DI Nikki Galena Books in Order
Reading Order
- Crime on the Fens (2010)
- Shadow Over the Fens (2011)
- Hunted on the Fens (2014)
- Killer on the Fens (2016)
- Stalker on the Fens (2016)
- Captive on the Fens (2017)
- Buried on the Fens (2017)
- Thieves On The Fens (2017)
- Fire on the Fens (2018)
- Darkness on the Fens (2019)
- Hidden on the Fens (2020)
- Secrets on the Fens (2021)
- Fear on the Fens (2021)
- Graves On the Fens (2022)
Who is DI Nikki Galena?
The DI Nikki Galena series (sometimes known as the ‘On the Fens’ series) is written by Joy Ellis, an English crime writer who’s also the author of the Jackman & Evans series and the Detective Matt Ballard series’.
At the beginning of this series of books, DI Nikki Galena is a police detective who has a long history of being a bit too tough on some criminals as she has nothing left to lose. And now she’s been given one final warning: make it work with her new sergeant, DS Joseph Easter, or she’s out.
As the series progresses, she faces more threats, bigger challenges and gets drawn into a series of mysterious and gruesome crimes.
Who is Joy Ellis?
Joy Ellis is not your ordinary newcomer to crime fiction. She started work in the 1960s as an apprentice florist in Covent Garden before opening her own flower shop in Lincolnshire. Later in life, she began to consider a career change towards crime writing and attended a workshop in Greece led by Sue Townsend, author of Adrian Mole. Ellis has now left the flowers behind and dedicates her life to writing gritty crime thrillers set in the Fens, where she lives with her police officer partner. She has many other series in similar viens which we have written about in our post called: Joy Ellis Books in Order.
DI Nikki Galena Books in Order:
Each book in the DI Nikki Galena series is in itself a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters continue and evolve from one book to the next. So whilst there isn’t a strict reading order you will definitely get the most out of the series if you start from the beginning.
Crime on the Fens (2010) (previously known as Mask Wars) 
108,000 words, 285 pages, 7 hrs and 13 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.24 out of 5 on Goodreads
In a town plagued by violent masked gangs, a young female student vanishes in the marshes. Detectives Nikki Galena and Joseph Easter must collaborate with a cunning criminal to rescue her. As they dig deeper, they uncover a malevolent threat beyond their imagination.
Shadow over the Fens (2011) (previously known as Shadowbreaker)
110,000 words, 285 pages, 7 hrs and 21 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.35 out of 5 on Goodreads
In Greensborough town, a man is discovered brutally executed on wasteland, resurrecting painful memories for DS Joseph Easter. As he grapples with the resurfacing nightmare, it jeopardizes his career, sanity, and possibly his life. The gripping climax sees even Nikki Galena questioning DS Easter as he races against time to save someone dear to him.
Hunted on the Fens (2016)
137,000 words, 303 pages, 9 hrs and 11 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.39 out of 5 on Goodreads
DI Nikki Galena faces a relentless and ruthless adversary bent on harming her and her team. To protect themselves, they must uncover the identity of the vengeful foe.
Killer on the Fens (2016)
98,000 words, 265 pages, 6 hrs and 34 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.39 out of 5 on Goodreads
DI Nikki Galena is compelled to fulfil her father’s dying request, unravelling the enigma surrounding the elusive figure known as Eve. Simultaneously, a deceased drug dealer is uncovered on a supposedly haunted airfield. The intertwining paths of these mysteries will unveil a staggering revelation in Nikki’s career, placing her entire team in perilous jeopardy.
Stalker on the Fens (2016)
123,000 words, 311 pages, 8 hrs and 13 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.43 out of 5 on Goodreads
DI Nikki Galena’s dear friend Helen Brook endures a traumatic accident, leaving her trapped in a collapsed cellar. Following her arduous recovery, Helen experiences haunting flashbacks of a man who allegedly shared the cellar with her and confessed to a murder. However, despite her vivid recollections, there’s no trace of this mysterious man to be found.
Captive on the Fens (2017)
122,000 words, 317 pages, 8 hrs and 10 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.45 out of 5 on Goodreads
In a remote fen barn, a young woman’s lifeless body is discovered, bearing signs of brutal violence, including the removal of one of her fingers. DI Nikki Galena must uncover the identity of the perpetrator and their motive for such heinous acts. Her race against time is to prevent further suffering at the hands of this violent individual.
Buried on the Fens (2017)
131,000 words, 333 pages, 8 hrs and 44 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.38 out of 5 on Goodreads
A skeleton is unearthed in an unofficial grave within a churchyard, revealing a murder from decades past. Simultaneously, Detective Nikki Galena and her team are immersed in the investigation of the savage murder of local businesswoman Madeline Prospero. Madeline was part of a secretive club known as The Briar Patch, but the investigation hits a roadblock as suspects remain elusive and truth remains hidden.
Thieves on the Fens (2017)
114,000 words, 309 pages, 7 hrs and 38 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.41 out of 5 on Goodreads
DI Nikki Galena faces a chilling challenge as she receives a series of anonymous calls predicting the location, time, and victim of impending deaths, all concealed in a cryptic villainous code. Nikki and her team must decipher these riddles to unmask the source of these threats. Meanwhile, the fens grapple with a wave of “designer burglaries,” suggesting a new gang of thieves operating on a bespoke criminal agenda.
Fire on the Fens (2018)
132,000 words, 313 pages, 8 hrs and 51 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.44 out of 5 on Goodreads
The fens are ablaze, and Detective Nikki Galena finds herself in a tense cat-and-mouse game with a relentless arsonist. Initially targeting homes and businesses, the arsonist’s campaign escalates when a body is discovered at one of the fire scenes. As the flames continue to rage, each blaze claims a life, but the victims seem unrelated and lead seemingly impeccable lives, leaving Nikki to grapple with the puzzle of their connection.
Darkness on the Fens (2019)
155,000 words, 344 pages, 10 hrs and 22 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.37 out of 5 on Goodreads
Greenborough is abuzz with festival-goers converging for the annual Dark Greenborough Festival, a three-day celebration of local folklore, superstitions, and the macabre. Unbeknownst to the public, a warning has reached the police, foretelling a heightened threat in Greenborough this year. The ominous anonymous letter concludes with the Latin phrase, “Mors certa, hora incerta: Death is certain, the hour uncertain,” adding an eerie undertone to the festivities.
Hidden On the Fens (2020)
171,000 words, 372 pages, 11 hrs and 27 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.52 out of 5 on Goodreads
The farm owner’s wife has been receiving disturbing pagan artefacts, notably a witch’s knife, raising questions about their purpose as warnings or messages. In their search of the cottage, Joseph and his daughter stumble upon an old satchel containing photographs of a young woman, Jennifer Cowley, who vanished fifteen years ago. Her story involves a haunting twist – she had been stalked by a young man who was convicted of her murder, despite her body never being recovered. However, when DI Nikki Galena investigates the cottage, she unravels an even more horrifying secret.
Secrets On the Fens (2021)
164,000 words, 352 pages, 10 hrs and 58 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.42 out of 5 on Goodreads
Under the moonlit night, two young bodies are found in the woods, seemingly in a lover’s embrace, with the young man holding a red rose, suggesting a tragic suicide pact. However, Detective Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter’s closer examination unveils a darker truth. These ill-fated individuals, dubbed Romeo and Juliet, were not victims of suicide but of murder, having been killed elsewhere and then placed in the woods. The mystery deepens as they strive to uncover the chilling motive behind this staged scene.
Fear On the Fens (2021)
167,000 words, 362 pages, 11 hrs and 8 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.43 out of 5 on Goodreads
In the serene gardens of Shelley House, a gruesome revelation unfolds as a charred hand hangs over the edge of a wheelbarrow, the sickening odor of burnt flesh filling the atmosphere. Detective Nikki Galena and Joseph Easter are summoned to the scene to commence their investigation. Their task: locate a man who’s been missing for twenty years and delve into the painful history of a fractured family before more lives are claimed by the past.
Graves On the Fens (2022)
162,000 words, 404 pages, 10 hrs and 50 mins to read.
Published by Joffe Books
4.61 out of 5 on Goodreads
One morning, Detective Nikki Galena receives an old-fashioned airmail envelope with a chilling message: “You failed me.” A second envelope arrives at her home, bearing the same message but now accompanied by four names of local women who went missing: Alexandra Cornfield, Ruth Baker, Bethany Lyons, and Leanne Delaney, none of whom were found.
A third letter, delivered in an unsettling manner, leads to the discovery of a body in a shallow grave on the Fens. This grim revelation propels DI Nikki and her partner, Detective Joseph Easter, into a perplexing murder investigation that forces them to unravel a web of mysteries to uncover the unsettling truth behind these events.
Overall
Joy Ellis is one of our favourite bingeable crime authors right now and this is the series that started it all. With 14 books already, a brand new one as of 2023, and no signs of slowing up, this is a great place to start with Joy Ellis’s writing. We hope this post helped piece together a bit more about her and the DI Nikki Galena series!
Feel free to check out more of Joy Ellis’ work on her website.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Happy reading!
Tally Count:
Overall Words: 1,894,000
Overall Page Count: 4555
Overall Reading Time: 126 hr 40 mins
For the same but different:
Things to Note:
- Word count is an approximation.
- Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
- Time spent reading is an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
- This is the original publishers of the books.
- The Current GoodReads score at time of writing.
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