The Dying Light

Detective Matt Ballard Series, Book 3

By: Joy Ellis

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Whisper Fen Holds Dark Secrets

As the mists roll over the fens and enigmatic lights twinkle in the distance, only the locals know their way along the hidden paths through the mysterious watery terrain of one of England's most beautiful and sometimes dangerous places.

Detective Matt Ballard may have retired but there's still plenty going on in the fens to keep him busy.

Someone trashes an old lady's garden and daubs her isolated cottage with hateful graffiti. Emilia Swain seems to be totally harmless, so why is she being targeted?

Matt's best friend Will and his wife Kate moved to Holland House to put their past behind them. But Kate's mental state is deteriorating and she's obsessed with the tragic history of the house and an old doll she finds in the garden.

And why is Kate suddenly friends with a loner who haunts the fens? Has the dreadful past come back to haunt the present owners?

Former detectives Matt and Liz want to help their friends and neighbors. But how can you help people who don't want to be helped?

©2020 Joy Ellis (P)2020 Tantor

Not one of Joy Ellis’ best stories.

I normally enjoy all of Joy’s different series but this storyline was too drawn out and not her usual style of course detective mystery . I persisted cause I wanted to see how it ended but it was not as interesting as her previous books.

Intense

Another excellent thriller by Joy Ellis. The intensity packed into this story makes it hard to put down! You won’t want to stop listening!!

Least favorite of all her books

After listening to all the Nikki Galena series and now making my way through this series, this is my least favorite of all of them. The plot was very bizarre and the characters frequently did things that were “out of character” and inconsistent with the personalities developed throughout the series. After a very long and slightly irritating buildup that focused on the paranormal and this woman’s poorly justified deteriorating mental health, the ending was very abrupt and left many things unanswered. The main character spent the entire book sacrificing his own mental health to accommodate his wife and then did a complete 180 at the end. Just an unsatisfying read all around that to me made zero sense.

They just get better and better!

My attention was gripped from the first chapter. And as always is the case, I was unable to figure out what the outcome would be. The ending was satisfying but sadly so. I’ve run out of descriptives for Joy Ellis books. The narration was superb. Highly recommend this title’

Not the usual for Joy Ellis

This was not a bad story, it was just so outside of what Joy Ellis typically writes it almost should have been a stand alone. The only way it fit in to the Matt Ballard series was that it happened to have Matt and Liz in it. But it felt forced and didn’t really contribute to their story. This story was much more of a haunted house thriller than a police procedural. It had very strong American Horror Story vibes. The narration was incredibly dry but not awful.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I wasn’t expecting it to fit into the Joy Ellis/Matt Ballard series. All in all a 3 out of 5.

Not believing Joy Ellis wrote this book...

I kept listening thinking this book would get better...but the story line was super depressing...
I felt I was circling the drain during the last few minutes of this book... Joy Ellis is an amazing author & I cannot believe that Joy Ellis actually wrote this story... Poor Will is totally screwed...from page 1 of this book... Tough Matt Ballard shouldn't have even been added to this book... Matt played the role of a supportive friend but his true character was nowhere in these pages... This book is about mental illness... which is a horrible disease that often takes over & kidnaps a peson's life...That in itself is criminal but over the course of the book there are several other criminal's that are briefly mentioned...but not a lot of time is spent in this story on those evil character's...even though the worst 2 are eventually caught which is a relief...their criminal empire was vaguely touched on leaving an abundance of unanswered questions....there are just so many gray areas in this listen...I feel drained, depressed & weary....I wish I wouldn't have purchased this...it is however, only my opinion...but I really do not believe Joy Ellis wrote this... Maybe it should be a stand alone book & Liz & Matt's names should be changed...

I find Joy Ellis to be an amazing writer.

Another wonderful book and listen by Joy Ellis. Mr. Davies did a better job reading this book than the previous, perhaps I am getting used to his voice, although I cannot say for certain.
Either way the book, and the storyline were engaging, a real page turner.

Takes U Away

This is yet again an amazing Joy Ellis book. I was so engrossed I binged it twice. Perfect narration, exactly as written. Surprise ending swept me away.

A dismal story 

I love this author, and the narrator and all of the wonderful characters from the Fenn. But this book drones on with sadness and despair from almost beginning to the end. The sun never shines, and there is little to no hope. People suffering from mental illness should avoid this book. the ending, like the beginning, was dreary and sad. I think I would have more fun getting a root canal.

A twist you never expected

I really enjoyed the cadence of this book, I love all of Joys books that I have listened to thus far but this one definitely had a different cadence and there is such a plot twist at the end