Listen free for 30 days
-
Guide Star
- A Gripping and Emotional Roller-Coaster of a Novel About Love, Life, and Not Giving Up
- Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $21.92
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Buy it with
-
Trick of the Night
- Detective Matt Ballard, Book 5
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Photography student Toby Unsworth has found the location for the perfect night-time shoot. A cobbled street in the old part of Fenfleet. Later, when he looks at the images on his laptop, he thinks he sees a woman's face in the window of an old, disused building. He asks his housemate Alex to come and take a look . . . Two days later, Toby and Alex are dead. Carbon monoxide poisoning. An unfortunate accident. But Alex's mother doesn't believe it. She hires Matt and Liz to find out the truth.
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
The Dying Light
- Detective Matt Ballard Series, Book 3
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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?
-
-
Brutally Beautiful
- By Michelle Alexander on 2021-01-31
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Crime on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena, Book 1
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena: A police detective with nothing left to lose, she's seen a girl die in her arms, and her daughter will never leave the hospital again. She's gotten tough on the criminals she believes did this to her. Too tough. And now she's been given one final warning: make it work with her new sergeant, DS Joseph Easter, or she's out.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Anonymous User on 2019-04-18
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Hunted on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 3
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena faces her toughest challenge yet. Can she save her team and herself from a cruel and determined adversary who will stop at nothing to harm Nikki and her colleagues? First she must work out who wants revenge against her or one of her detectives. Full of twists and turns, this is a crime novel that will keep listeners riveted until the stunning ending.
-
-
Pretty good story ruined by narrator
- By Madeleine on 2023-01-30
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Secrets on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 12
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One moonlit night, the bodies of two young people are discovered lying entwined on a blanket in the woods. The young man is clutching a red rose. It appears to be a lovers' suicide pact.... Until Detective Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter look more closely. Romeo and Juliet, as they decide to call them, were murdered somewhere else and brought to the woods. But why? Then another young couple are found dead, again beautifully posed as lovers.
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Stalker on the Fens
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena's close friend Helen Brook is involved in a serious accident where she is trapped in a collapsed cellar. After her hard-won recovery, Helen is still getting flashbacks to a man she says was down there with her and who confessed to a murder. But no trace of this man can be found. Then Helen tells Nikki that someone is watching her. But is all this in her friend's imagination and part of her post-traumatic stress?
-
-
Excellent as usual!
- By Lucy on 2019-09-27
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Trick of the Night
- Detective Matt Ballard, Book 5
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Photography student Toby Unsworth has found the location for the perfect night-time shoot. A cobbled street in the old part of Fenfleet. Later, when he looks at the images on his laptop, he thinks he sees a woman's face in the window of an old, disused building. He asks his housemate Alex to come and take a look . . . Two days later, Toby and Alex are dead. Carbon monoxide poisoning. An unfortunate accident. But Alex's mother doesn't believe it. She hires Matt and Liz to find out the truth.
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
The Dying Light
- Detective Matt Ballard Series, Book 3
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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?
-
-
Brutally Beautiful
- By Michelle Alexander on 2021-01-31
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Crime on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena, Book 1
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena: A police detective with nothing left to lose, she's seen a girl die in her arms, and her daughter will never leave the hospital again. She's gotten tough on the criminals she believes did this to her. Too tough. And now she's been given one final warning: make it work with her new sergeant, DS Joseph Easter, or she's out.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Anonymous User on 2019-04-18
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Hunted on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 3
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena faces her toughest challenge yet. Can she save her team and herself from a cruel and determined adversary who will stop at nothing to harm Nikki and her colleagues? First she must work out who wants revenge against her or one of her detectives. Full of twists and turns, this is a crime novel that will keep listeners riveted until the stunning ending.
-
-
Pretty good story ruined by narrator
- By Madeleine on 2023-01-30
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Secrets on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 12
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One moonlit night, the bodies of two young people are discovered lying entwined on a blanket in the woods. The young man is clutching a red rose. It appears to be a lovers' suicide pact.... Until Detective Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter look more closely. Romeo and Juliet, as they decide to call them, were murdered somewhere else and brought to the woods. But why? Then another young couple are found dead, again beautifully posed as lovers.
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Stalker on the Fens
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena's close friend Helen Brook is involved in a serious accident where she is trapped in a collapsed cellar. After her hard-won recovery, Helen is still getting flashbacks to a man she says was down there with her and who confessed to a murder. But no trace of this man can be found. Then Helen tells Nikki that someone is watching her. But is all this in her friend's imagination and part of her post-traumatic stress?
-
-
Excellent as usual!
- By Lucy on 2019-09-27
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Fear on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena, Book 13
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the beautiful gardens of Shelley House a shocking discovery is made. A blackened hand dangles over the side of a wheelbarrow. The horrific scent of burnt flesh lingers in the air. Detectives Nikki Galena and Joseph Easter are called in to investigate.
-
-
I’ve been waiting!
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-01-16
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Five Bloody Hearts
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grace Repton, a beautiful older woman, walks into the police station to tell Detective Matt Ballard she has information that could stop a murder. Her fiance, the infamous serial killer Jeremy Reader, has told her that he has a disciple who is going to kill using Reader's horrific methods. Reader murdered five women and was finally brought to justice by Detective Ballard. Reader is safely imprisoned in a high security prison, and claiming to be a reformed man who wants to help the police.
-
-
Excellent story horrible narration
- By Heather on 2023-02-01
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Killer on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 4
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena faces a personal challenge which will stretch her to the limit. She must fulfill her father's dying wish and discover who the mysterious Eve is. Meanwhile, a dead drug dealer is found on an abandoned airfield that the locals say is haunted. The trail of both mysteries will lead to the most shocking discovery of Nikki's career and put her whole team in mortal danger. Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you riveted until the shocking ending.
-
-
Great start to a series!
- By C. East on 2022-11-07
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Darkness on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 10
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Revellers are flocking into Greenborough for the yearly Dark Greenborough Festival, a three-day event celebrating local folklore, superstition, and the darker side of life. What the public doesn't know is that there has been a warning sent to the police, saying that Greenborough will be a very dangerous place this year. The anonymous letter ends with the Latin phrase, Mors certa, hora incerta: Death is certain, the hour uncertain.
-
-
Unnecessarily convoluted
- By Sonny on 2020-02-22
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Marshlight
- Detective Matt Ballard, Book 4
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An old friend's sister disappears without a trace. There's no sign of foul play, but she'd been acting very peculiarly. Meanwhile, Liz's cousin, Christie, comes to stay. She takes an immediate - and uncharacteristic - dislike to the local bookshop owner, Gina. Why does everyone put up with her awful behavior? Christie is convinced that Gina is manipulating everyone around her. Is she onto something dangerous or just pushing her new friends away? No one believes her suspicions until another friend goes missing late at night on the misty Fen marshes.
-
-
Always a good listen
- By Wonkytonkwoman on 2022-08-07
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Shadow over the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 2
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Nikki Galena's friend and neighbor meets a tragic end, but there's more to his death than meets the eye. And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter's past is back.
-
-
Great book and good narrator.
- By Lisa S on 2023-01-21
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Beware the Past
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Matt Ballard was starting out his career, three boys were murdered in the same area, the remote and bleak Gibbet Fen. When the main suspect was killed in a hit-and-run, the killings stopped. But Matt was not satisfied that the real murderer had been caught. Over 25 years later, Matt gets a photo in an unmarked envelope. It's of the Gibbet Fen crime scene. And the picture was taken before the murder took place. More photos arrive, relating to the historic murders, as well as intimate pictures of Matt's very secret private life.
-
-
Reads like it was written by Michael Scott.
- By Jonathan Lawley on 2019-02-04
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Hidden on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series 11
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Joseph Easter's daughter discovers a cottage hidden in some trees on a large fenland farm. Someone has been living there. The farm owner's wife has been receiving sinister pagan artifacts, including a witch's knife. Are they some sort of warning or message? Joseph and his daughter search the cottage and find an old satchel. Inside are photos of a beautiful girl, Jennifer Cowley. She went missing 15 years ago. She'd been stalked by a young man, who was convicted of her murder, even though her body was never found.
-
-
An Escape from our Crazy World!
- By Charlann Farquharson on 2020-08-04
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Captive on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 6
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young woman's body is found in a remote barn on the Fens. Before she was killed, one of her fingers had been cut off. Who is inflicting this violence and why? The young woman in the barn had been kept captive for some time. And the case shows strong similarities to an unsolved murder in Derbyshire. When another woman is found alive with similar injuries, the case grows even more complicated.
-
-
Not the best
- By Deanna on 2020-05-15
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Buried on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 7
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A skeleton is found in a shallow grave in the churchyard. But this was not an official burial. The victim was murdered decades ago. At the same time, Detective Nikki Galena and her team are investigating the brutal slaying of local businesswoman Madeline Prospero. She was a member of an exclusive and secretive drinking club called The Briar Patch. But they've got no suspects and no one is telling them the truth. Meanwhile, the buried skeleton leads them on a trail to the village of Quintin Eaudyke. This is a troubled place. In the late 70s and 80s a reign of terror was unleashed.
-
-
Joy Ellis Is A Joy
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-12-30
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Fire on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 9
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Fens are burning, and Detective Nikki Galena faces a cat-and-mouse battle with a killer arsonist. Someone is lighting fires. First they target homes and businesses, but then a body is found at one of the crime scenes. More fires are lit. And at each one a single person dies. But the victims have led spotless lives, and apparently there's no connection between them. Meanwhile, the town is facing a very peculiar threat from a group of sinister Satanists led by a charismatic businessman. Who is burning with anger, and can Nikki stop them before anyone else dies?
-
-
Doesn’t disappoint
- By Audrey R on 2019-11-04
Written by: Joy Ellis
-
Thieves on the Fens
- DI Nikki Galena Series, Book 8
- Written by: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Nikki Galena gets a series of anonymous calls. She is told the place, time, and who will die. But the messages are in a secret language used only by villains. Nikki and her team must decode the riddles and work out where the threats are coming from.
-
-
Excellent story
- By Sheila Worthing on 2023-01-12
Written by: Joy Ellis
Publisher's Summary
Stella won't give up, but she doesn't know how to go on.
Stella North, a rising star in the police, has her life torn apart by a gunman's bullets. She has often faced danger, but these injuries mean she must give up the job she loves. Her grandmother Beth is her rock. And Beth is no ordinary woman. At 70, she runs marathons and has a past that Stella knows very little about.
Beth calls in her friend, Michael, to help with Stella's recovery. But this man means a lot more to Beth than she reveals. And Stella's ex-husband, Edward, and old police partner, Robbie, want to help, but Stella puts up emotional barriers, and they have problems of their own. Her old friends from her days of Urbex (exploring old abandoned buildings) offer a glimmer of hope for the future.
More from the same
What listeners say about Guide Star
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rene Midence
- 2021-11-07
I was expecting a different story
I was disappointed. I kept listening expecting for an improvement in accordance to my expectations based on previous books by Joy.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marijke Vroomen-Durning
- 2021-02-12
Tried too hard
I usually enjoy this author but I found the story dragged badly and there seemed to be no plot. Disappointed.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2021-01-13
Disappointing and on the sexist side
I found Ms. Ellis different Fenns series entertaining enough though they ventured into the outlandish at times and plots were too similar between the series. However, I had to abandon this one when the main character's main support, her grandmother, and her friend, a supposed expert therapist, treat her like a recalcitrant two year old and the author clearly believes them to be right given how the encounter plays out. For a novel that purports to be about a strong female lead character I found the patronizing patriarchal approach insulting. I realize I can be dismissed as I did not finish the book but I did force myself to get through the first of Ms. Ellis' Matt Ballard series and it just was not worth it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nancy
- 2020-09-25
very enjoyable!
Love this author and how the characters all overlap with her other books but also stand alone for new readers/listeners.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Winelover
- 2020-04-24
Gripping and Emotional Roller-Coaster? No!
I've read most of Joy Ellis' books and that's why I bought this one. Joy Ellis usually writes in the crime/detective/thriller genre. This was actually quite the opposite; it was more of a love story. Personally, I think she should stick with her normal genre. The narrator was awful. Her voice was gravelly and monotonous. I won't be listening to any of the books she narrates. It was a struggle to finish the book and I only did because 1- I usually try my best to finish books I don't like and 2- I wanted to give Joy Ellis the benefit of the doubt... maybe it would get better. Audiobooks are quite unique in that you need both the author and narrator to be awesome in order to create a fantastic product. This was not the case.
While I don't recommend this book, I will give her new books in this genre another try. But label it as it is: It's not crime, not thriller, and not a roller-coaster. This was more of a 'Danielle Steele' or 'Nora Roberts' feel good/love story rather than a 'Joy Ellis'. Nothing wrong with these authors, just not what I was expecting to read.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jacqueline Ciancone
- 2020-04-23
Lovely story with a few surprises!
Ties in with my favourite series but had some very personal connections as my son has had a brain injury. Thank you Joy for another great book!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Wayne
- 2020-02-17
Simply beautiful!
GUIDE STAR is a different novel by Joy Ellis. It's not a mystery/suspense thriller, not at all. If that is what you want this novel will disappoint. It is a novel about not giving up even when the odds are stacked against you. British actress Shiromi Arserio does a wonderful job of narration.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- cheryl Gumm
- 2022-04-26
not my thing
I am just not entertained by romance novels. otherwise if it's your thing the story is well written and the characters are interesting
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 2020-02-17
Not a mystery/thriller
Why did this book pop up in my mystery/thriller search?
It's by Joy Ellis and I like a lot of her other stuff. I stuck with it to the end in the hope that someone would be murdered. No such luck. Dull. dull. dull.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael
- 2020-05-05
What a lovely, encouraging story!
An enjoyable cast, nice story and well read. Not Ellis’s normal genre but a few familiar characters woven in to this gentle story about friends, family and real life. Very enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ásrún Kristjánsdóttir
- 2020-02-10
Nothing happens to these ordinary people...
I i usualy realy like joy ellis books. I was therefore very surprised to be listening to a joy ellis book where no exiting events take place. I waited all the way to capter 16 for the storry to begin,,,but finaly gave upp,,,could not care less about what happened ro these people.
The story was well read. That could have saved something,,it did,,,but not enough.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Marghi Kilmer
- 2023-01-12
Departure for Ellis, well worth it!
I’ve listened to so many of Joy Ellis’ police procedural and mysteries, which I love. This book, though, is completely different! No criminals, no murders…..and I truly enjoyed it. Just as Stella and her friends explore hidden parts of landscape, so does this book.
Ellis creates interesting, likeable characters and now I can’t wait to listen to some of the police books I haven’t heard yet!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- DianneHMB
- 2022-04-23
Charming.
Loved the narrator who wove a basket containing complicated lives and emotions. The story was human and full of flaws. How good it felt to be able to share a happy ending. Resolve to move forward and live in the present is to be admired.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lynn M Vogt
- 2022-04-08
Stick to crime Joy!
Not her best effort. After listening to her Fens books narrated by Armetage this one seemed flat. And Marie sounded Asian not Welsh!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anna Noggins
- 2022-02-16
Disappointing
I love Joy Ellis but this one was disappointing. I kept expecting something to happen but it never picked up. It is sweet, kind, reassuring - a bit like a hallmark movie.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- LuvBks
- 2021-06-27
Not to old to enjoy family romance and excitement
Thank you Joy for including the grandma who loves life and is young at heart. Still wants a love in her life and knows it’s possible
I love your books and look forward to reading your books, they give a sense of hope and promise but with true life experiences
Wendy
Pinetop Arizona