Crime on the Fens is a compelling British police procedural
CRIME ON THE FENS
by Joy Ellis
Joffe Books
Mystery
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 21 Jun 2016
Review
If you are looking for a compelling British police procedural, look no further. Crime on the Fens is a great introduction to DI Nikki Galena and her new partner DS Joseph Easter. This isn’t a light mystery, and some may be disturbed by the implied violence, but if you are willing to take the risk, Crime on the Fens is a great read.
A disastrous case at the beginning of her career set DI Nikki Galena on a personal crusade against drug dealers. While she almost single-handedly makes the arrest quota, the higher ups are uneasy with her brash attitude and techniques. Her last chance comes in the form of DS Joseph Easter. His arrival coincides with a wave of violent and chaotic crimes committed by masked youth. At the same time, two young women go missing: one a photography student, the other a relative of the local crime boss. As the mask crimes are escalating and time is of the essence in finding the young women, DI Galena and DS Easter are forced to accept the aid of the local crime boss. The more they delve, the more obvious it becomes that something even more sinister is at the heart of this crime wave.
Despite DI Galena’s reputation as a harridan, she is a good leader who knows and respects the strengths of her team. While not the easiest woman to rub shoulders with, the reader comes to understand and empathize with her as a person as well as a detective.
Crime on the Fens is an intricately plotted British Police Procedural certain to please fans of the genre.
5/5
I received a copy of Crime on the Fens from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
Description
A NEW CRIME THRILLER WITH A COMPELLING DETECTIVE WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO AVENGE HER DAUGHTER
THE DETECTIVE DI Nikki Galena: A police detective with nothing left to lose, she’s seen a girl die in her arms, and her daughter will never leave the hospital again. She’s got tough on the criminals she believes did this to her. Too tough. And now she’s been given one final warning: make it work with her new sergeant, DS Joseph Easter, or she’s out.
HER PARTNER DS Joseph Easter is the squeaky-clean new member of the team. But his nickname “Holy Joe” belies his former life as a soldier. He has an estranged daughter who blames him for everything that went wrong with their family.
THEIR ADVERSARY is a ruthless man who holds DI Galena responsible for his terrible disfigurement.
THE TOWN is being terrorised by gangs of violent thugs, all wearing identical hideous masks. Then a talented young female student goes missing on the marsh and Nikki and Joseph find themselves joining forces with a master criminal in their efforts to save her. They need to look behind the masks, but when they do, they find something more sinister and deadly than they ever expected . . .
THE SETTING The Lincolnshire Fens: great open skies brood over marshes, farmland, and nature reserves. It is not easy terrain for the Fenland Constabulary to police, due to the distances between some of the remote Fen villages, the dangerous and often misty lanes, and the poor telephone coverage. There are still villages where the oldest residents have never set foot outside their own farmland and a visit to the nearest town is a major event. But it has a strange airy beauty to it, and above it all are the biggest skies you’ve ever seen.
