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Shadow over the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 2
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Series: DI Nikki Galena, Book 2
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction
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Summary
Detective Nikki Galena's friend and neighbor meets a tragic end, but there's more to his death than meets the eye. And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter's past is back.
A man is found executed on a piece of wasteland in Greenborough town. The cold-blooded murder triggers terrible memories for DS Joseph Easter. Just when things seemed to be going well for DS Easter, he realizes that the nightmare is coming back, threatening his career, his sanity, and maybe his life. In a breath-taking conclusion, even Nikki begins to doubt DS Easter as he faces a race against time to save someone very close to him.
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What listeners say about Shadow over the Fens
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- Pen Name
- 19-02-17
Total landslide. Lancashire isn't Lincolnshire.
More trouble at mill than fenland. In fact nothing fen at all in this mediocre reading. To not know how to pronounce Gallipoli is one thing but to say a Wayne smile instead of wan? Countless stupid mistakes ruined the reading. Too many to highlight here. At every one my thread of the story broke. Will have to be careful to avoid her reading again.
16 people found this helpful
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- Alix Martin
- 27-07-18
Great story. .... but....
The narrator ‘accents’ and different voices are grating, which unfortunately took away from a good mystery.
13 people found this helpful
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- Oops 66
- 09-03-18
Another great thriller. Nickie & Joseph make a great team.
I have already downloaded the next book. The Narrator is also excellent. Already one of my favourite authors.
5 people found this helpful
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- Pam Herbert
- 02-05-17
Nail biting finish
Really good story line. Characters becoming more rounded. Voice characterization really good. I am keen to listen to the next one
4 people found this helpful
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- Sue
- 11-09-18
Good story poor delivery.
The book and story are really good. But the readers accent, why has a person been given the job to read a book set in the Fens who gives all the people in it northern accents. It’s most off putting.
8 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 27-08-18
Books 2 well worth a listen
Books 2 well worth a listen, enjoyed this one just downing book three. Good story line
3 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 16-08-18
Another Great Audio Book by Joy Ellis
Having listened to the first book in this series I couldn't wait to start the second and it didn't disappoint. I love the way she writes and although there are hints of where the story is heading, you are never quite sure where the story is going to take you. Can't wait to start the next one 😁
3 people found this helpful
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- Iscalady
- 25-07-18
Good story
I liked the story and the characters, my problem is the narrator’s accent and pronunciation. I really cringed at some common words (place names, eg Gallipoli) and several ordinary words being spoken as though by someone reading but who had never heard the word before. Very off putting to a pedant like me. The accent is one I’ve never heard before, and I’ve lived in the East Midlands. Very odd and guttural. Spoiled it a bit for me.
7 people found this helpful
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- Kathy
- 21-09-18
Narration makes your ears bleed
The story wasn’t bad but female voices were high pitched to the point of having to turn the volume down.
Male voices ok.
Accents OMG! Can’t describe how awful.
6 people found this helpful
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- Eliza
- 29-02-20
DREADFUL NARRATION Good Story
In a nutshell the flat voice of the narrator sadly, completely ruins the book. The main character voice is so monotonous it made me want to scream.
2 people found this helpful
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- Maine Knitter
- 02-04-17
I loved this!
What is it about British police detective stories? Especially when the stories are set in small towns. The DI with a history of not working well with others finally was assigned a Sergeant in the last book. They actually got along. This book picks up after Ds Easter is injured in the line of duty.
The characters are well written, dialogue is good, and the audiobook narration is wonderful. I kinda sorta had the ending figured out but then there was another twist. Delightfully wicked! I can't wait to read the next book. This is a great series.
10 people found this helpful
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- Charlotte Araki
- 27-05-17
I really enjoy this series.
The location is atmospheric and the methods of the crimes are unique. Love the characters and the narrator is great with voices and accents.
9 people found this helpful
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- S. Yates
- 10-09-17
Love the characters, plot outlandish
Any additional comments?
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this second entry in the series and liked getting to know DI Galena and DS Easter better. However, the central murders (with a blast for Easter's special ops past) was far-fetched and strained credulity. The characters were engaging enough that I will give the third book a try, but the setting (in the fens, in a smaller town) make elaborate plots awkward and jarring. I hope the rest of the series continues to develop these partners, but pairs them up with more plausible crimes to solve.
5 people found this helpful
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- Dawn
- 16-02-17
Another great book
To say that this book had many twists and turns would be a great understatement. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook, both the author and the narrator were excellent, and I'm anxiously waiting for the next in the series. I highly recommend this series. Joy Ellis has a very interesting ability to write.
5 people found this helpful
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- Wayne
- 09-02-17
I'm a fan of this wonderful detective series
Having lived in the UK for some time years ago it strikes me that many readers will not know about the Fens mentioned in the title of Crime on the Fens. The Fens, also called Fenland, is a below sea level portion of eastern coastal England. It is located in County Essex about 50 miles northeast of London. Like coastal Holland (The Netherlands) it was reclaimed from the sea many centuries ago and it is protected by dikes from the waters of the southern portion of the North Sea. Fenland is the same latitude as Rotterdam.
Protagonist Detective Inspector Nikki Galena is a tough cop. This is a serial murder mystery. Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter, a cop with his own issues, is in deep trouble with Galena's up the line bosses while Nikki believes he is very good and struggles to protect him.
Narration by actress Henrietta Meire is outstanding. Her Essex accent is so good that it must be genuine. The Essex accent is more clipped than most English regional accents and can be more difficult for Americans to understand.
19 people found this helpful
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- Elisabeth Carey
- 30-09-17
An intricate and intriguing mystery
Det. Sgt. Joseph Easter is recovered from his injuries, returned to duty, and now a permanent part of DI Nikki Galena's team. Unfortunately, his first day back on the job includes the apparent suicide of Nikki's friend and neighbor, and a brief encounter with a man he's sure is a nightmare figure from his past.
It's not long before bodies start turning up, killed execution-style, and all bearing a strong resemblance to Easter's hated former fellow special forces soldier, Billy Sweet--a man only Joseph says he's seen in the area. There's a serial killer in the area, and the gradually starts to seem that Joseph Easter is either the ultimate target, or something worse.
Meanwhile, it quickly becomes clear that there's something seriously wrong about the death of Nikki's neighbor Martin's death. It's not just that there's no evident reason for his suicide. He turns out to have been high on a ganger oyster hallucinogen that he had no apparent access to. The cancer clinic that has been monitoring his condition for any return of his cancer for years claims never to have heard of him. And he was, years ago, involved in a clinical trial. Two other members of the trial have also died in strange circumstances.
Two big, peculiar, dangerous, unrelated cases at the same time. It's so obvious there's no connection between Easter's serial killer and an odd cluster of apparent suicides that no one questions it.
We see both the newly returned Joseph Easter and the newly somewhat reformed Nikki Galena's under extreme pressure, and newly reconstituted team they lead responding to the pressure along with them. It's an interesting plot, but also good characters continuing to grow and change.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
3 people found this helpful
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- Jean
- 08-02-17
Great British police procedural
I enjoyed book one in the series and was impressed with Joy Ellis’ writing. Therefore, I gave book two a try.
The story is set in Lincolnshire Fens. It is an area of open skies, marshes, farmland and nature reserves. It is a difficult area for the Fenland constabulary to police because of the distances and dangerous misty roads. Detective Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter are teamed up again. Nikki’s neighbor had suddenly committed suicide, or maybe it was murder. Then a man is found executed near Greenborough are the two deaths related? DS Easter might have a stalker. Galena and team must solve the crimes to save DS Easter’s life and career.
The book is well written. The plot is interesting and twists and turns allowing suspense to build to a surprising ending. Ellis continues to build the key characters in this story. She focuses on Easter and Nikki’s boss. I am enjoying the setting of the book. The Fens sound so beautiful. This story is not as good as book one, but it is still enjoyable. Looking forward to the next book.
It is about seven and half hours long. Henrietta Meire does a great job narrating the book. She also narrated book one.
14 people found this helpful
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- Wild Horses Flying
- 07-07-17
Reasonably good mystery - but learning
Any additional comments?
To me, Ellis has good, solid writing skill, some interesting plot ideas and a good sense of momentum and action. I thought the first book in this series was better. I think she's new to the writing arena and still learning about plotting; I could see the evil doers from the start and there were some other places the plotting was awkward. I love her descriptions of the fens and she does give her characters some depth. I didn't like that in this one she introduced a horror aspect. The first one was just a good mystery. And, for me, she has her main characters spend too much time in miserable ruminations. Some of this is good - for depth but too much just drags down an interesting mystery. Ellis is maybe deciding if she writes mystery or horror-thrillers. I'll probably listen to the third one to find out.
6 people found this helpful
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- Mary Catherine
- 03-07-17
Good series
I do like the characters, and I hope to see them change and grow. I will continue with the next book in the series. Spoiler Alert: Just for once in a police procedural, I would like to see the killer, suspect, criminal, enemy, or victims not consist of, or involve any of the following: the detective, the partner, co-workers, family (spouse, domestic partner, children, siblings, grandparents, etc.), old or new girl/boy friend, close neighbors, old or current best friends, the dog, the cat or the bird. Since almost every police procedural ends up with that type of twist or surprise, it has stopped being a twist or a surprise. Instead it is the expected story, and a let-down time after time. Why does it have to be personal? That is just annoying for me, not interesting. Now, I can understand if the police know the criminals and there has been prior contact or interaction, but leave it at that.
2 people found this helpful
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- Pandra Beecroft
- 18-05-17
Great Series
This the second book that I have read in this series and I have found both books intriguing.
4 people found this helpful