Black Notice: a gripping crime thriller full of stunning twists

From multi-million-selling Joy Ellis. The most enthralling book yet from the Queen of Mystery.

A wild-eyed man out loose on the fens. A missing computer whiz. A bunker full of bodies.

A bloodstained man with a handcuff dangling from one wrist stumbles onto a retired detective's doorstep, pleading for help - but vanishes into the fens before the police arrive.

That same day, a stylishly dressed woman marches into Saltern-le-Fen police station demanding to see Detective Marie Evans. 'I want you to find my husband.'

Johnny Millard was released from prison five days ago. Two days ago, he disappeared. Evans suspects something very nasty has happened to him.

Then a homeowner clearing undergrowth in his back garden makes a horrifying discovery. The decomposing remains of five bodies huddled in an old World War 2 pillbox.

If Jackman can discover what links the victims, he'll have the key to cracking the case. To identify the remains, he issues a Black Notice alert with Interpol. But little is he prepared for the shocking results that come in . . .

DISCOVER A TOTALLY ENTHRALLING CRIME THRILLER.

This utterly gripping crime thriller is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Peter May, Angela Marsons, Peter James, and Elly Griffiths.

READERS LOVE THE JACKMAN AND EVANS BOOKS:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Riveting . . . The ending is absolutely mind-blowing. I love all Joy's books but this one I feel is way up there among the very best I have ever read.' Jill B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Such a great read. I loved it and devoured it in one sitting . . . Each book gets better as the characters grow.' Dawn L.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Hooked from Page 1! Best yet of this gripping police procedural series . . . Red herrings everywhere and secrets within secrets will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours.' Bonita S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A cracker of a read . . . Chapter after chapter will take your breath away . . . Almighty twists you just don't see coming.' Booklover Bev

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Joy Ellis has done it again . . . Undoubtedly the best in the series.' Carol S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The suspense keeps ratcheting up and the tension boils almost to breaking point in this complex case of murder . . . Riveting!' Jan T.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Brilliant . . . Complex and dark, this just kept me guessing. These books are very atmospheric and get better and better . . . Couldn't put it down!' Anni S.

THE DETECTIVES

DI Jackman leads the investigation. He is extremely smart and has a knack for bringing out the best in his diverse team. DS Marie Evans is haunted by the loss of her husband in a motorbike accident, but has begun to find happiness again in a new relationship. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and colleagues.

THE SETTING

England's rural fenland is a strange place, with its never-ending fields, winding tracks, and long straight droves (the old livestock routes) that lead to nowhere. The lonely lanes are flanked either side by deep drainage ditches and are, for a good part of the year, filled with tall, whispering reeds. Closer to the Wash, high seabanks form a barrier between river and marsh, and the richly fertile soil of the drained land. But when the mists come down, as they so often do, perspective is destroyed and all sense of direction lost, and then the fens become a rather frightening place of mystery and danger.

Author: Joy Ellis
Publisher: Joffe Books Ltd
Published: 09/09/2025
Pages: 436
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 7.81h x 5.06w x 1.08d
ISBN: 9781805731740

About the Author
Ellis, Joy: - UK #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE JACKMAN & EVANS AND DI NIKKI GALENA SERIES; SHORTLISTED FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR FICTION: CRIME & THRILLER AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2021 OVER 3 MILLION BOOKS SOLD! Joy grew up and lived in Kent, trained in floristry in Mayfair and ran her own highly successful floristry business in Weybridge for many years. In the mid-1990s, she followed her lifelong love of books, first as the manager of an independent bookshop in Leatherhead, Surrey, then as a writer. When she retired, Joy and her partner Jacqueline and their two spaniels settled in a village just outside Boston, captivated by the Lincolnshire Fens. Joy's happy home life is far removed from her storylines, however, and while she loves living in the misty Fens, the area provides a remote and eerie backdrop to her novels. Joy is also able to add the authenticity vital to any crime thriller by drawing on Jacqueline's inside knowledge, to confirm procedures and the reality of tackling brutal crime and criminals in a modern police force.