Another excellent book by Joy Ellis about a missing girl fifteen years ago whose body was never found.. Detective Joseph Easter investigates this case and DC Cat Cullen and David Harris look into a man preying on older women. Couldn't put this book down, and kept me enthralled for many hours. Would recommend Joy's books to everyone!

Thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley for an opportuity to read DI Nikki Galena's eleventh outing, and having not read any of the series before I was a little worried I might be lost without the history of previous books. I needed not to have worried, and, although there are reference to previous plotlines in earlier books these are never enough to distract you from this story line.
We have strange goings on at a Farm in the fens, objects being moved, others disappearing, and gifts left which suggest witchcraft.
We have a cottage discovered in a small copse showing evidence that someone has been camping there and to the mysterious disappearance of a young girl some years ago, a girl whose body was never found and the man convicted of murdering her has recently been released.
We also have a man stalking elderly widows and taking advantage of them but up until now none of his victims is prepared to testify against him. Are things about to change.
Twists and turns in every chapter, just when you think the police are closing in something happens and they seem as far away as ever. As I previously mentioned this is the eleventh book of a series but it is so well written that if you have never picked up one of Joy Ellis's previous books it would not spoil your enjoyment of this one, in fact it would probably encourage you to read some of the earlier ones to enjoy the rapport her characters have with one another.

Normally, by the time I’ve made it to the eleventh book in a series (yes, eleventh!), I’m a little jaded. Sometimes, I know I’m reading from a sense of loyalty to the author or their characters, not because I’m actually excited about picking up the book. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Joy Ellis’ Nikki Galena series.
With each book, the stories get better (more complex and compelling) and the characters become more like people I want to know (rather than just a sum of their dysfunctional parts). Here, it starts with a son visiting the police station concerned about occult ‘gifts’ been left on his mother’s doorstep before moving onto a grizzly discovery in an abandoned cottage and a race to save the life of a young girl.
In between, there are twists, turns and red herrings, some of which come from a seemingly unconnected case involving and local conman Nikki’s team just can’t pin anything on. As with all the books in the series, I often feel the sub-plot could be a story in its own right – there is never anything rushed about them, or the characters.
Was there anything I didn’t like about the book? No, not a thing. I can highly recommend it for those who like police procedurals and strong female characters. The only thing it is worth saying is, as with all series, sometimes things might not quite make sense because of what has gone before (though I would say here, its less of a concern than in other series I’ve read).

Thank you Net Galley. Another excellent book in the DI Galena series by Joy Ellis. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to her next.

Another great read from Joy, once I started reading i couldn't put the book down. I'm looking forward to reading more in the future

Another excellent book from Joy Ellis featuring DI Nicky Helena and DS Joseph Easter. I love the way Joy weaves all the characters in together. There are recurring people from other books that continue to develop their own backsides which you know will keep on giving in future books.
Unsure how Joy manages to create such amazing and diverse plot lines but they are really worth reading and truly engage the reader.
Thanks to Joffe bold and Netgalley for the chance to read this book will certainly be back for more.

Thank you to Joffe books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had read an amazing Joy Ellis book a few months ago, which is not park of this series which was just brilliant (Beware the Past) so I was super excited to see a new Joy Ellis book available on NetGalley.

This one is 11th in the series, although as it is the first I have read and I don’t feel I have missed out on any background as Joy added those little bits of information to this book.

A lady begins to receive strange pagan ‘gifts’ (or threats?) on her doorstep. She is quite knowledgeable of Wicca and Pagan rituals so it would appear they are left as some sort of sign.

The police visit to begin an investigation.

Around the same time, on the same property, a review of the land which has been requested by the owners in order to plant the best trees for the area is being carried out by Tamsin who stumbles upon a derelict cottage the owners do not know exists. My interest in the book went up a few notches when a skull stopped down from the chimney!

The police begin their second investigation on this property. They find a tens in the cottage and done biscuits which says someone has been there recently. Further investigation of the property reveals a satchel with photographs of a girl under the floorboards.

A family hiding secrets. An old case of a missing girl. A current case of a missing girl. Many intertwined plot lines which had me thinking I knew what was happening, only to turn the page and find a new twist!

An enjoyable read from a talented writer.

Well, well, well, book 11. I never thought when I first started to read these books that it would be so so addictive. I absolutely love this series. The author is a first class writer and knows just what us, her readers want. I have loved each and every book and I can't recommend them highly enough.
I will say to read them in order. Mainly because you will learn and grow with the characters. When I'm reading these books now it almost feels like a family reunion when I pick on up.

Nothing I say will get across just how much I love this series, and it's one I think everyone should read. Each time I finish one i'm counting down the time until the next one, and each time I think the author is going to stuggle to better that one, boom, she does it no problem. I could read about these characters daily, I'd love to see some sort of series with Nikki and Joseph in on tv, it would be addictive viewing.

Joy's writing makes you actually feel lke you are with these characters, you can sense where they are a picture yourself being there with them. they are descriptive enough to let you feel like you are part of the story.

I remember first being intoduced to Nikki, and then her having Joseph almost forced upon her, Nikki liked her own space, liked to work alone, I love how she has changed. She's still a no nonsence person but seems to tollerate people a little better.

​I really don't know what else to say, I can't recommend this series highly enough, and I think once you start it you'll also be addicted.

DI Nikki Galena series books in order:-
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

Having read previous Nikki Galena books, this was like coming home and slipping into a pair of slippers. The characters are so likable and so familiar, but after saying that you can also read this as a standalone.
A ruined cottage is found hidden in a small wooded area....what secrets are there, what do the family who own the land know about it. What about the missing girls, do their have anything to do with it.
Nikki, Joseph and the team come together and try to solve the case, strong believable characters, whom I love more with every book I read!
Can't wait to read more.
Thank you netgalley.

Hidden on the Fens by Joy Ellis is the eleventh book in the DI Nikki Galena series and I've just loved reading them all.

Exciting - This series is set in the fictional town of Greenborough, Lincolnshire, UK,
When a farm-owner’s wife starts to receive sinister pagan artefacts, including a witch’s knife.

Are they some sort of warning or message? But what does it mean?

When a remains of a young girl who disappeared several years ago, has been discovered. DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter are on the case. They discover a derelict cottage within a copse of trees.

But, Someone living there, but who was it?

Whilst searching, they find an old satchel, and Inside it there are photos of a beautiful girl, Jennifer Cowley.
Jennifer went missing fifteen years ago. She had been stalked by a young man, and he was convicted of her murder, even though her body was never found.

Whilst looking closer at the photos of Jennifer they found in the satchel there are more recent photo of a girl who looks just like Jennifer.

Two of Nikki's detectives DC Cat Cullen and Dave Harris are investigating attacks on elderly widows at the same time.

The man who killed Jennifer is recently out of prison.

Has he struck again?

WoW, This brilliant book was full of twists and turns, and will have you hooked!

Do they find the killer? Well, you will need to read the book! I highly recommend it. and all the books in this brilliant series.

Here is DI Nikki Galena series books in order:-
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

Big Thank you to Joy Ellis, Joffe books and Netgalley for the ARC , in exchange for an honest opinion.

I have not read any of the other books that are a part of this series, but found that didn't take away from my ability to enjoy this. I thought that the author's ability to articulate how long-kept secrets can come back and harm was brilliant. I am definitely going to read more from this author, starting with the other books in this series!

Love this series. The latest instalment in The Fens series and maybe the one of the best yet.
There are three main plots that cleverly interweave. Excellent writing as always from this most talented of writers. The subplots and characters continue to develop and delight too. A joy to read

I have read all of the ‘Fenland’ books by Joy Ellis. I have said it before that her style of writing makes this author’s novels a page-turner for me. It could also be because I was brought up on a farm in the fens and understand much of the landscape and beliefs.

DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter return and their relationship and interactions, sometimes with misplaced humour, continue to make theses novels exceptional. This is possibly the best in the series and could easily be read as a standalone but the history of the couple and their children is referred to.

A derelict cottage is found in the middle of a copse which nobody appears to know anything about. A murder victim from some fourteen years ago is discovered and the man who was convicted of the crime has just been released from prison but has been swearing he was innocent all the time.

A young woman goes missing who looks similar to the murder victim and the search begins to find her before it is too late. In the meantime, the owners of the farm where the cottage is situated are receiving sinister messages.

Cleverly plotted, with characters who bring the story alive as it twists and turns towards the finale.

Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Joy Ellis for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent read and recommended.

This is a great read. Even Nikki Galena and Joseph Easter are not sure who did it. Did they have the right man fifteen years ago? How are they going to catch the rapist? So many questions and not near enough answers. There is a cottage which is very old down the road from Tamsin and Niall's cottage. She has been asked to decide if the trees should be thinned or what there and the cottage is found. That starts the mystery and with many twists and turns up to the end we are not sure what happened there.

This is my first Nikki Galena book. It is very exciting, and complicated, and not until the very end was the resolution clear.

At the beginning there are two cases being worked. Cat and Dave are trying to nail Vernon Deacon, a man who has been forcing sexual attentions on elderly women who have recently lost a husband. He is supposedly visiting them to help with finances from the Army Veterans Social Club. So far he has gotten off by making the women look foolish with the help of a very good lawyer. Cat and Dave think they've found the perfect woman to get Vernon convicted. However, before they get a chance to hear here (or see) her proof, she is in a fatal traffic accident.

Meanwhile, Richard Howard has reported to Nikki Galena and Niall that strange things have been happening at his parent's home, Sedgebrook House at Jacob's Fen. Niall lives there and volunteers to stop by. Meanwhile, Niall's wife, Tasmin, (also Joseph's daughter). Joseph is also Nikki's partner. Tasmin goes to see Richard as a consultant about Hobs End Copse, which is a cluster of trees and bushes in the middle of a field. He is ready to clear it and they drive to look at it. As they walked around, they noticed a cleared path, recently used. Carefully following the path, they find the remains of a building. The back door hinges have been oiled, and they enter the back of the cottage. An area on the kitchen table had been wiped and cleaned and had a box of biscuits and a bottle of spring water. The next room had a blue one-man tent! They decided to leave and Tasmin called Niall.

When Joseph and Tamsin search the house, they find an old sachel with old pictures of a woman, Jennifer Cowley, who disappeared 15 years previously. A man who had stalked her had been convicted, but her body was never found. Rory, the pathologist soon calls Nikki to tell her that three of the pictures were modern pictures of a young woman who looks almost like Jennifer. Then, Nikki finds something even worse in the cottage! Soon, the police begin to wonder if the two cases may have some links. One of the police has been looking up backgrounds of the Howard family as well as Deacon's past and the past of the man convicted of killing Jennifer who has just been released from jail.

I don't want to give away any more, but I note that this is a real thriller, and I was reading as fast as possible to find out what happened! I will definitely be reading some of the earlier DI Nikki books.

Nikki is based in the Lincolnshire Fens and covers a huge area with her team including partner and ex soldier DS Joseph Easter, and DCs Cat Cullen and Ben Radley. They are ably assisted by ex copper Dave Harris and PC Yvonne Collins, a highly experienced veteran, and also have new faces DC Sean Pickford and PC Kyle Adams to help them. There is just so much to enjoy in this, the eleventh book in the highly popular series, and I swear each one gets better and better. The story starts with several strands. An elderly farm-owner's wife starts to receive strange wiccan offerings on her doorstep. She has a good knowledge of these things which can be viewed as kindly or sinister, and appears visibly shaken when visited by the police after her son reports them. The son is also trying to run the fenland farm whilst looking after the environment, and enlists help from Tamsin, wife of Sergeant Niall Farrow and daughter of DS Joseph Easter. Whilst exploring Hobs End Copse, a terribly overgrown mass of tangled trees and bushes, they make the startling discovery of an old derelict cottage right in the middle. Someone, possibly the gift leaver, has clearly been there recently, cutting a pathway through and setting up a tent. They've even brought their own biscuits!! Incredibly as Tamsin shows the cottage to Joseph they unearth a satchel containing photos of a girl who went missing, presumed murdered, many years ago. A young man, recently released and still protesting his innocence, even went to jail for 15 years for the crime but with the disturbing addition of recent photos of another look-alike, doubts are cast on whether they got the right man and possibly a new girl is now in danger. Meanwhile Cat and Dave, who is due to retire again soon, are working hard on the case of a nasty sexual predator who has been assaulting elderly ladies and so far has escaped justice every time. everyone wants Dave to bow out on a high note by bringing down this repulsive individual but when their star witness goes missing, it appears this man is determined to evade custody by whatever means it takes. So all in all the team, led by Nikki and Supt Cam Walker, have their hands full to bursting. As all their cases start to converge and take a much darker turn, the team are stretched to breaking point and lives are risked in an effort to catch a killer amidst all the lies and hidden family secrets. No words are ever wasted by this author. They all mean something, whether they be setting out the beautiful backdrop and scenery, describing horrible crimes and heart-stopping action or delivering the clever and often witty dialogue between the detectives. This story is full of the wonderful characters that have grown to be so popular as the series has progressed and much of this is due to how warm and human they are. Even the dogs have great personalities! The plot is clever and beautifully planned, and draws the reader through a dark trail of clues and suspects to the final exciting chapters as the culprit is revealed in an ending that is bound to shock and yet will make perfect sense to the reader. Outstanding and definitely a book not to be missed. 5*

I have fallen in love with the Nikki Galena series. I just started reading it and was only up to book three. But I couldn’t resist the chance to get book 11 through netgalley. So, of course, I had quite the shock to the system in the first few pages realizing what has transpired on the relationship side of things, not just for Nikki and Joseph but also Tamsin.

Here, Tamsin discovers an abandoned cottage on the estate right down the road from her home. Inside is a satchel with photos of a long dead girl and more recent photos of another girl that looks like her. Meanwhile, someone is leaving weird mementoes for the woman who lives on the estate. And an ex-military man is preying on military widows. So much going on and not a down moment for Nikki and her crew. This one moves at a rapid pace. Ellis does an excellent job of weaving these storylines all together with a great ending. I highly recommend this book and series to anyone that values a good police procedural filled with interesting, real life characters. This is one of those “work families” where you find yourself caring for each and every one of the team.

Now, having finished this just prior to publication, I can happily return to listening to this series in order. And yes, this can be read as a standalone but if you have the option, much is to be gained by at least having read the first book in the series first so you get a glimpse of the “old” Nikki and see how far she has come.

My thanks to netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of this book.

This is one of the D I Galena mysteries, as Joy Ellis has done a number of novels, and this one is one of the best. seemed like a couple of small cases, to begin with, and Ms. Ellis has this knack of intertwining them, a male creditor preying on just widowed women with expert knowledge on helping them with their pensions, etc but he does have this evil trait about him., but every time somebody complains to the police he walks, now they are trying again and hoping to get more victims to come forward. Tamsin D S Easter's daughter is given local farmer's son advice on what to plant that helps the environment with a small overgrown copse, and on inspection find a building very much in disrepair and falling to bits, but on examining inside find someone has been staying there and a pop-up tent still there. The owner of the said farm the mother has started getting pagan messages which is really frightening her so the police are called to investigate It seems very complex and what and how are these cases linked, also in the mix is an ex-con inside for murder but was convicted without a body and he has alway's denied killing her he has not long been released living nearby, Ms. El;lis does have the Fens sown up, it's flat lots of dykes and meres and rivers all full to overflowing and early morning when there is all the mist
rising is very eerie, to say the least, long winding lanes lots of greenery all add to the description of the novel wonderfully written tense and a really good read. I would like to thank Joffe Books for giving me the pleasure of reading this brilliant piece of work.

I loved this book! Totally absorbed from page one! Had lots of intrigue that kept me guessing right to the end! I read it as a stand alone but can’t wait to start my next one in the series!

What a great book!
As DI Nikki Galena and her officers are drawn into a cold case, other cases they are working on begin to become intertwined with it. A young woman is missing, older women are being assaulted, and odd things are happening at a local farm.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, and am so happy I did. Part of a series I have not read, the author gave the perfect amount of backstory to fill me in. The characters are well written and likable, DI Nikki is a professional, but it’s balanced with empathy and very human concern and love for her team and family.
Well written with plenty of twists, the book has left me eager to read the rest of the series.