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Joy Ellis

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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

4.4 18,465 ratings

Book 2 of 6: 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

From the Publisher

DISCOVER A SERIES OF GRIPPING THRILLERS FROM MULTIPLE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOY ELLIS

Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.


	BEWARE THE PAST	FIVE BLOODY HEARTS	THE DYING LIGHT	MARSHLIGHT
	See Details	See Details	See Details	See Details
Customer Reviews	54,735	18,465	13,659	14,902
Price	$2.99	$4.99	$4.99	$4.99
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joy Ellis is the author of three series of mystery and detective novels.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NL6SCNQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books mystery (February 10, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 10, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1183 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #46,667 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #307 in Heist Thrillers
- #455 in Serial Killers
- #1,011 in Murder

Customer Reviews:
4.4 18,465 ratings

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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 three Springer spaniels and four little rescue, Breton spaniels. 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

Book Fourteen: Graves 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

Book Nine: Solace House

Book Ten: The River's Edge

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. Detective Matt Ballard Book 4. They might have retired, but things are far from quiet for Matt and Liz!

Trick of the Night. Detective 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.

The Bag of Secrets. Detective Matt Ballard Book 6. An abandoned carpet bag full of mysterious handwritten notes. A body in a marshy lagoon.

Ellie McEwan mysteries series:-

Book One: An Aura of Mystery

Book Two: The Colour of Mystery

Guard Her With Your Life. A standalone novella.

These are available in both Kindle and paperback and now practically all of my books are available as audio books.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

18,465 global ratings

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Brenda Telford

Loved it!

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2022

Verified Purchase

When Grace Repton requested a discussion with DCI Matt Ballard, that she had information only for him, he had no idea what was to follow. Grace was the fiancé of serial killer Jeremy Reader who was locked up in a secure prison with little chance of seeing the outside again. Jeremy had been caught and put away by Matt, and Matt had no doubt what he would do if he was out of jail again. But Grace vowed he had changed; he was a reformed man. But Matt didn’t believe her – he was a vicious killer, they couldn’t change…

But when the first and then the second, young woman was murdered, in the identical fashion of Jeremy’s, Matt knew Grace’s warning was solid. He just didn’t know who was orchestrating the killings. And with the murders of young Lithuanian men also occurring on Matt’s patch, their force was spread thin. It seemed it was a turf war, but as Detective Bryn dug deeply into the murders, he could feel himself getting closer. There were murders all over and Matt was on a thin edge. He and his partner Liz had been involved in a horrific case where they both almost lost their lives. Liz was still healing but was Matt able to keep that all behind him?

Five Bloody Hearts is the 2nd in the DCI Matt Ballard series by Joy Ellis and it was excellent. Full on, fast paced with plenty of action – I had my suspicions early in the piece and they were confirmed 😊 Great characters, a good, forceful team and a great plot! I’ll be checking out #3 in this series very soon. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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Smiler

Bloody good book

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

Thanks again for a very differenr book , exciting, mind twisting, nerve wracking story. The characters were all good, strong and like able. Thank you.

Helpful

Deirdre

Remorseful Serial Killer

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023

Verified Purchase

I forgot how talented Joy Ellis was since I've been jumping between authors as a try to tackle my towering To Be Read pile. I absolutely love Joy's police procedurals. It was bittersweet knowing this would be Matt Ballard's last case as a Detective Inspector. The author pulled out all the stops. Is it possible for a serial killer to truly repent and be remorseful for all their pain and terror he inflicted on his victims and their families?

But despite even the remote possibility of a miraculous loss of blood lust. What about the fans and groupies? Will they be happy about their hero / role models reversal? No not everyone. Joy Ellis is masterful in how she kept a lot of details of the original killers despicable secret actions until a copycat begins to mimic him. This is a fast paced story with multiple points of view. Joy is the Queen of the unexpected twists. I really enjoy when she brings in other famous Fen residents who assist the Fenland Constabulary like the esteemed forensic pathologist Dr. Rory Wilkinson whose snarky analysis is instrumental in assisting the police, as is police psychologist Dr. Laura Kesey.

One person found this helpful

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SkyGrey

Shocking twists

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024

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I thought the first book had some amazing twists and turns but this book broke the mold. I was pretty sure who the killer was but WOW I was wrong about sooooo much! Fantastic job!

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Ashley Beesley

Good book, poor audible performance

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2023

Verified Purchase

The story was great with an unexpected twist and the ending is written in a way that ends the story but still makes you wonder. However, the audible performance left something to be desired. The performer did such a terrible job that it was incredibly distracting from the story. I ended up buying the book so I could read it myself.

2 people found this helpful

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Auntie Annie

Illogical and straining belief

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

I love Joy Ellis's Nikki Galena books with their atmosphere of the fens, and I enjoyed the Jackman books. I have not enjoyed either of the Matt Ballard books. After not caring for the first one, I thought I've give the series another chance, but the illogical way the two plots were joined and illogical plot line did not ring true. Also several incidents in the book were simply beyond reasonable belief. I will not be buying more of this series.

9 people found this helpful

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bob

Another great novel

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

2nd of six. great read, she knows her stuff. #rd one ordered, 3 to go will read the series. She keeps you turning those pages.

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A. Steven Toby

A Serial Killer is in Prison...but

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

New Victims continue to be discovered. Normally this would suggest that the man in prison was innocent. Not this time however! The perp, Jeremy, is smitten with guilt and after cooling his heels as Her Majesty’s guest for several years he confesses and warns detective Matt Ballard that he has accidentally briefed a cell mate on how he did the killings. The other criminal was released and Jeremy suspects he will launch copycat murders. And that’s what seems to be happening.
At the same time there is a series of murders in an enclave of Baltic states immigrants that seems to be unrelated, but veteran readers of this author know she “doesn’t believe in coincidence” as one of her characters says in a different book. Then an apparently respectable woman declares she wants to marry Jeremy even though he is serving life and won’t come up for parole till he’s 80. Two psychologists interview the couple and say they are on the level but Matt’s intuition tells him something is wrong. The reader is soon sucked into the tale and while I admit I figured out whodunnit about halfway through the book I couldn’t figure out how or why. Like the other books by this author, she doesn’t just dismiss her villains as psychopaths but explains their motivations. Whether these explanations would survive scrutiny by a criminologist I’m not sure but they are convincing as presented.
We readers are left regretting that Matt Ballard is retiring after this last, very stressful case, so the author will have to invent another DCI to be featured in future books.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Elaine W

Five Bloody Hearts

Reviewed in Canada on June 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was a very enjoyable book. Lots of suspense. Didn't know til almost the end who the villain was. Had a few guesses throughput
H

Ared

Outstanding

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2024

Verified Purchase

Once again Joy Ellis has put together a winner of a book you won't want to put down. The characters are interesting, the plot macabre at times and tension mounts as the bodies pile up. Will Ballard and Liz manage to walk off into the sunset after all?

GeeEmDee

Chilling

Reviewed in Italy on September 22, 2022

Verified Purchase

So very clever, keeping the reader guessing till the end - even the Reader, Jeremy Reader, who couldn't have imagined such an outcome. So many strands, which in the end came to an astonishing conclusion. Another brilliant thriller from Joy Ellis.

Carole

Gripping page turner

Reviewed in Spain on August 4, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is the 2nd book by Joy Ellis, and just about to download the third. Highly recommended. Hell of a twist but by had my suspicions.. Love this author

Déborah

Good but

Reviewed in France on July 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

I loved the story and all the characters but I figured out who did it from the beginning. It was so obvious to me. So that it made the rest of the book so frustrating for me.
That was its fatal flaw in my opinion.

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

From the Publisher

DISCOVER A SERIES OF GRIPPING THRILLERS FROM MULTIPLE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOY ELLIS

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Joy Ellis

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