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MARSHLIGHT a totally gripping psychological thriller with a stunning twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 4) by [Joy Ellis]

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Joy Ellis

MARSHLIGHT a totally gripping psychological thriller with a stunning twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Joy Ellis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

9,970 ratings

Book 4 of 5: Detective Matt Ballard Mystery

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A new psychological thriller from bestselling author and British Book Awards Crime & Thriller of the Year nominee Joy Ellis.

MATT AND LIZ MAY HAVE RETIRED FROM THE POLICE, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN A QUIET LIFE.

An old friend’s sister disappears without a trace. There’s no sign of foul play, but she’d been acting very peculiarly . . .

Meanwhile, Liz’s cousin Christie comes to stay. She takes an immediate — and uncharacteristic — dislike to the local bookshop owner, Gina. Why does everyone put up with her awful behaviour?

HUNTING WILL-O'-THE-WISPS ON THE MARSHES CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS HOBBY.

Christie is convinced that Gina is manipulating everyone around her. Is she onto something dangerous or just pushing her new friends away?

No one believes her suspicions until another friend goes missing late at night on the misty Fen marshes.

Can Matt and Liz uncover the truth in time to save lives?

DISCOVER A TOTALLY ENTHRALLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

What readers are saying about JOY ELLIS:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A terrific read that I guarantee the reader will not want to put down.” Hannelore

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Once you start you just can’t put it down the story line gets more intense and intriguing with every turn of the page.” Gordon

“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

“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

396 pages
Language

English
Publication date

8 July 2021
File size

1308 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B095Z4YYZD
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books Mystery, Crime Thriller, Suspense Fiction (8 July 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1308 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 396 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 1,852 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 24 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- 34 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Books)
- 39 in Heist Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
9,970 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.

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Customer reviews

5 star		49%
4 star		34%
3 star		13%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Very tense

Reviewed in Australia on 20 July 2022

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I found this book held a great deal of tension particularly as we got to the halfway mark and things were beginning to play out.
It is different in many way from Joy Ellis's usual books but Liz and Matt are right in the middle of the action again and loving it. I don't know what Joy is going to do with these two characters, they are still missing their police days - anyway they are bound up again with their old crew and we now also have Liz's cousin visiting.
I love the descriptions of some of the paintings of the Fens and also a house that comes into the story, they are so visual.
The people are caught up in a tangled web and things get fairly wild towards the end, but by the time it is over all has been revealed and peace seems to descend.
There is a vague question that Liz and Matt and giving thought to, maybe it will lead on to another tale before long.
It's a very good tale and a great plot, which, in this case relies on the characters and their reactions on certain pressures that are brought on them.
Worth all the time it take to read the book, it is thoroughly enjoyable and finishes well.

Reviewed in Australia on 8 February 2022

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This story was a little different from the usual Joy Ellis works but, I found it to be an easy read with an interesting story line and interesting characters. The ending was fairly predictable but, this did not detract from the enjoyment.

Reviewed in Australia on 10 July 2021

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This book really got me in. The only thing was, it didn’t end properly. Is there going to be a sequence as it seemed like the murderer didn’t really kill herself.

One person found this helpful

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mepeewee

Classic Joy Ellis

Reviewed in Australia on 3 August 2021

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Not quite the usual evil criminal activity I've become used to, but in every other way typical of Joy Ellis's writing - fully developed characters, excellent scene setting, and faultless plot development.
You may be assured of a good read !

Helpful

Dianne Ayres

Never read a Joy Ellis I didn’t love

Reviewed in Australia on 10 August 2021

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Always great storylines. Characters are interesting and the story keeps you
enthralled to the end.

One person found this helpful

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Mrs Diana Timpano

Suspence.

Reviewed in Australia on 15 December 2021

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Interesting story but it drags out a bit yet it keeps you interested to the end. I enjoyed it. Good book for anyone interested in how the police work and solve cases.

Helpful

Kindle Customer

Excellent reading as usual

Reviewed in Australia on 26 July 2021

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What an unusual and original plot. The story was rivetting, unputdownable (if that's a word). I have read most of Joy's books and have never been disappointed.

Reviewed in Australia on 17 October 2021

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This was indeed a totally gripping psychological thriller. I enjoyed reading it and could not put the book down to find out how it would end.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Ginger Book Geek

Gripping stuff

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2021

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I have been a fan of Joy’s work for a while now. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written but I am getting there. I especially love the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Matt Ballard or former DCI Matt Ballard as he is now. ‘Marshlight’ is the fourth book in the series and it is another corker of a read and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Marshlight’ but more about that in a bit.
As with all of Joy’s books, the fact that Joy’s name was on the cover was enough to grab my attention and draw me in. As soon as I was able, I grabbed a copy and hibernated until I had read the very last word on the very last page. To say that reading Joy’s books become extremely addictive is a huge understatement. I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough as I became ever more desperate to find out who the perpetrator was and whether or not Matt would make it to the end of the book in one piece. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘Marshlight’ and I had to bid farewell to Matt. I found ‘Marshlight’ to be a gripping read, which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Marshlight’ is superbly written although in my opinion, all of Joy’s books are superbly written. She has a way of creating lead characters who are impossible to dislike and making them sound so realistic. For me the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I love the way in which Joy Ellis makes ‘The Fens’ come alive. I feel as though I have a real feel for the area despite never having visited. Joy makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action. That’s how I felt at any rate. Reading ‘Marshlight’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Marshlight’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Joy’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2021

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During lockdown I have read Joy Ellis' books almost back to back and being a yellow belly have thoroughly enjoyed all 3 series, so I was pleased to see a new one in Marshlight. However I missed the "psychological thriller" bit! This was so unlike her other books; a very slow build up with, what I can only describe as, a lot of padding and trivia. Like some of the other reviewers, I got to about 30% of the way through feeling it was going nowhere and, I'm sorry to say, I gave up on it. Something I rarely do with a book. I skipped to the last chapter to find out who did what to whom. When I read the last chapter and the trite little "Happy endings" I did not feel I had missed out on much. Sorry to be so negative about an author I have so enjoyed in the past, but this really was not for me.

2 people found this helpful

Ms D

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2021

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A slow starter, this one, but the pace soon picks up until Ms Ellis has the reader completely hooked. There's a sense of evil and foreboding running through the entire book that makes the reader almost afraid to find out what's going to happen next…but, at the same time, desperate to know what it'll be.
My life went on standby for the two days it took me to read Marshlight and now I eagerly await the next book from this amazing author.

3 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2021

Verified Purchase

I have been a fan of Joy Ellis for some time especially the books featuring Nikki Galena. Marchlight however has been a total disappointment and having clawed my way through roughly one third I have given up the ghost. Unless it improves later in the book this is no way a totally gripping psychological thriller as advertised.

3 people found this helpful

Elaine Fryatt

A fantastic read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2021

Verified Purchase

I felt this was another wonderful book by Joy Ellis. The story starts when Frances Morton is waiting to meet her sister, Amy Roberts but she doesn’t turn up and Frances is seriously worried. Matt and Liz work together as P.I.’s since leaving the Police Force. Her cousin, Christie, is a researcher for a famous author, Auden Meeres, who is blind and in failing health. His latest book involves doing research on the Fens and Christie stays with Liz and Matt. A wonderful plotline develops and I greatly enjoyed this and the awesome descriptions of the Fens and it’s superstitions. A fantastic read.

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MARSHLIGHT a totally gripping psychological thriller with a stunning twist (Detective Matt Ballard Mystery Book 4) Kindle Edition

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