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Thursday, 12 February 2026

‘The House of Mystery’ by Joy Ellis

Published by Joffe Books,
27 January 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-80573498-7 (PB)
 

Following a bad car accident Ellie McEwan suffered a severe head trauma, which left her distressed and in shock as she was experiencing flashing lights of different colours. However with the help of her friend Carole Cavendish-Meyer and Dr Alice Cros, Ellie’s  partner, Ellie has come to terms with the possession of auric sight, which gives her the ability to see energy in fields of colour and therefore people’s auras which tell her that the person they are seeing is ill, or a person in a dark place. This means that she can diagnose problems within the body. 

This is the third book in this series, and we now find Ellie living in Snug Cottage which had been Carole and her partner, Vera’s home. Both have now passed over, and with the money left to her by Carole, she along with Professor Michael Seale have set up The Cavendish-Meyer Healing Centre. 

Callum Church works at the Healing Centre, and on his way to work, is experiencing shivers of apprehension, and he hopes that this is not some kind of presentment of things to come. And as he drives past the impressive frontage of the Centre, he sees Vera and Carol sitting on a stone bench, who immediately fade away. Unbeknown to him Ellie is experiencing the same feelings of apprehension. 

Beth Saunders is in despair with her 5-year-old daughter Izzie, who one moment is a lovely little girl but when alone with her mother spouts horrible malevolent words to her.  Teenager Oliver Cruise aged 14 has gone missing and young 8-year-old Christopher says he is writing an important book, using words that are far beyond is age.  Five-year-old Harry talks about flying planes over Germany and draws continually and accurately the inside of a WW11 Lancaster bomber. Daisy Hilton sent a letter to her parents 3 months after she disappeared saying she is safe and happy. 

Something bad is happening. But what? Initially these unconnected events seem to be tied up with young children.  Are they being used by an evil force? As Ellie and her team begin to uncover the truth, connections surface between the gifted children and an isolated mansion hidden deep in the Surrey woods. A place spoken about in whispers. A place no one is meant to find called The Eleventh House. A teenage boy's body is found on a lonely country road at dawn. But by the time the police arrive, it has vanished without trace. The blanket that covered him remains. The witness is adamant the boy was dead. But when Detective Bob Foreman and DI Jonathan Leatham reach the scene, there is nothing. No body. No blood. No explanation. 

I am not a believer in ghosts or the supernatural, but this book does draw you in. I had to keep reading. 

Intricately plotted, there are many strings to this story, which is a battle between good and evil. Which will prevail.? Recommended, for those who like something different.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett 

Joy Ellis was born in Kent but spent most of her working life in London and Surrey. She was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the Sixties and Seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. She swore that one day she would have a shop of her own. It took until the early Eighties, but she did it. Sadly, the recession wiped it out, and she embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Joy now lives in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with her partner, Jacqueline. She had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now as her partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; her choice of genre was suddenly clear. She has set her crime thrillers in the misty fens.   

www.joyellis.info 

‘The Killing Time’ by Elly Griffiths

Published by Quercus,
12 February2026.
ISBN: 978-1-52943-338-8 (HB)

I have a sneaking suspicion that when Elly Griffiths planned her new so-cold-they're-frozen series, it was at least partly because she wanted to spend time in Victorian England along with her characters. Since, unlike them, she doesn't have access to the necessary technology, she makes use of detailed, meticulous research to bring the era to vivid life for her readers.   

The Killing Time is the second in the series, and like its predecessor, it moves between 21st century London and its equivalent nearly two hundred years ago. DI Ali Dawson and her team of cold case detectives are still mourning the loss of Jones, the scientist who discovered the secret of time travel, but was stranded in the past when things went wrong in the previous title. This time it's Ali who is stranded, when she attempts to time-travel a few days in search of her beloved cat, but somehow finds herself in 1851 along with Jones with no means of returning. 

As Elly Griffths fans have come to expect and enjoy, there's a wealth of interesting characters, including several familiar faces from the first book. In the 21st century among others are Finn, Ali's son, Dina and John, her  colleagues in the cold case team, and Bud the eccentric scientist who sends her into the past. In 1851 she encounters a couple of Victorian maids who give her an insight into the world of the lower orders. Then there's a creepy illusionist, and Cain Templeton, who makes as strong an impression on her as on their earlier acquaintance. And then there's Barry Power, a self-styled medium and showman; and Lady Serafina, about whom I'm saying no more. 

Along the way the cold case team are investigating a murder, and another one occurs later. But somehow the crimes seem almost incidental, especially in the 19th century part of the book. Far more interesting is how Ali is going to get back to where she belongs, and how she ended up in Victorian London to start with. 

Elly Griffiths has proved herself adept at weaving diverse strands into a page-turning story, peopling it with characters the reader wants to know more about, and creating richly visual backgrounds for them. With her new series, she is revealing yet another talent: bringing a period of history to life in a way that makes us believe it. It all adds up to yet another cracking good story which will garner yet more fans for this deservedly popular author.
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Reviewer: Lynne Patrick 

Elly Griffiths is the author of a series of crime novels set in England’s Norfolk County and featuring forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway. The first in the series, Crossing Places, earned a good deal of praise both in Griffiths’ native country, England, and in the U.S. The Literary Review termed it “a cleverly plotted and extremely interesting first novel, highly recommended.  Since then, Elly has written fifteen further novels in the series.  She has written a second series set in Brighton in the 1950’s featuring magician Max Mephisto and DI Stephens. There are seven books in the series. Her most recent series features Ali Dawson, a time traveller.

www.ellygriffiths.co.uk  

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.

Monday, 9 February 2026

Valentine Day Mysteries.

 One hundred and thirteen Valentine Day Mysteries.

AAMES, Avery

2015

As Gouda as Dead   

ADAIR. Suzanne

2011

Regulated For Murder

ADAMS, Deborah

2015

Murder in the Paperback Parlour

ALBERT. Susan Wittig

1997

Love Lies Bleeding

ARNOLD, Carolyn

2015

Valentine's Day Is Murder

BASSETT, Tony

2025

Not My Valentine

BEATON. M C

2010

Death of a Valentine

BELL. Cindy

2018

Hot Chocolate and Homicide 

BELLE, Josie

2014

Marked Down For Murder

BENNING, Patti

2018

Valentines and Murder

2018

Killer Valentine Cookies 

2021

Vicious Valentine

BIRD, Nigel

2020

My Funny Valentine

BLACK. Etham

1999

The Broken Hearts Club

BLACKMOORE, Stephanie

2018

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue 

BRITTON, Danica

2017

A Witchy Valentine 

BROWN. 'Rita Mae  &

2001

Claws & Effect

BUDEWITZ, Leslie

2015

Butter Off Dead 

BYERS, Beth

2020

Mystery on Valentine's Day 

CANNELL. Dorothy

1995

How To Murder the Man of Your Dreams

CARL, JoAnna

2009

The Chocolate Cupid Killings 

CARL, Lillian Stewart

2011

The Mortsafe

CARLISLE, Kate

2015

This Old Homicide 

CARTER, Sammi

2009

Sucker Punch

CHASE, Julie

2017

Cat Got Your Secrets 

CLELAND, Jane K

2013

Lethal Treasure.

COLLIER, Christine E

2002

A Holiday Sampler

COLLINS. Ava Ashwood

2003

Red Roses For a Dead Trucker

CRABTREE, Elisabeth

2014

The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre

CRANE, Caroline

1983

Trick or Treat 

CRAWFORD, Iris

2008

A Catered Valentine's Day

CREEDON, P

2018

Murder on Valentine's Day 

DALEY, Kathi

2014

Cupid's Curse)

2018

The Valentine Mystery

2025

V in the Valentine (2025)

D'AMATO. Barbara

1998

Hard Feelings

DAVIES, Rae

2014

Lucy and the Valentine Verdict 

DAY, Marele

1994

The Disappearances of Madalena Grimaldi

DEMAREE, Steve

2018

A Valentine Murder 

DESHAW. Rose

2009

Love with the Proper Killer

DODWELL, LIz

2017

Valentine's Day 

EDWARDS. Ruth Dudley

1984

The Saint Valentine Day Murders

EMRICK, K.J.

2014

The Stolen Valentine

EVANOVICH. Janet

2007

Plum Lovin' 

FARDIG, Caroline

2016

My Funny Valentine

FITZPATRICK. Michelle

2005

Happy Valentine's Day

FLEMING. Ian

1966

The Living Daylights

FLOWERS, Jean

2017

Addressed to Kill

FLUKE. Joanne

2005

Peach Cobble Murder

GARNER, Deborah

2019

A Flair for Truffles 

GREELEY. Fr. Andrew

1989

St Valentine's Night

GREEN, George Daws

1994

The Caveman's Valentine

GREENBERG. Martin

1998

14 Vicious Valentines

with Rosalind M Greenberg

GREENWOOD, Patrice

2021

A Valentine for One 

GUNN, Alastair

2015

My Bloody Valentine

HADDAM. Jane

1994

Bleeding Hearts

HARRIS. Lee

1996

The Valentine's Day Murder

HART. Carolyn

1983

Deadly Valentine

1995

Crimes of the Heart

HARTE, Jenna

2012

Deadly Valentine

HOLLIS, Lee

2014

Death of a Chocoholic 

HOMLES, Bobbie

2016

The Ghost of Valentine Past (2016)

IRELAND, Liz

2025

Mrs. Claus and the Very Vicious Valentine

JACKSON, Melanie

2010

Cupid's Revenge

KOONTZ. Dean

2007

Your Heart Belongs to Me

LEVINE, Laura

2013

Killing Cupid

LIN, Harper

2014

Valentine's Victim 

LONDON, Meg

2014

A Fatal Slip 

LOUREY, Jess

2015

February Fever 

MACLEOD, Shea

2017

The Venom in the Valentine 

MAHER, Tegan

2018

Moonshine Valentine (2018)

MARIE, Anna S.

2017

Valentine's Cupcake & Murder 

MARKS. Jeffrey

2004

The Scent of Murder

MARPLE, Mona

2018

A Valentine's Kill

MARTIN, Faith

2011

A Fatal Fall of Snow/The Winter Mystery

MCDOUGAN, Ellie

2023

Victims and Valentine's Day Cherryville book 3

MCKINLAY, Jenn

2011

Buttercream Bump Off

MCLEISH. Doug

1991

The Valentine Victim

MCKEVETT. G A

2000

Sugar & Spite

MCLEAN, Donna

2017

A Sparrow Falls Valentine

MCLEISH, Dougal

1969

The Valentine Victim

MEIER. Leslie

1999

Valentine Murder

2012

Chocolate Covered Murder

MENUHIN, Karen Baugh

2024

Saint Valentine's Day Murder (2024)

MICHAELS. Grant

1992

Love You To Death

MOORECROFT, M'Lissa

2020

A Valentine Wedding (2020)

MURPHY. Shirley Rousseau

2009

Cat Playing Cupid

PAGE. Katherine Hall

2006

The Body in the Attic

PRESSEY, Rose

2017

Forever Valentine 

RENDELL. 'Ruth

1977

A Judgement in Stone

ROBINSON, David W

2013

My Deadly Valentine

ROCKWELL, Patricia

2012

Valentined

SAVAGE. Tom

1996

Valentine

SCHWEIZER, Mark

2012

The Treble Wore Trouble

SCOTT, Kendall

2021

The Valentine Day Murders

SHELTON. Connie

2012

Sweet Hearts

SMITH, Karen Rose

2015

Gilt by Association

SMITH, SMITH, Lotta & Kelly Hartigan

2019

My Wicked Valentine

STANLEY, J B

2015

Murder in the Paperback Parlor 

STRAUSS, Lee

2020

Mystery on Valentine's Day 

SUZETTE, Kathleen

2021

Deadly Valentine

2023

Valentine Villainy (2023)

SWANSON. Denise

2002

Murder of a Pink Elephant

TAYLOR, Brad

2011

One Rough Man

TILLER. Denise

2000

Calculated Risk (1st)

TOPE, Rebecca

2010

The Coniston Case

VIGUIE, Debbie

2015

Thou Art With Me (2015)

WEBBER, Heather

2010

Deeply, Desperately

2010

Truly Madly

2011

Absolutely Positively

2012

Perfectly Matched

2014

Undeniably Yours

WHITING, J.A.

2017

The Haunted Valentine)

WHITNEY. 'Phyllis A

1998

Daughter Of the Stars