The domestic bliss of Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman of Fenland Constabulary doesn’t last long. His nemesis, serial killer Alistair Ashcroft, is back in town and ready to tidy up unfinished business.
Ashcroft sends a sinister text to DS Marie Evans. His opening move in what will prove to be a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. Yet for all his taunts, where is he? In a county crawling with police on the lookout for him, Ashcroft is nowhere to be found.
EVERYONE JACKMAN CARES ABOUT IS IN DANGER
A LETHAL GAME WITH A VERY PATIENT MAN
CAN THEY FINALLY STOP ALISTAIR ASHCROFT?
My thoughts on The Patient Man…
I’ve always been a fan of Joy Ellis, starting with her Nikki Galena series so I was looking forward to reading The Patient Man and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s another great story with plenty of twists, turns, and moments where you think you know something is happening only to realise it isn’t what you thought at all.
Set in the Lincolnshire Fens, the location suits the style of story. It’s remote, haunting, and just that little bit dangerous. After every book, I tell myself this is where I need to go for a visit so I can see if what I imagine in my minds eye matches the reality.
It would be nice if it did (nicer still if people weren’t dropping like flies around me thanks to serial killers!). I love how dark and foreboding Ellis has made the landscape seem. I’d also be interested to know if the locals were as friendly. They all seem to get along so well (other than the serial killers, obviously!).
This ‘niceness’ is possibly the one main downside to these books. It’s not something I think everyone will be looking for in their crime fiction, a genre that is dominated by dysfunctional police with axes to grind and a tendency to take their issues out on everyone around them.
Personally, it’s not something I mind. I have found myself jaded by these type of officers in recent years. I can’t believe every one of them is just so messed up. But I think I might be in the minority here. If you’re with me, however, I’d definitely recommend trying out Ellis.
One caveat to buying this book – start with earlier ones in the series or the reason everyone is so stressed out about Alistair Ashcroft won’t make a lot of sense.
Enjoy!
Emma x
Please note: I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, feelings, and opinions are my own.
One Readers Thoughts 