Joy in the Night

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If you enjoy goosebumpy and chilling (in the best way possible) reads, do add this to your TBR list. Well worth it. I read this in one dark night and recommend you do, too. This is Book 5 of the Matt Ballard series featuring retired detectives Matt Ballard and Liz Haynes. Although I’ve had this author before I haven’t actually heard of this series of books. Although it’s the fifth in the series it read well as a stand-alone. Brilliantly written with a number of different threads all even together seamlessly this is a great read. Great characters all with their own secrets and stories to tell.

Endo C: This Endo appears on Floors 6, 5, and 2. They will stand still, and never move. However, getting too close to them will result in a jumpscare. Matt and Liz end up working closely with the police, something Matt enjoys as he misses the job but Liz is apprehensive about it since her accident and leaving the force.It starts with David, friend of Matt & Liz who failed his police exam. He is helping Matt & Liz with their investigation, simultaneously trying to come to terms with this huge disappointment. Matt and Liz are about to get a few days away, until a new case lands at their door in a double way, rather unexpectedly. Two students are dead apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning however a parent and a former CHIS think otherwise. Liz’s nephew David lands at their door after failing his physical to get into the police, something he has wanted his whole life. Liz thinks they can show him that there are more strings to the bow of law enforcement than he may first realise and he can also help them with the current case. Although book five in the series, this happily stands alone. A deserted building on a poorly lit cobblestone street. A perfectly composed photograph for an aspiring student. In days, because of that photo, students Toby and his friend Alex will be dead, supposedly the result of a malfunctioning heater. Simon is 9 years old. He was staying with his aunt Jessie when he goes missing. His sister Kellie is worried and the police are searching for clues. Is this disappearance somehow connected?

Endo B: This Endo appears on Floors 4 and 2. They will stare at the player, and will steadily move towards you while you look away. Letting them touch you while looking away will result in death. They can get caught on objects, and will never move as long as they are on screen. You can touch and move them around without dying as long as you are looking at them. Matt Ballard is a retired detective chief inspector. Ex-DS Liz Hayes retired following a serious medical event. They have set up as private detectives, and stay fairly busy. They are hosting the nephew of Liz's previous husband, Gary for a few days and perhaps cheer him up. David is a recent graduate of high school, a young man keenly anticipating entry into the police academy, but he has been turned down due to his lifelong health problems, asthma, and limited endurance. There’s other plot lines too - a young lad goes on holiday to his aunt’s and they both disappear, Minty, a criminal that Matt is familiar with but has a soft spot for also makes an appearance and the major criminals in the area feel threatened by something and are employing their own methods for finding out what’s going on, leading to more deaths and disappearances all while the local police are busy with another in depth case. This is my first book by this author. I was pleased with the story and didn’t feel lost since I hadn’t read the other books. I look forward to reading the next one. Two days later, Toby and Alex are dead. Carbon monoxide poisoning. An unfortunate accident. But Alex’s mother doesn’t believe it. She hires Matt and Liz to find out the truth.In 1934, it was the turn of Walter Elliott (the Minister of Agriculture) to be “ragged”. The students forced him out of his taxi and made him ride up Fetter Lane on pantomime-cow. He was photographed “clinging with one hand” to the “cow” and waving his hat with the other hand “in the manner of a Wild West rider (but looking less sure of his seat)”. The Minister was then led up the steps to the platform of the lecture theatre by two young men: one dressed as a yokel and the other as a fairy. Once on the platform, the “fairy” curtsied before presenting the Minister of Agriculture with “a basket containing a pig’s head and some kippers”. The Minister was then required to sign this declaration: Meanwhile, nine year old Simon has gone missing and his older sister Kellie is naturally worried. Simon was staying with his Aunt Jessie in a cottage on the edge of the marsh, but he seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. What happened to the little boy? Did someone take him? And is his disappearance somehow linked to Alex and Toby’s murders? Zhang used his moment of glory to call out Tyson Fury, saying in his ringside interview: “To the audience, I want to ask you a question: Do you want to see me shut Tyson Fury up?” Briefly, Matt and Liz are now Private investigators and have just completed a case and looking forward to a break. However before they can get away they are approached by the mother of a university student who asks them to look into his death. He and his friend died and whilst the police are treating it as an accident she has suspicions. They trace the deaths to a photograph taken by the students which appears to show a girls face in the window of a deserted building. Who is she and what does it mean? . At the same time, and apparently unrelated, a young ashmatic boy goes missing. What if any is the connection? LAX is decorated in “rich, red leathers and adorned with oversized mirrors and shimmering chandeliers”. The lavish decor attracts socialites, celebrities, tourists and locals alike. To add to the feel of luxury, there are seven VIP lofts that over look the first level dance floor. VIP tables surround the elevated DJ booth in front of the dance floor to make sure if you’re a guest there you can see, but most importantly be seen. More VIP table areas are located closely behind the central dance floor.

And they have a new case, postponing again their break at the seashore, and with the help of computer master David they are exploring the death of two young college boys. Dispite the label of accidental death, they are sure this was murder. What did they see, photograph, that got them killed? Who is next?

Photos

The small market town of Fenfleet seems to be overwhelmed by crime lately and it’s up to Matt and Liz to get to the bottom of the dangerous forces that are at play in this beautiful part of the world. Will Matt and Liz manage to unmask the perpetrators intent on wreaking maximum havoc and destruction in Fenfleet? Or will getting far too close to the truth end up putting them in danger? Endo C and Endo B: You can see them in the Alt Cams. They will be there until the screen goes to static, in which case they will try to get in. The corresponding door must be closed, or else you will die. Liz’s nephew comes to stay after being rejected by the police for failing a fitness test, due to a childhood illness and he gets involved in their latest investigation. Toby Unsworth is passionate about photography. In two weeks, he will be starting his final year of his photography course at university. Night photography is his speciality Matt and Liz Ballard are, as usual, absolutely superb. Sharp, intuitive, brave and courageous, in their latest case they are going to need to keep their wits about them in their search for the truth.

This series seems to focus much more on plot than character development. It’s my least favorite of Ellis’s three series. Decent, but not great. The story is told from multiple POVs and it takes a long while for it to coalesce. How Ellis brings all the layers together is a treat. I enjoyed the addition of Matthew, Liz’s nephew who had hoped to join the police force.

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A third story line tells the story of Kellie and her younger brother Simon. After the death of their mother, Kellie has become the main caretaker of the family. Sadly, Simon is taken by dottie Aunt Jessie to 'save Simon from the bad man.' However, a call to Matt from Minty a former criminal who had proved a good snout for Matt, has him alarmed – Minty sounded frightened and in all the years they had done business Minty had never seemed afraid. He relates an episode in the market and hands Matt an envelope saying, ‘I have just passed you a hot potato’.