Dave Gurney
mystery
Series · crime fiction
DI Nikki Galena
The DI Nikki Galena series by Joy Ellis has 15 known books (15 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Crime on the Fens (2010).
- Books
- 15 known books (15 novels)
- Published
- 15
- First published
- 2010
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
Start here: Crime on the Fens (2010)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Crime on the Fens
Crime on the Fens (2010) opens the DI Nikki Galena series, introducing the driven, rule-bending Fenland detective and the fictional town of Greenborough that Joy Ellis would go on to build a fifteen-book career -- and a whole shared Fens-set crime universe -- around. It runs 143 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Crime on the Fens - Book 2:
Shadow Over the Fens
Shadow Over the Fens followed in 2011 as the second entry, continuing Nikki Galena's investigations across the flat, dyke-crossed farmland of the Lincolnshire Fens. It runs 256 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Shadow Over the Fens - Book 3:
Hunted on the Fens
Hunted on the Fens was published in 2014, the third book in the series, with Nikki Galena's small unit once more tackling violent crime and organised gangs threatening the Fens. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hunted on the Fens - Book 4:
Killer on the Fens
Killer on the Fens holds the fourth spot in the series, running 255 pages, part of Joy Ellis's ongoing build-out of Nikki Galena's team and personal life across the Greenborough-set novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Killer on the Fens - Book 5:
Stalker on the Fens
Stalker on the Fens was released later in 2016, book 5 of the series, keeping Nikki Galena and her unit investigating the recurring criminal threats that run through the Fens novels. It runs 301 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Stalker on the Fens - Book 6:
Captive on the Fens
Captive on the Fens is book 6 of the series, published in 2017, continuing the mix of contemporary crime and Fenland setting -- Greenborough and its surrounding farmland -- that defines Nikki Galena's cases. It runs 306 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Captive on the Fens - Book 7:
Buried on the Fens
Buried on the Fens followed later in 2017 as book 7, another case for Nikki Galena's unit set against the flat, dyke-crossed Lincolnshire Fens landscape Joy Ellis built the series around. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Buried on the Fens - Book 8:
Thieves on the Fens
Thieves on the Fens is the eighth entry, also from 2017, with Nikki Galena's team once again investigating organised gangs threatening the Fens. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Thieves on the Fens - Book 9:
Fire on the Fens
Fire on the Fens holds the ninth spot in the series, published in 2018, continuing Joy Ellis's steady build-out of Nikki Galena's team and the wider Greenborough setting. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fire on the Fens - Book 10:
Darkness on the Fens
Darkness on the Fens is book 10 of the series, published in 2019, with Nikki Galena's investigation once again rooted in the fictional Fenland town of Greenborough. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Darkness on the Fens - Book 11:
Hidden on the Fens
Hidden on the Fens is the eleventh entry, published in 2020, part of the recurring cast and criminal threats Joy Ellis built up around Nikki Galena across the series' first decade. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hidden on the Fens - Book 12:
Secrets on the Fens
Secrets on the Fens is book 12 of the series, released in 2021, continuing Nikki Galena's cases across the Lincolnshire Fens that Joy Ellis has built the series around since 2010. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Secrets on the Fens - Book 13:
Fear on the Fens
Fear on the Fens appeared later in 2021, the thirteenth entry in the series, with Nikki Galena's small unit facing another of the recurring criminal threats to the Fens. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fear on the Fens - Book 14:
Graves on the Fens
Graves on the Fens came out in 2022, the fourteenth entry, continuing the series' long-running mix of violent crime and organised-gang investigation across Greenborough and the Fens. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Graves on the Fens - Book 15:
Echoes on the Fens
Echoes on the Fens appeared in 2024, the fifteenth entry in the series and its most recent to date, running 380 pages and still centered on DI Nikki Galena's small unit in the fictional town of Greenborough. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Echoes on the Fens
Key facts about the DI Nikki Galena series
Our list has 15 books in the DI Nikki Galena series. Since all 15 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Crime on the Fens, since it opens the publication order in 2010. Shadow Over the Fens is book 2, from 2011. Hunted on the Fens is book 3, from 2014.
Killer on the Fens is book 4, from 2016. Stalker on the Fens is book 5, from 2016. Captive on the Fens is book 6, from 2017.
Buried on the Fens is book 7, from 2017, while Thieves on the Fens is book 8, from 2017. Fire on the Fens is book 9, from 2018.
Darkness on the Fens is book 10, from 2019, while Hidden on the Fens is book 11, from 2020. Secrets on the Fens is book 12, from 2021. Since the list above shows all 15, you can find the rest there.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 2010 and 2024, while their length runs from 1 to 380 pages. That is a run of 14 years.
Joy Ellis has 38 books on our list. Additionally, they write DI Jackman & DS Evans, Detective Matt Ballard and Ellie McEwan. We shelve the books under crime fiction.
About the DI Nikki Galena series
The DI Nikki Galena series follows a driven, rule-bending detective inspector leading a small unit investigating violent crime and organised gangs across the fictional Fenland town of Greenborough and the flat, dyke-crossed farmland of the Lincolnshire Fens. Joy Ellis launched the series with Crime on the Fens in 2010 and has continued it steadily since, building a large recurring cast around Nikki -- her team, her complicated personal life, and a set of recurring criminal threats to the Fens -- across fifteen novels.
The series is the origin point for Ellis's wider Fens-set crime universe: its Greenborough police force and setting are later shared with her DI Jackman & DS Evans series, which follows a different pairing of detectives within the same fictional force.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the DI Nikki Galena series?
Fifteen, published from 2010 to 2024.
Is DI Nikki Galena connected to Joy Ellis's Jackman & Evans series?
Both are set in the same fictional Fenland town of Greenborough and its police force, with occasional shared minor characters, but they follow different lead detectives and can be read independently.
If you like the DI Nikki Galena series
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