Guard Her With Your Life

by Joy Ellis

A GRIPPING NEW STANDALONE THRILLER FROM MULTI-MILLION SELLING AUTHOR JOY ELLIS.

Detective Sam Helsdown waits anxiously at the airport. He’s excited and more than a little nervous to be picking up his daughter. It’s the first time he’s seen ten-year-old Zoe in two years.

Flight BA631 from Athens lands and soon people begin trickling through Arrivals. A blonde-haired girl races towards him and throws herself into his arms crying, ‘Daddy!’.

Sam hugs her tightly. But then he looks down at her properly — and an icy horror grips him.

The next day, the phone rings. The voice is urgent. ‘Help will come. Until then, guard her with your life.’ It’s Julia, his ex.

Ruthless criminals are closing in and Sam will do whatever it takes to keep this girl safe.

Please note that this is a novella, not a full-length book.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2023

About the author

Joy Ellis grew up in Kent but moved to London when she won an apprenticeship with the prestigious Mayfair florist, Constance Spry Ltd. Having run her own flower shop in Weybridge for many years, Ellis then worked as a bookseller until a trip to the Greek island of Skyros, where she took part in a writer's workshop with Sue Townsend, encouraged her to write her own books. Joy soon after moved to the Lincolnshire Fens, where she has spent many of years living among the countryside accompanied by her partner, Jacqueline, and her variety of springer spaniels. After many years of writing, Jasper Joffe, from Joffe Books, discovered Joy's work and approached her with the offer of becoming her new publisher. This new relationship introduced Joy's work to the fascinating world of ebooks and audible listening. Since their partnership, Joy's success has grown further than she could have ever imagined. She has recently celebrated her 10th UK No.1 book on the Amazon 'Best Sellers' chart, with her 9th instalment in the Jackman & Evans series, Solace House. Joy boasts a staggering estimated total over 3.4 million copies sold worldwide, and became a short-listed nominee at the British Book Awards, 2021.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Detective Sam Helsdown met the daughter he hadn't seen for two years, he was nervous. Zoe had been eight years old when he last saw her and he begrudged those years of not watching her grow. But his delight at seeing her again turned to horror when he realised the ten year old girl who had raced to him, calling "Daddy" as she ran, wasn't his daughter. He'd never seen her in his life. When he received an urgent call the following day, which said help would come but in the meantime, "guard her with your life", Sam wondered what it was all about. Little did he know that the young girl was in terrible danger, and he was the only person who could keep her safe - he and Mike, his brother. But could they keep her safe? She was terrified, but then, so were Sam and Mike...

Guard Her With Your Life is a tense and gritty standalone novella by master storyteller Joy Ellis which I devoured. Great characters - as is the norm for this author - I really enjoyed the intriguing and different plot, set around the Fenlands of England. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Guardian*

**3.5 Stars**

This standalone story was captivating but felt slightly rushed in its introduction to the cast. I would have appreciated more depth into the characters beyond brief snippets. Despite this, it kept me turning pages. I read and listened to this one and actor Tom Bateman provided the narration, which he did exceptionally well and enriched the book.

We meet DS Sam Helsdown, who’s on edge after two years of waiting. He’s at the airport to pick up his daughter because his ex Julia asks him last minute to look after her, insisting he “guard her with his life”.

Imagine his shock when he sees her and realises it’s not his daughter. What on earth? Why is she calling him Daddy?

Julia calls the next day then reinforces those words, “guard her with your life”, ending their conversation abruptly.

Things take a wild turn when random events occur, including a torched car, a burning house and vicious thugs pursuing him. The girl, however, is a mathematical genius with synesthesia, seeing numbers in colour.

Sam, his brother and the young girl must go on the run, and he’s determined to keep her safe.

The conclusion is intriguing and revealing, but again, I wish I had more information about the characters to form my own opinions about them.

[Tabea Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I m pretty sure I just read my first book written entirely by AI. That or the author has just never spoken to a human before in her life. Because believe me when I say that this author does NOT know how to write dialogue at all. Or thoughts. Or exposition. The fuck was going on here? Not one of these characters felt real. They all felt like robots trying to imitate humans. Or maybe Aliens trying to imitate humans. Either or.

Also, the plot was such a shitshow. Nobody made sense or acted like they had a brain. A supposedly good (as in like well trained and smart with many years of experience) cop and a Tech Wizard (who owns one of the most successful Tech Companies) run away to save a child from some supervillain that are able to track anything and anyone anywhere and not one of them thinks to disregard of their cell phones and laptops?!?! Some other cop has to call them and say: hey, btw, you know we can all track your phones right? Oopsi I guess.
There was also never a plot twist. The story just ended with weirdly robotic exposition from a couple of side characters and then it was over. You also could not feel any dread or suspense because as I said earlier the characters all seemed so inhuman.
Most of that is of course due to the author who wrote the book but also, who the fuck edited this?!?!?

[Sandra Leivesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Joy's Jackman and Evans and Nikki Galena series, but felt that this one fell a bit short of the mark. The plot was just too far fetched, especially in comparison to Joy's other books which are all very plausible. The characters were interesting but too under developed.

I did enjoy Tom Bateman's narration though!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap on a cracker ...... that was AWESOME! Thrilling, fast paced and heartfelt, I absolutely loved this standalone novella. As a bonus, yet one more to mark off my "Have The Book - TBR" Goals list. 😁

[Clodagh Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now if anyone knows me by now @joyellisbooks is one of my favourite authors and she seems to do no wrong And look she's done it again in this stand alone novel
Do I want more of Sam Helsdown... Yes
We first meet Sam while he's waiting for his daughter to arrive in the airport, the first time he has seen her in 2 years. Finally the little girl arrives and greets him. however this is not his daughter and soon after receives a message saying to guard her with his life Joy Ellis then takes on a wild journey and ends it with me needing some more
I love her stories of the fictitious Fenland Constabulary and I hope that even though it says it's a stand alone we will get more of Sam and his DI Terry
Definitely worth the listen... I was supposed to only listen to this in the car so I could have it for longer but I finished it in a day... oops

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another surprisingly good audible original.

[Daniel Westwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

What even was any of this story? Dialogue is godawful, exposition is rubbish too, and the story is just empty? A whole lot of nothing? I can't even call it rubbish, nothing really happens. There's a vague idea of some shadowy organisation chasing Sam and Sophie but we see almost no evidence of this aside from a couple of notes and a car getting torched. (Brother's house burning down added nothing and made no logical sense)

Even when the 'plot' is revealed it makes no sense, no one has sensible motivations or makes good choices, feels like this is a copycat from a few different other books involving similar 'child that needs protecting' routine but delivered about as well as a brick through the front window.

[Judith Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment. All her previous books have been realistic police procedural. This one was such a bizarre disconnected story..which did not even deserve 2 stars. Sorry but really a poor read. I doubt I will read her books again

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling standalone novella set in Ellis' beloved Fens. I was gripped from start to finish, and wouldn't mind seeing these characters appear again (either on their own or a crossover with one of Ellis' other series).

Currently free on Audible.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

What started as a palette cleanser, quickly turned into a book I couldn’t get enough of! It was a very interesting premise that could very easily have been a longer book or made into a series.

[die_lesende_Nachteule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch wurde wurde mir vom Verlag zur Verfügung gestellt. Vielen Dank an Digital Publishers. Mir gefällt das Cover und das Buch ist ein Stand alone. Auch der Klappentext verspricht Spannung. Ich liebe die Bücher von der Autorin und auch dieser Band konnte mich begeistern. Ein solider Kriminalthriller für angenehme Lesestunden.

Der Schreibstil ist wie immer flüssig und das Buch lässt sich gut lesen. Es gibt einen Kapitelaufbau, diese haben eine angenehme Länge. Die Protagonisten sind vielschichtig.

Die Story ist durchaus auch in der Realität denkbar.

Zusammenfassend gibt es 4 von 5 Sterne und eine Leseempfehlung.

[Margaret Wakeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense quick read. Totally unbelievable but I enjoyed it just the same! Police, secret service, fear and mystery. A young girl - 10 years old - turns up at the airport to be greeted by Sam, her Dad, the only problem being that when Sam sees her he realises she is not his daughter. What follows is a tense flight trying to keep ahead of the danger. Trouble is Sam, who is in the police, has no idea what or whom he is fleeing from. Not quite convinced by the ending.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on Audible.
Novella sized story. Well told/performed. Interesting premise. Liked the main character and brother and hinted it was a world that could tell more .

[Daniel Askew-Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book to this author and good storyline and great wrap up at the end. would love to read other books by this author

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. I was bothered by the blasé stories the main character had about hood ex wife taking his daughter and not allowing him to see her for 2 years. Then when she pretends to be finally letting him see her she tricks him into a big drama with a strange child. And he just goes along with it. Then when he sees her (STILL NOT HAVING SEEN IT TALKED TO HIS CHILD) all he cares about is if she will get back with him. That all overshadowed the rest of the story to me.

[Pat K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really intriguing thriller. Short audiobook, just under 5 hours. Detective Sam Helsdown hasn’t seen his young daughter for several years. He waits excitedly at the airport for her to come through the arrival gate at the airport. An 8 year old girl runs to him calling Daddy, but this little girl is not his daughter. Then Sam get a message from his ex-wife saying, “gaurd her eith your life”.
An exciting roller coaster of a story.

[Dee (readaholic_dee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Joy Ellis and was intrigued to see how this stand alone would shape up to her other books.

Well, let me tell you, it had me gripped from the first few pages, so much so, that I read it in one sitting!

Imagine going to meet a daughter you hadn’t seen in a couple of years to find out that it isn’t your daughter, although she believes she is. Brilliant scenario and fantastic read. Plenty of twisty bits to keep you on your toes.

Happy Reading.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:

Currently on Audible Plus

Low End of 3 Stars

For me, the most exciting parts of this story were reading the title and blurb. The novella needs more tweaks to make it a strong, standalone story. It comes off as a portion cut out of an established series. It's better if the reader is already familiar with the series, cast and setting.

[Emma O’Doherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ good fast paced with really interesting characters. Some of it was a bit contrived and there was a few plot holes. The end felt very rushed though it was disappointing because it definitely had the potential to finish strong.

[Nikki Rodgers · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst.

[Erin Mobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t really know how to feel about this book to be honest. The plot could have been executed so much better than how it was, I had high hopes for this read and it didn’t meet them unfortunately. The concept of the book was really interesting, but the way it was carried out made me loose interest and i found myself finishing the book just so i could find out what happened and not because i enjoyed it, i found myself bored when reading it. 2⭐️ purely because the concept was good just wasn’t well executed.

[Jenny McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this hadn’t been a novella, I probably would’ve DNF’d it. It throws you straight into the action, which sounds exciting in theory, but I mostly found it confusing. I had so many questions and spent a lot of time thinking, “wait… what?” I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. Overall, it was just okay—and I’m glad it was short.

[valerie gosling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling

Fantastic characters brilliant plot developing slowly drawing you in and keeping you guessing making you turn the pages to the very end

[Lesley Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story and although some of it seemed a bit far-fetched, it was an interesting idea which worked to build the tension.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very werid compared to joy ellis other books. Really like sam and his brother but story very short and a little far fetched

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may have been a short book, but it certainly packed a punch and kept me enthralled all the way through. From the very beginning, it set an extraordinary scene and I found I had to keep going because I really couldn’t figure out what was going on or where it was taking us. It was very tense throughout and putting it down was the hardest thing I had to do. It was certainly very different to anything else that Joy Ellis has written but, like all her novels, it worked. There wasn’t a moment when I didn’t feel the tension and pain of the characters and the twist at the very end was totally unexpected and breath-taking. I know that it is a one-off and, obviously, the ending was complete closure, but I was left feeling that I would have liked to have known more about these characters going forward. Thank you so much Joy, you are a wonderful author and I enjoy everything you write.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guard her with your life is one gripping crime thrilling novella. Something different from this amazing author.
Sam Helsdown's ex wife Julia has a situation and is sending their ten year old daughter Zoe, it's been two whole years since they have seen each other and waiting at the terminal he spots the airline staff with a little girl who points and runs to him "Oh daddy I was scared you wouldn't be here for me."
What is his ex wife up to this time? as a icy horror gripped him this was not his daughter.

OH GOSH!!!!! this author has definitely got such a twisted mind to entertain her readers big time, and leave you wondering what is going to happen next. I was gripped and spilt my coffee and missed my mouth just when you think everything is okay, BOOM you glued to the next chapter.
I was sorry to see the end and wanted it to go on and on.
A fantastic novella just make sure you got a free day on your hands because once you start you won't be abled to put it down.
Excellent and something different from this author that is full of surprises.

[T A FERRIS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your a copper a husband have a daughter

Well a weird story about a copper and he's daughter ,I just wouldn't have liked to have been him because I think there would have been murder at the end of it was me.a woman who .more involved with her work than caring a toss a out her life with her family found it rather sad in the end.but bravo to the husband yes.

[dreamlightwolfsbane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good book. The characters made ridiculous decision the whole way though. Decisions that speak to their character, unfortunately those decisions were often at odds to the way the character’s traits had been described. For me it was when the computer genius brother managed to forget that phones can be tracked that I lost all faith in this book redeeming itself. What a mistake and so unbelievable too. The characters were often described as exceptional people in their respective fields but I just thought they were idiots!! I finished the book and I read it quickly hoping for improvement that never came. In the end I’ve decided that it’s bad enough to be wary of books by Joy Ellis in the future.
Rating - 1.5/5