The Patient Man – Joy Ellis
A mystery which will captivate you till the dramatic ending.
Jackman and Evans’ most dangerous enemy is back to finish things off.
The domestic bliss of Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman, of Fenland Constabulary, doesn’t last long. His old 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. Alongside the hunt for Ashcroft, however, normal police work must continue. The separate thefts of six pigs, a thoroughbred stallion, guns and some oil lead Jackman’s crew to the notorious Lorimer family, ruled over on their farm by the fearsome matriarch Rachel.
Meanwhile, a seemingly routine break-in at the home of gun-club owner Kenneth Harcourt quickly becomes more complicated when the man long held responsible for having killed Harcourt’s young daughter in a hit-and-run is shot dead in a car park – by a sniper. A killer is on the loose in the quiet streets of Saltern-le-Fen, and he isn’t going to stop at claiming one life. But why is he focusing on young Kevin, so close to promotion to detective?
And the sniper, like Ashcroft, takes to taunting the police: they’ll never catch him, they need to respect him, they shouldn’t be sidetracked looking for their old adversary.
In a stunning conclusion, Jackman and Evans race against time to catch the sniper and track down their deadly adversary. A lethal game with a very patient man. Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you listening until the shocking ending. Set in the atmospheric Lincolnshire Fens whose towns and isolated villages hide many dark secrets.
My thanks to Ben at Midas PR for the invitation to join the audiobook blog tour for The Patient Man. I received access to the audiobook to allow an impartial review to be written.
Initially I will admit I wasn’t wild about The Patient Man. The Jackman/Evans series has been running for several books yet this was my introduction to the characters. It caused a little frustration that early in the story there were several references to previous events from the preceding books which were not clarified or explained to new readers. I appreciate returning readers will probably be glad some basic info wasn’t explained, however, when releasing an audio-only title it is possible new readers may be discovering the characters for the first time.
That’s the niggle done as I stuck with The Patient Man and I am happy to report I thoroughly enjoyed the deadly cat and mouse tale. It quickly became clear that DI Rowan Jackman had previously crossed paths with a dangerous killer called Alistair Ashcroft. Their past encounters were brutal, draining experiences for Jackman. So when Ashcroft leaves a message for Jackman making it clear he was back to settle scores, Jackman is a worried man.
All of Jackmans team are on the lookout for Ashford but the killer seems to be extremely skilled at remaining undetected. Making matters even more difficult for the police is the other matters they must give their attention to. A break-in at the home of local gun-range owner sees a number of firearms go missing. Soon after people start dying as a sniper targets seemingly random victims. On a lesser scale there are also a series of farmyard thefts to be investigated. Pigs and a breeding stallion are stolen and the farmers are seeking prompt return if their beasts.
The police get a lead which takes them to the home of the Lorimer family. A wild family of outcasts and social misfits who live well away from the local town and are generally mistrusted by the residents. The Lorimer family were probably my favourite element to Thd Patient Man as their complex family dynamic, rejection of modern society and their random personalities made them so much fun to hear about.
But snipers, farm thefts and odd families aside – Evans and Jackman know that Alistair Ashcroft is out there watching them. He will be plotting on ways to undermine their resolve. Upset or kill their friends, family or colleagues and they know he will be a deadly adversary. The tension builds throughout the story and Joy Ellis brilliantly keeps the drama going to the last set-play.
The Patient Man is Audible only so getting the narrator right is vital. Narration duties lie with Richard Armitage and I found him very listenable. There are many characters in the story and he gave each a distinctive voice which made it very easy for me to keep this new (to me) cast clearly identified in my head.
When the last chapter had run its course I felt I had been on a journey with Jackman and Evans. I enjoyed the time I spent in their company and Ashcroft was a great hook to keep me listening – nasty bad guys are always a treat in my reading choices.
The Patient Man is published by Audible Studios and is only available in audiobook format. You can purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patient-Man-Jackman-Evans-Book/dp/B082J2PKKX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Joy+Ellis&qid=1582674475&s=books&sr=1-1