Joy Ellis is one of my favourite author's
I have all her books and this one is so different from all the Fens books. It is good to have a change of pace and a change of story lines. I expect Joy Ellis feels the same.

Guide Star: A Gripping and Emotional Roller-Coaster of a Novel About Love, Life, and Not Giving Up
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©2017 Joy Ellis (P)2020 Tantor
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Product details
Listening Length | 8 hours and 4 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Joy Ellis |
Narrator | Shiromi Arserio |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com.au Release Date | 31 January 2020 |
Publisher | Tantor Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B082YHXSJS |
Best Sellers Rank |
21,502 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
191 in Psychological Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) 441 in Psychological Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) 741 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) |
Customer reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
210 global ratings
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Top reviews
Top reviews from Australia
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TOP 500 REVIEWER
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One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 21 July 2018
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An interesting change of focus from outright police work with some of the usual characters. May dwell a bit too much on Stella's head trauma. But some nice spicy bits and the interesting camera club stuff.
Reviewed in Australia on 19 September 2019
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Enjoyed this change of style immensely and was hard to put down. Don’t miss it in your choices offered by Joy Ellis.
TOP 500 REVIEWER
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It was an enjoyable read but didn't spur me on to read Joy Ellis' other books.
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Reviewed in Australia on 1 June 2017
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I love Joy Ellis' books, but found this a little bit tame, albeit a good story. Prefer her murder mysteries
Reviewed in Australia on 21 August 2017
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I've enjoyed many of Joy Ellis's books about the Fens. This one is a bit different and hit a personal spot. A good read.
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Guide star by joy ellis.
Who do you turn to when life goes wrong?
Stella’s life has changed forever. Her only support is her amazing grandmother, Beth. But Beth also faces the biggest challenge of her life.
Stella North, a rising star in the police, has her life torn apart by a gunman’s bullets. All her life she has faced danger, but these injuries mean she must give up the job she loves. Her grandmother Beth is her rock. And Beth is no ordinary woman. At seventy, she runs marathons and has an exciting past that Stella knows very little about.
Will Stella find the strength to overcome the challenges of her new life, and will her grandmother at last resolve the deep emotional turmoil of her past?
A Fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved Stella and her grandmother. Wow. What her grandmother did for the war. I was shocked. This book is fall of surprises. A lovely read. 5*. Netgalley and Joffe books.
Who do you turn to when life goes wrong?
Stella’s life has changed forever. Her only support is her amazing grandmother, Beth. But Beth also faces the biggest challenge of her life.
Stella North, a rising star in the police, has her life torn apart by a gunman’s bullets. All her life she has faced danger, but these injuries mean she must give up the job she loves. Her grandmother Beth is her rock. And Beth is no ordinary woman. At seventy, she runs marathons and has an exciting past that Stella knows very little about.
Will Stella find the strength to overcome the challenges of her new life, and will her grandmother at last resolve the deep emotional turmoil of her past?
A Fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved Stella and her grandmother. Wow. What her grandmother did for the war. I was shocked. This book is fall of surprises. A lovely read. 5*. Netgalley and Joffe books.
One person found this helpful
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TOP 50 REVIEWER
Guide Star, by Joy Ellis, was a shift from the normal suspence/crime genre we have come to expect from her. This book was more of a reflective, character-based story with policing in the background.
There were many characters - all rich, relatable and playing their part in the plot/subplot. Joy's excellent writing allowed insight into their motives and feelings. MC, Stella North's life changed dramatically after she was shot while on duty and her once promising career, was over. Once a caring and strong person, Stella now had to face many foreign challenges: mood swings, loss, anger, memory failure, self-esteem issues etc.
Beth, Stella's amazing grandmother was her stalwart. She had faced her own battles and troubles in her long life and now needed to dig deep to find ways to help or enlist support to aid Stella in building her confidence and resilience and finding a new purpose (even a little romance).
The strong, emotional and gripping plot cleverly wove both women's lives (past and present) throughout the narrative. Guide Star wasn't a crime/thriller, but it was still a page-turner with plenty of delicious twists and a compelling conclusion. The setting (as in all Joy's books) featured strongly with great descriptions forming vivid imagery.
(The significance of title was meaningful, btw.)
There were many characters - all rich, relatable and playing their part in the plot/subplot. Joy's excellent writing allowed insight into their motives and feelings. MC, Stella North's life changed dramatically after she was shot while on duty and her once promising career, was over. Once a caring and strong person, Stella now had to face many foreign challenges: mood swings, loss, anger, memory failure, self-esteem issues etc.
Beth, Stella's amazing grandmother was her stalwart. She had faced her own battles and troubles in her long life and now needed to dig deep to find ways to help or enlist support to aid Stella in building her confidence and resilience and finding a new purpose (even a little romance).
The strong, emotional and gripping plot cleverly wove both women's lives (past and present) throughout the narrative. Guide Star wasn't a crime/thriller, but it was still a page-turner with plenty of delicious twists and a compelling conclusion. The setting (as in all Joy's books) featured strongly with great descriptions forming vivid imagery.
(The significance of title was meaningful, btw.)
Top reviews from other countries

Mandie Griffiths
4.0 out of 5 stars
...Beth has remained very determined that Stella will get better
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 April 2017Verified Purchase
Guide Star is a bit of a departure from the usual books that Joy Ellis writes. This time rather than focusing on crime she focuses on the aftermath of a crime and what happens to the victims and their friends and family as they all come to terms with what has happened.
In Guide Star you meet Stella North a policewoman who is recovering from an off duty shooting that basically meant she had to totally re-evaluate her life and her career. Due to the injuries she sustained she is no longer able to remain in the police force as she now has trouble remembering things and suffering from severe mood swings. After her release from hospital she moves in with her grandmother but she also has a lot of support from her ex-husband and his new wife.
What I loved about this book is the fact that although the story is essentially about Stella and how she deals with all that has happened to her, you also get to see the effects it has had on all those around her.
Her grandmother Beth has remained very determined that Stella will get better and pushes her through her rehabilitation. When it seems that the mood swings are getting the better of her granddaughter she even contacts a man from her past who she knows has the ability to help even if it means dragging up painful memories that she had tried to put behind her.
Her ex-husband Ed and his wife Lexi have been a big support through it all; however Ed is hiding health issues of his own that are threating his marriage. With everything going on he doesn’t want to burden anyone with his problems but those around him won’t let it rest until they know what is going on.
There is her ex- partner in the force Robbie who has been basically left to drift in his career. He feels that neither he nor Stella is given any support from their superiors and he is in danger of ruining his career. He comes across as quite a sensitive character that misses having someone to work with. Quite often in books when an officer is injured they are always the focus of everything and the partners they leave behind just seem to carry on as if nothing happens. Joy Ellis has decided to take a different route by showing that they can be just as deeply affected by what has happened and can also sometimes suffer from a form of PTSD.
During the course of her therapy she makes contact with friends from the past and re discovered her love of photography.
There is also a nod to Joy’s latest books when Stella contacts DS Marie Evans in the hope of helping Robbie and preventing him from destroying his career.
Guide Star is a great story about how despite life changing events there is always the possibility to go on and make a new life if you take the chances available. It may not be a fast paced book but it is packed with characters that you want to get to know and become invested in. This is a good stand-alone story by Joy Ellis and you don’t need to have read any of her other books to enjoy this one.
I would like to thank Joffe Books for a copy of this book in return for my review
In Guide Star you meet Stella North a policewoman who is recovering from an off duty shooting that basically meant she had to totally re-evaluate her life and her career. Due to the injuries she sustained she is no longer able to remain in the police force as she now has trouble remembering things and suffering from severe mood swings. After her release from hospital she moves in with her grandmother but she also has a lot of support from her ex-husband and his new wife.
What I loved about this book is the fact that although the story is essentially about Stella and how she deals with all that has happened to her, you also get to see the effects it has had on all those around her.
Her grandmother Beth has remained very determined that Stella will get better and pushes her through her rehabilitation. When it seems that the mood swings are getting the better of her granddaughter she even contacts a man from her past who she knows has the ability to help even if it means dragging up painful memories that she had tried to put behind her.
Her ex-husband Ed and his wife Lexi have been a big support through it all; however Ed is hiding health issues of his own that are threating his marriage. With everything going on he doesn’t want to burden anyone with his problems but those around him won’t let it rest until they know what is going on.
There is her ex- partner in the force Robbie who has been basically left to drift in his career. He feels that neither he nor Stella is given any support from their superiors and he is in danger of ruining his career. He comes across as quite a sensitive character that misses having someone to work with. Quite often in books when an officer is injured they are always the focus of everything and the partners they leave behind just seem to carry on as if nothing happens. Joy Ellis has decided to take a different route by showing that they can be just as deeply affected by what has happened and can also sometimes suffer from a form of PTSD.
During the course of her therapy she makes contact with friends from the past and re discovered her love of photography.
There is also a nod to Joy’s latest books when Stella contacts DS Marie Evans in the hope of helping Robbie and preventing him from destroying his career.
Guide Star is a great story about how despite life changing events there is always the possibility to go on and make a new life if you take the chances available. It may not be a fast paced book but it is packed with characters that you want to get to know and become invested in. This is a good stand-alone story by Joy Ellis and you don’t need to have read any of her other books to enjoy this one.
I would like to thank Joffe Books for a copy of this book in return for my review
4 people found this helpful
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Elaine Fryatt
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 January 2020Verified Purchase
I loved this book and it kept me enthralled. Stella North has woken up in the Neuro-Surgical ward at the Pilgrim Hospital. Dr. Field Latimer is her surgeon. She had been put in an induced coma after a serious injury whilst carrying out her work as a police officer. Her grandmother is there along, with Stella’s ex husband and his wife. Robbie Melton had been her police partner. Six months later she is doing physio therapy but is deeply depressed. Her grandmother, Beth, seeks help from a very old friend who helps Beth enormously. An excellent storyline develops between Stella and that of the main characters and it kept me gripped. I can really recommend this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Welsh Witch
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2017Verified Purchase
I've read all the author's Fen series and I'm a big fan of the stories and love her writing style. This book offers a departure from her usual police procedural subject matter but was just as good even though it's not quite my usual choice of genre. I was particularly fascinated by the topic of Urban Exploration and even went on to look into whether it really happens (it does!) so that was a bonus for me. However, even without that extra, it was a great story with lots of intrigue and best of all, nicely tied up at the end. A gentle love story with good characters and lots of interesting sidelines. Very much recommended.
8 people found this helpful
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Macskyper
5.0 out of 5 stars
New genre for crime writer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 May 2017Verified Purchase
Whilst detective based this book is a world away from Joy Ellis's usual crime stories. But it is still a gripping tale — one of human endeavour as Police Officer Stella North comes to terms with her career being cut short as a result of being shot. It is also the story of enduring love - not what we are used to from Joy Ellis, but something she handles with great empathy. I loved it and am just left wondering where next will this amazing author take us. It doesn't seem long since her first book appeared on the scene, but in the past year we have had at least six. More please Joy.
5 people found this helpful
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The Bowler Phil
5.0 out of 5 stars
A change of style but just as good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2018Verified Purchase
I had my doubts about this one, with it being a stand alone departure from the usual detective crime solving material, but I need not have worried. Once I got into the flow, there was no holding me back. I was thoroughly absorbed by the personal problems of the main characters and their ways of finally getting around these problems, as often as not via other people and a sense of karma. I am especially pleased that one of the main characters, Robbie, is now going to be featured in the Jackman and Evans series. Thoroughly absorbing and a real good feel good factor.