‘The Colour of Mystery’ by Joy Ellis

Published by Joffe Books,
2 February 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-83526345-7 (PB)

Ellie McEwan lives in Snug Cottage – rather large for a cottage – bequeathed to her by her dear friend Carole Cavendish Meyer two years ago. She sits in the summerhouse recalling the horrific incidents leading to the arrest of a sadistic killer, which also happened two years ago.

As the result of a bad car accident at around the same time, Ellie has been left with the gift of reading people’s “auras”. This gift enables Ellie to usually be able to tell what illness a person has just by the colours surrounding them. She can also tell if someone has a bad character by their aura.

Together with a good friend Professor Michael Seale, an expert on auric sight, and also a beneficiary of Carole’s will, Ellie has opened a special healing clinic. Things are going really well, and they have many in-patients almost straight away.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Foreman had led the murder investigation two years ago and on learning of Ellie’s ability had called upon her to help find the perpetrator. Now Foreman is baffled by a series of brutal murders all within a short time of each other. Strangely, usually caring and gentle people suddenly turn into cold blooded murderers. A dedicated and gentle schoolteacher kills several pupils, a caring nurse kills a favourite patient of hers and then a widow who spent time and money finding shelter for London’s homeless smothers six of the people she has taken in. 

Foreman and his team have never been faced with so many disturbing and baffling murders seemingly strangely connected but by different people and in such a short space of time. In desperation Bob Foreman contacts Ellie once again, asking for her help. Reluctantly she agrees but is horrified when visiting the perpetrators, she sees they have no auras, how can that be?

Things get even worse though when there are more murders. Michael is concerned about Ellie getting involved and is sure she is putting herself in grave danger - is he right? Time will tell.

I really enjoyed the second book about Ellie and her strange “gift”, it is a shame Joy Ellis only wrote the two. I find the thought of people having “auras” a rather fascinating concept.

Highly recommended.  
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Reviewer: Tricia Chappell

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

Tricia Chappell. I have a great love of books and reading, especially crime and thrillers. I play the occasional game of golf (when I am not reading). My great love is cruising especially to far flung places, when there are long days at sea for plenty more reading! I am really enjoying reviewing books and have found lots of great new authors.