The Stolen Boys by Joy Ellis

A crime wave has hit town. The target is a highly sought-after brand of streetwear called Hybird X, clothing that costs a fortune and resells for unbelievable prices. Houses are burgled, kids mugged on the streets...and finally a young man dies, all for the sake of his shoes. 

Then another boy’s body is found in a pile of rubbish. Meanwhile illegal steroids are flooding the streets. And there are dark movements on the marshes. 

Clothes that people will kill to own.

A shadowy figure called Darke and his teams of young criminals seem to be behind it all. 

Detectives Jackman and Evans must take on a fiendish criminal, while still haunted by Alistair Ashcroft, the serial killer they never caught. 

Who is Darke and what does he really want?

Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will grip you until the shocking ending. Set in the atmospheric Lincolnshire Fens whose towns and isolated villages hide many dark secrets. 

Series: Jackman and Evans #5 | Publisher: Audible  | Narrator: Richard Armitage  | Length:11 Hrs 29 Minutes  | Release Date: | Genre: Contemporary  Mystery/Thriller | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4 Cups

Challenges Read For:  - Audiobook Challenge

 

I’ve had my ups and downs with this series. It started out strong then something happened with the third book (The Fourth Friend) and it’s taken a minute for the series to find its footing again. Thankfully, this one seems to be getting back on track.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Still reeling from the previous case, Jackman and his team now find themselves on the hunt for someone taking in young men and murdering them once they’ve served their purpose. As the team chases down the killer, things get more complicated when they realize the deaths are linked to a clothing theft ring. Now with two of their detectives undercover, Jackman will stop at nothing to make sure the killer is caught before he can escape.

 

There’s been a lot going on with Jackman—he feels guilty by the way the previous case ended, he also feels like he’s let his family down—but we finally see him getting back to the person he was before. He’s put a lot of pressure on himself to make sure nothing like that happens again so he’s making sure he and the team are all in with this one. He’s also sorting out his love life, which has taken a beating due to his work. We also see Marie Evans coming back into her own—she suffered a lot in last book and see’s starting to realize she can’t let it define her.

 

The mystery in this one was rather dark and twisted. The murders are tied into a theft ring that centers around high-end street wear. Darke is a Fagin type that takes in street kids, trains them up as thieves, then disposes of them when they’ve served their purpose. While Jackman and Evans know that Darke is the one they’re looking for, they have no clue who Darke really is.

 

This one wasn’t as easy to work out as the previous ones. It took me a while to even have an inkling who Darke really was and then I wasn’t entirely sure until the end. There’s also a mystery in this one that has another thread—I’m not going to give anything away but it made me eager for the next book.

 

Richard Armitage narrates this one brilliantly as always.

 

Overall, I feel like the series is finally regaining its strength. The mystery was solid, the characters are back to the ones I enjoyed at the start of the series, and there’s was more clarity of plot in this one.

Jackman & Evans Series (recommended listening order)

Their Lost Daughters

The Murderer's Son

The Fourth Friend

The Guilty Ones

The Stolen Boys

The Patient Man