Today I’m handing over the blog to Mandie who is rounding out the blog tour for The Fourth Friend, the new novel by Joy Ellis, published by Joffe Books. We’ll be taking a look at Mandie’s review just as soon as we’ve seen what the book is all about.
The Official Book Blurb
From #1 best-selling author Joy Ellis, a mystery full of stunning twists and turns.
Police detective Carter McLean is the only survivor of a plane crash that kills his four best friends. He returns to work but he is left full of guilt and terrible flashbacks. For each of his four friends he decides to complete a task that they left unfinished.
Eighteen months before the crash, Suzanne Holland disappeared, leaving a room with traces of blood, but no other leads. Suzanne was the wife of one of Carter’s four best friends.
Adding to the pressure, the boss’s daughter has a stalker. Due to the sensitivity of the Holland case, Carter is put on this investigation.
DS Marie Evans is the only person Carter can confide in. But even she begins to doubt whether he can really cope and whether he is actually losing his mind.
As the mysteries grow deeper, Jackman & Evans face a battle to untangle three mysteries, and can they really believe their friend and colleague Carter?
THE DETECTIVES
DS Marie Evans lost her husband in a motorbike accident and has personal connections to the case. DI Jackman leads the team. He is extremely smart and has a knack for bringing out the best in his diverse team.THIS BOOK IS NOT PART OF THE NIKKI GALENA SERIES BUT TAKES PLACE IN THE SAME STUNNING AREA
Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Sarah A. Denzil, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.
The Fourth Friend by Joy Ellis is the third book in the DI Jackman/DS Evans series. I will admit that I have still to read The Murderer’s Son but as I thoroughly enjoyed Their Lost Daughters I couldn’t wait to read the latest instalment in the series.
This time the team are dealing with the cold case of a missing woman along with the possible threat of a stalker following the DCI’s niece. There are also a couple of new additions to the team; DS Carter McLean and DC Robbie Melton.
The story seems to focus on Carter McLean and as the story progresses you can see why. It starts with him being the only survivor of a plane crash that killed his four best friends as they were on the way to a stag do. Now he is haunted by his dead friends who appear to him at times when he is alone and he feels that the only way he can get them to be at peace is by doing one final task for each of them. Carter has always been a copper who didn’t do things strictly by the book but he is determined to get back to normal. Back at work and having been sat behind a desk for 6 months he has been cleared for full duty but those around him are not sure that he is ready to be thrown back in the deep end. Clearly affected by the accident he is prone to a few mood swings.
He is desperate to get in on the missing person case as the person in question is the wife of one of his dead friends and he believes that the only way he can let his friend be at peace is by finding out what happened. There is some history between him and the DCI and to say that she is not his biggest fan is a bit of an understatement. That being said he is the one person that she trusts to solve the case of her niece’s stalker. He is still seeing his therapist and both she and Marie are worried about his health and his state of mind.
Robbie was first introduced in Joy Ellis’s stand-alone book Guide Star. Suffering from a form of PTSD he had been close to going off the rails when his former partner put out a few feelers and he transferred into the Saltern Le Fen force. He seems to have settled in well although you get the impression that he likes to work alone.
This time out with the exception of Marie most of the other characters are just bit players in the story but I can understand why. This book appears to be a little darker than the previous ones I have read by Joy Ellis and you are taken on quite a journey with things happening that you would not expect. At first I was not sure why the stalker was being given as much time as the rest of the story but as the book progresses you get to understand why. Although I thought I knew what had happened, I will admit that the ending was not what I expected. The ending for me was a little bit sad but I can’t say why without giving it away so I guess you will have read it for yourselves.
For me another great book and one I think you won’t regret reading.
My thanks to Joffe Books for the advance copy of this book for review. It is available now from the following links.
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 our two second generation Springer spaniels. I had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now I can, and as my partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; my choice of genre was suddenly clear. 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!”
ALSO BY JOY ELLIS
THE 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
JACKMAN & EVANS
Book 1: THE MURDERER’S SON
Book 2: THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS
Book 3: THE FOURTH FRIEND
Why not check out some of the other brilliant blogs who have been a part of the tour.
Jen Med's Book Reviews 
I am dying to try some of Joy Ellis’ titles. Soon…. Which series should I start with? And, I LOVE this cover!
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I think start with this one…only 3 in the series. I have only read one in the other series but really enjoyed it. What I love is they can work as stand alone too
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Thank you Mandie great post and blog
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