The Joy Ellis books in order include four separate crime series, standalone fiction, and a small number of anthology contributions. Ellis is best known for atmospheric police procedurals set in the Lincolnshire Fens, although her Ellie McEwan mysteries move to a Surrey village.
Her books feature detectives facing murder investigations in isolated communities, with the landscape often adding to the tension. Each series follows a different group of characters, so readers have several distinct places to begin.
Jump to:
- Joy Ellis Books by Series
- Joy Ellis Standalone Books
- Joy Ellis Anthology Contributions
- Joy Ellis Book-to-Screen Adaptations
- Who is Joy Ellis?
Joy Ellis Books by Series
Joy Ellis’s four series can be read independently. I recommend choosing the characters or setting that interests you most, then following publication order within that series because the personal relationships and continuing storylines develop from book to book.
DI Nikki Galena Books
The DI Nikki Galena series, also known as the Fens series, follows Detective Inspector Nikki Galena and Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter as they investigate crimes across the Lincolnshire Fens. I’d start with Crime on the Fens and continue in the numbered order below.
- Crime on the Fens (2010)
- Shadow Over the Fens (2011)
- Hunted on the Fens (2014)
- Killer on the Fens (2016)
- Stalker on the Fens (2016)
- Captive on the Fens (2017)
- Buried on the Fens (2017)
- Thieves on the Fens (2017)
- Fire on the Fens (2018)
- Darkness on the Fens (2019)
- Hidden on the Fens (2020)
- Secrets on the Fens (2021)
- Fear on the Fens (2021)
- Graves on the Fens (2022)
- Echoes on the Fens (2024)
Older editions may use different titles for the first three books. Crime on the Fens was first published as Mask Wars, Shadow Over the Fens as Shadowbreaker, and Hunted on the Fens as Being Hunted. These are earlier titles, not additional series installments.
Jackman and Evans Books
The Jackman and Evans series follows Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman and Detective Sergeant Marie Evans in the Lincolnshire Fens. I recommend beginning with The Murderer’s Son, which is the official first book. Some audiobook listings present Their Lost Daughters first, but the numbered publication order below is the simplest way to follow the series.
- The Murderer’s Son (2014)
- Their Lost Daughters (2017)
- The Fourth Friend (2017)
- The Guilty Ones (2018)
- The Stolen Boys (2018)
- The Patient Man (2020)
- They Disappeared (2020)
- The Night Thief (2021)
- Solace House (2022)
- The River’s Edge (2023)
- Black Notice (2025)
Their Lost Daughters was originally titled Crimesight. Readers may still encounter that earlier title, but it is not a separate Jackman and Evans novel.
Matt Ballard Books
The Matt Ballard mysteries follow Matt Ballard and Liz Haynes through police investigations and later private cases in the Fens. My advice is to read the series in publication order so their changing roles and personal history unfold naturally.
- Beware the Past (2017)
- Five Bloody Hearts (2019)
- The Dying Light (2020)
- Marshlight (2021)
- Trick of the Night (2022)
- The Bag of Secrets (2023)
Ellie McEwan Books
The Ellie McEwan mysteries move to a Surrey village and add a light supernatural element to Ellis’s crime fiction. Ellie owns a flower shop and develops an unusual ability after a near-death experience. I recommend starting with An Aura of Mystery and following the sequence below.
- An Aura of Mystery (2024)
- The Colour of Mystery (2024)
- The House of Mystery (2026)
Joy Ellis Standalone Books
These standalone works are separate from Ellis’s four series and can be read in any order. I’ve listed them by first publication, including the original audiobook releases of the two novellas.
- Guide Star (2017)
- Guard Her With Your Life (2023) (Novella)
- One More to Die (2024) (Novella)
Joy Ellis Anthology Contributions
Joy Ellis has also contributed short fiction to multi-author collections. These anthologies are optional for readers who want to explore work beyond her novels and novellas.
- Joffe Books Murder Mystery & Suspense Short Story Collection (2021)
- Written in the Stars: A Charity Anthology (2022)
Ellis’s contribution to Joffe Books Murder Mystery & Suspense Short Story Collection is “Forgive Me” (Short Story). She also contributed to Written in the Stars: A Charity Anthology.
Joy Ellis Book-to-Screen Adaptations
A television adaptation titled The Fens was announced based on the Jackman and Evans books. White Boar Films and Sprout Pictures are producing the project, with BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Tim Dynevor writing and Richard Armitage attached to play Rowan Jackman.
Who is Joy Ellis?
Joy Ellis was born in Kent in 1947 and spent much of her working life in London and Surrey. She trained in floristry at Constance Spry Ltd, later ran a flower shop in Weybridge, and managed an independent bookshop in Leatherhead.
A writing course taught by Sue Townsend in 1995 helped Ellis commit more seriously to fiction. Her first published novel, Mask Wars, appeared in 2010 and was later retitled Crime on the Fens.
Ellis lives in the Lincolnshire Fens with her partner, Jacqueline, a retired police officer whose experience helps inform the procedural side of the novels. The Fens also provide the setting and atmosphere for three of Ellis’s four crime series.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.