted by criminals with links to cases in his past. All he wants to do is finish up and start his new life with Liz. This case had me second guessing myself often. I’d think I had an answer or solution, only to reconsider it based on what had happened or a pronoun.
This is a great story for anyone who has read and enjoyed English police mysteries.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

An excellent crime thriller.

Reviewed in Australia on 17 July 2019

Verified Purchase

I enjoy good thrillers with surprise endings and this one kept me enthralled to the end. I thought I new who the killer was about half way through but was totally unaware of the plot changes and "red herrings" that would be revealed at the end. This is why I gave the 5star rating.

One person found this helpful

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Cardinal

Hambling is good

Reviewed in Australia on 9 April 2019

Verified Purchase

I do enjoy Michael Hambling's books. With the retirement of DCI Matt Ballard, I hope we have more books from him with his move into the private detective scenario. Five Bloody Hearts had many twists and turns and, although I had a fair idea of the identity of the murderer, it did not spoil the story as the plot unfolded.

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Bet Tea the Oz.?

Deferred retirement for Ballard

Reviewed in Australia on 21 April 2019

Verified Purchase

A difficult case with so many dead ends it definately kept you thinking right to the final chapters.Yet another good read from Joy Ellis.

3 people found this helpful

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Jennifer Brown

I cut above

Reviewed in Australia on 21 May 2021

Verified Purchase

Would have love have given it five stars but I guess the ending! Very good though, I do absolutely enjoy books from this author. Look forward to next.

Reviewed in Australia on 8 January 2020

Verified Purchase

With some 120 pages to go l have worked it all out it must be difficult for writers to keep coming up with new ideas and to keep the plot flowing all the time will not continue reading a disappointing read

Reviewed in Australia on 29 July 2020

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. The fact that I had identified the killer 75% through did nothing to detract from the enjoyment of the book.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer David Muckle

Just the best.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2019

Verified Purchase

As a retired Police Detective I naturally gravitate to thriller books and the series by Joy Ellis are some of the very best around. I have only recently come across this author but from the very start has captured my attention. I have now read nearly all of the novels and cannot really put them down once started. From the first page to completion the books draw your attention. The characters are totally believable and the story lines are the best around. The research has been meticulous. Personally I think this author goes to the top of the tree for novels of this nature. Final words, Joy Ellis please keep on producing them.

15 people found this helpful

G L Clay

FIVE BLOODY HEARTS by Joy Ellis

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 February 2019

Verified Purchase

Though due to take retirement DCI Matt Ballard finds himself in the midst of two murder investigations both of which seem to be throwing up murders left, right and centre. Are the investigations linked or not? What is the reason behind the murders? Another amazing Joy Ellis crime thriller which gives hours of entertainment and fabulous value for money.

17 people found this helpful

nicknack

Matt Ballard’s final case

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2019

Verified Purchase

Well, on the whole, another hit from Joy Ellis. Having read all the Fens books and not having a new Fens book to gobble up, I was interested in reading the second story involving DCI Matt Ballard. I have to say that this wasn’t my favourite, although I did enjoy it. Without giving too much away, it focuses on the copycat killings of convicted murderer Jem Reader and his fiancée Grace. I can’t put my finger on why the story didn’t grab me as much as I had hoped, but I just felt as though some things didn’t quite fit. The links were tenuous at times, however, I am picking faults. The son was mentioned early on, very briefly, so I guessed that he had something to do with it so I was frantically reading on to find out if he did it. Don’t worry, I’ve not given anything away!
I do love Joy’s style and I am eagerly awaiting the next Fens story. If you’re reading this Joy, please hurry up!

10 people found this helpful

Sam

Another triumph from Joy Ellis

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2019

Verified Purchase

I was absolutely gripped from the beginning. Joy's writing style is such that you get totally involved in the characters, their lives as well as the investigation. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who loves crime fiction.

14 people found this helpful

NinaD

Not as good as Galena/Jackman books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2021

Verified Purchase

I'm very fussy about my crime fiction, but I've enjoyed all of Joy Ellis's books up until now. I finished the Nikki Galena and Rowan Jackman books and thought they were great, so it seemed time to move onto Matt Ballard. I thought the first one was no more than OK but was willing to give the series another go, thinking that the first book in a series can be a difficult one to engage with as the reader is learning about the characters. I did finish this book, but it was a struggle. I liked the premise of the reformed serial killer and his bride-to-be - I think unusual plots are one of Joy's main strengths. However, I failed to warm to Matt Ballard at all. He just seems like a perpetual victim, and I'm afraid I spent the last half of the book screaming 'Just retire already!' inside my head. I have a horrible feeling that, because Joy is so successful, her publishers are pushing for more and more books from her, and I'm worried the quality will dip. This has happened with quite a few of my favourite crime authors. On the subject of Joy's publishers, they need to pay for better sub-editing. The amount of mistakes I've noticed in this books and others in all three series are really annoying.

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FIVE BLOODY HEARTS an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 2) Kindle Edition

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