Monday, July 29, 2019

The Fouth Friend by Joy Ellis

Police detective Carter McLean is the only survivor of a plane crash that kills his four best friends. He returns to work, but he is left full of guilt and terrible flashbacks. So for each of his four friends, he decides to complete something that they left unfinished.



Eighteen months before the crash, Suzanne Holland disappeared, leaving a room with traces of blood but no other leads. Suzanne was the wife of one of Carter’s four best friends. Adding to the pressure, the boss’ niece has a stalker. Due to the sensitivity of the Holland case, Carter is put on this investigation.


DS Marie Evans is the only person Carter can confide in. But even she begins to doubt whether he can really cope and whether he is actually losing his mind. DI Jackman and DS Evans of the Fenland police face a battle to untangle three mysteries, and can they really believe their friend and colleague Carter?
 Series: Jackman and Evans #3 | Publisher: Audible | Narrator: Richard Armitage | Length: 7hrs 56mins | Genre: Contemporary Thriller/Mystery | Source: Publisher | Rating: 2 Cups

 


Do you know when your favorite show decides to do that one weird Halloween-themed episode that’s a little wonky and doesn’t fit? Unfortunately, that’s what The Fourth Friend felt like. I was expecting this stellar mystery/thriller and I got a rather odd little story that made me wonder if Joy Ellis had a ghostwriter on this one.
 
This one had potential. Carter’s the lone survivor of a plane crash and he’s on a mission to make sure his deceased friends’ wishes are fulfilled. Suzanne Holland, the girlfriend Tom (Carter’s mate that died in the plane crash), has gone missing. There are no leads or evidence ex a few traces of blood in her living room. Then we have someone stalking Ruth Crooke’s niece, which makes things interesting considering Ruth’s the Superintendent.
 
Each thread could have made for an epic mystery/thriller instead the book mainly focused on Carter and his instability. I wasn’t too thrilled with the way the Suzanne Holland case unfolded, either. Considering Jackman and Evans are brilliant detectives, it seemed they overlooked so much in this case that made me wonder how they could be detectives at all.
 
As always, Richard Armitage brilliantly narrates this one. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would have finished this one.
 
Overall, this one was a letdown. It had a different feel and style than the previous ones and I wasn’t pleased with this one. I feel that I was being rather generous with this one by giving it a two-cup rating.

Jackman & Evans Series (recommended listening order)

The Guilty Ones
The Stolen Boys

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