I don’t think I have read a bad Joy Ellis novel yet and all her stories seem to get better as time goes on. In the Black Notice it was wonderful to reconnect with Jackman & Evan’s set with in the fens of Lincolnshire and it was good to see Marie taking the lead a little more but all Joy Ellis’s characters help make the story come together. The story is fast paced and engaging and as much as I enjoyed it, I’m always a little sad to say goodbye until the next time.

Great series - solid plot, complex mystery, fast moving, and a well developed team. Fans of police procedurals will not be disappointed!

Black Notice is the 11th in the Jackman and Evans series and I think Joy Ellis might have outdone herself with this one. They don’t get more complicated and convoluted than this! Just like real police work, the cases just keep coming. From a strange man, who seems to be on the run from bad guys, turning up at a retired copper’s front door, to a recently released computer hacker who’s gone missing to a WWII pillbox full of skeletons to a money laundering scheme. All of these cases need to be investigated and it’s not like any can be put on the back burner. On top of that, the reader is aware of even more crimes in the offing. It’s a lot to keep track of. But the writing is crisp and clean and the characters well fleshed out, so it was a real treat. In fact, one of the joys in this series is the interactions between the team members. Ellis always allows some of the secondary characters to shine and this time is no exception.
Ellis tied up all the plots and didn’t leave any loose ends. The one issue I had was that one of the resolutions didn’t quite work for me.
Despite being the 11th in the series, I do think this could stand on its own. But the whole series is worth consideration, so if this is your first, it won’t be your last.
My thanks to netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of this book.