DI Wesley Peterson
26 total works
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
An excavation at the lost gardens of Earlsacre Hall is halted when a skeleton is discovered beneath a 300-year-old stone plinth - the remains of a woman who was buried alive.
But even when more skeletons are found in the walled garden, DS Wesley Peterson has more pressing matters on his hands. A man has been stabbed to death at a holiday park and the only clue to his identity is a newspaper cutting about the restoration of Earlsacre Hall gardens.
Local solicitor Brian Willerby is eager to talk to Wesley about the case, but before Brian can reveal his secret he is killed.
What is it about Earlsacre Hall that leads people to murder? And what is the sinister secret of the bone garden? For someone close to Wesley, time is running out . . .
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect, gripping mystery if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
When Dr James Dalcott is shot dead in his cottage it looks very much like an execution. And as DI Wesley Peterson begins piecing together the victim's life, he finds that the well-liked country doctor has been harbouring strange and dramatic family secrets.
Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson has discovered a number of skeletons in nearby Tailors Court that bear marks of dissection and might be linked to tales of body snatching by a rogue physician in the sixteenth century. But when Neil finds the bones of a child buried with a 1930s coin, the investigation takes a sinister turn.
Who were the children evacuated to Tailors Court during World War II? And where are they now? When a link is established between the wartime evacuees and Dr Dalcott's death, Wesley is faced with his most challenging case yet.
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
When a woman is burned to death in Grandal Field in Devon, it looks like it could be a case of mistaken identity. Until DI Wesley Peterson learns of a legend involving a woman who died in similar circumstances in the thirteenth century.
It seems clear that there is a link between the mysterious legend and the recent murder when Wesley discovers that records of a previous site excavation have vanished, and two archaeologists involved in the dig died tragically.
The case echoes a story of twisted love and obsession from many centuries ago, and Wesley realises that edging closer to the truth brings unexpected danger . . .
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
When a skeleton is discovered on a Devon smallholding, DS Wesley Peterson, a keen amateur archaeologist, is intrigued by the possibility that it is a Viking corpse buried in keeping with ancient traditions. But he has a rather more urgent crime to solve, when a Danish tourist is reported missing.
Wesley finds disturbing evidence that the woman has been abducted. His boss Gerry Heffernan believes that Ingeborg's disappearance is linked to a spate of brutal robberies and that she witnessed something she shouldn't have.
But is her disappearance linked to far older events? For it seems that this may not have been Ingeborg's first visit to this far from quiet West Country backwater . . .
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect, gripping mystery if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
A stir is caused in Tradmouth when a letter arrives at the police station claiming that the man convicted of murdering the Vicar of Belsham is innocent. DI Wesley Peterson already has his hands full with threats made to local supermarket chain, Huntings - the last thing he needs is an alleged miscarriage of justice to investigate.
Meanwhile, Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, uncovers a medieval plague pit at a site near Belsham church earmarked for Huntings' new superstore. As Wesley's investigations continue, he begins to suspect that the vicar's murder, the disappearance of a woman and the threats to the supermarket may be linked in some way.
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The first mystery in the bestselling DI Wesley Peterson crime series set on the windswept Devon coast, by million-copy bestselling author Kate Ellis.
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' THE TIMES
'Clever plotting hides a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' ANN CLEEVES
'Haunting' INDEPENDENT
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DS Wesley Peterson, newly arrived in the West Country town of Tradmouth, has his hands full when a child goes missing and a young woman is brutally murdered on a lonely cliff path.
Then his old friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, unearths the skeletons of a woman and a newborn baby in the cellar of an ancient merchant's house nearby.
As they begin to investigate the murders, Wesley starts to suspect that these deaths, centuries apart, may be linked by age-old motives of jealousy and sexual obsession. And the pressure is on if he is going to prevent a further tragedy . . .
Discover your new favourite crime series. This is the perfect mystery for fans of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths, which will have you gripped until the final page.
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What readers are saying about The Merchant's House :
'I couldn't stop turning the pages . . . Something about this book just hooked me!' Goodreads Review, 5 stars
'Superb . . . Five stars' Reader review, 5 stars
'If you like Ian Rankin, LJ Ross, Elly Griffiths and James Oswald, you will enjoy Kate Ellis' Reader review, 5 stars
'Gripping . . . Love how the past and present bring the story together' Reader review, 5 stars
'You'll fall in love with coastal England and find yourself walking the cobbled lanes in your imagination . . . Do not miss this series!' Reader review, 5 stars
'The first in an outstanding series of contemporary crime fiction' Reader review, 5 stars
'Fantastic read' Reader review, 5 stars
'Compelling . . Kept you guessing from start to finish. I would highly recommend it' Reader review, 5 stars
'Loved it!!' Reader review, 5 stars
'Kate Ellis has certainly got a talent for story telling which can grab the imagination from the start' Reader review, 5 stars
'Really unputdownable' Reader review, 5 stars
'Gripping. Kate Ellis is my new favourite author' Reader review, 5 stars
'A page-turner' Reader review, 5 stars
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
DI Wesley Peterson has never witnessed such a bizarre crime scene. A man has been brutally murdered by two precise wounds to his neck and his body drained of blood.
It seems that the victim was not a popular man in the Devon area and Wesley doesn't have a shortage of suspects. But then two more victims are found killed in an identical fashion.
As if Wesley didn't have enough to investigate, Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, begins to receive disturbing anonymous letters about macabre events at a medieval abbey. The gory details bare resemblance to the recent deaths and Neil fears they are being sent by the killer.
Wesley and Neil are forced to face shocking revelations as they come face to face with a murderer scarred by past sins.
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
A young woman is found strangled hours before her wedding. DI Wesley Peterson discovers that Kirsten Harbourn was being pursued by an obsessed stalker and had dark secrets her fiancé knew nothing about.
But Kirsten's wasn't the only wedding planned to take place that day in South Devon. A couple made their wedding vows at Morbary registry office and a few days later the groom is found dead in a seaside hotel.
As Wesley examines the links between the cases, the skeleton of a young bride is discovered in a field once owned by the family of an Elizabethan playwright. Ralph Strong's play, The Fair Wife of Padua, is soon to be performed for the first time in four hundred years.
Is the bloodthirsty drama a confession to the historic murder? And can it reveal anything about the recent killings Wesley must solve?
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
The brutal massacre of the Harford family at Potwoolstan Hall in 1985 shocked the country and passed into local folklore. Now, twenty years later, a journalist researching the case has been murdered and the horror is reawakened.
DI Wesley Peterson is drawn into the dark history of Potwoolstan Hall as he begins to investigate the murder. The sixteenth-century hall, which is now a New Age healing centre, is reputed to be cursed because of the crimes of its builder and it seems that this inheritance of evil lives on.
As more people start to die in violent circumstances, DI Wesley Peterson is faced with his most disturbing case yet.
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect, gripping mystery if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
'A powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
When archaeologist Neil Watson finds the body of an American veteran of the D-Day landings in the ruins of an old chapel, he turns to his old friend DS Wesley Peterson for help.
Both men are researching an invading force: Wesley, a group of American veterans on a sentimental journey to their wartime base; and Neil, a group of Spaniards killed by outraged locals as they limped from the wreckage of the Armada.
Four hundred years apart, two strangers in a strange land have died violently. Could the same motives of hatred, jealousy and revenge be at work? Wesley is running out of time to find out . . .
The second gripping installment in the DI Wesley Peterson series by awad-winning crime writer Kate Ellis. Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering the Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect mystery if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
Why readers love Kate Ellis:
'I hardly put this novel down from the moment I picked it up. Oh yes, and as with all great crime novels, I would never have guessed 'whodunnit'!' Reader review, 5 stars
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
'Kate Ellis and Wesley Peterson have done it again. Strong characters, strong plotting, no detail escapes Kate Ellis' Reader Review, 5 stars
'Haunting' Independent
'Enjoyed the first in the series but through this was even better!' Reader Review, 5 stars
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'It's fast paced with twists and turns guaranteed to keep you hooked right until the final page' York Evening Press
'A cracking multi-layered mystery with red-herrings a-plenty...an outstanding read. Highly recommended!' In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
When builders converting Chadleigh Hall, a former school, into a luxury hotel discover a skeleton in a sealed room, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate.
Soon Wesley has a second suspicious death on their hands: a team of marine archaeologists working on a nearby shipwreck off the Devon coast have dragged a woman's body from the sea.
As Wesley investigates Chadleigh Hall's past and the woman's violent death, both trails lead in surprising directions. Matters are further complicated when a man wanted for murder in London appears on the scene - a man who may know more about the case than he admits . . .
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
A twisted murder mirrors a dark legend . . .
When the body of Pauline Brent is found hanging from a yew tree in a local graveyard, DS Wesley Peterson immediately suspects foul play. Then history provides him with a clue. Wesley's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, has excavated a corpse at his nearby dig - a young woman who, local legend has it, had been publicly hanged from the very same tree before being buried on unhallowed ground five centuries ago.
Wesley is now forced to consider the possibility that the killer knows the tree's dark history. Has Pauline also been 'executed' rather than murdered, and, if so, for what crime? To catch a dangerous killer Wesley has to discover as much as he can about the victim. But Pauline appears to have been a woman with few friends, no relatives and a past she has carefully tried to hide . . .
The third gripping mystery in the DI Wesley Peterson series by award-winning crime writer Kate Ellis. The perfect page-turning mystery for fans of Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
'I loved this novel' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough
Evening Telegraph
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
Little Marcus Fallbrook was kidnapped in 1976 and, when he never returned home, by his grieving family assumed the worst. Now, thirty years later, teenager Leah Wakefield has disappeared and DI Wesley Peterson has reason to suspect that the same kidnapper is responsible.
As Wesley delves into the case, his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, discovers a mystery of his own when he exhumes the dead from a local churchyard. A coffin is found containing one corpse too many and Neil believes it may be linked to a strange religious sect.
Wesley is still searching for the key to the abductions when, in a shocking twist, Marcus Fallbrook returns. DNA evidence confirms Marcus's identity but his recollection of his past kidnapping is hazy. Wesley hopes that, as Marcus begins to recover memories, it will lead them to a sinister criminal. But he is about to discover that the past can be a very dangerous place indeed.
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'Haunting' Independent
'Unputdownable' Bookseller
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'A gripping read' Best
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
Teenager Lewis Hoxworthy discovers a disturbing painting in a medieval barn; a find which excites archaeologist Neil Watson, who is excavating an ancient manor house nearby.
But when a man is found shot through the head in Lewis's father's field and Lewis himself goes missing, it is Neil's friend, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson, who faces one of his most intriguing cases yet.
It seems that the Devon village of Derenham is full of secrets, both ancient and modern. As Neil uncovers the story of Derenham's medieval past, it becomes clear that the Doom, a 500-year-old painting of hell and judgement, holds the key to the mystery. And as events reach a terrifying climax, Wesley has to act swiftly if he is to save a young life . . .
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect, gripping mystery if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.
When Darren Hatman reports his daughter missing, DI Wesley Peterson isn't too concerned. Leanne Hatman is an aspiring model, keen to abandon her native Devon for the bright lights of London. However, Darren's claim that a photographer has been stalking Leanne soon changes Wesley's opinion.
Leanne works at Eyecliffe Castle, once home to the wealthy D'Arles family and now converted into a luxury hotel. When Darren himself is found brutally murdered in the castle grounds, the police fear is that Leanne has met a similar fate. But, if so, where is her body?
Meanwhile, Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, recently returned from a thrilling Sicilian excavation, makes a disturbing discovery near Eyecliffe Castle and surprises Wesley with the news that, while in Sicily, he met Leanne's alleged stalker.
With Eyecliffe Castle becoming the scene of another violent death, Wesley suspects a connection between the recent crimes, the disappearance of two girls back in the 1950s and a mysterious Sicilian ruin called the House of Eyes, a place feared by superstitious locals.
As he works to solve one of his most challenging cases yet, Wesley must face alarming revelations, rooted in centuries of fear and evil . . . as well as dealing with a nightmare of his own.
Some paths lead only to the grave . . .
Strangefields Farm is notorious for its sinister history ever since artist Jackson Temples lured young women there to model for disturbing works of art. Some of those girls never left the house alive.
Now, decades later, Strangefields is to be transformed into a holiday village, but the developer's hopes of its dark history being forgotten are dashed when a skull is found on the site. And when a local florist is found murdered in an echo of Temples' crimes, DI Wesley Peterson fears that a copy-cat killer is at large. Especially when another brutal murder in a nearby village appears to be linked.
As Wesley's friend, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson, uncovers the secrets of Strangefields' grisly past, it seems that an ancient tale of the dead returning to torment the living might not be as fantastical as it seems. And Wesley must work fast to discover who's behind the recent murders . . . before someone close to him is put in danger.
The latest gripping mystery in the DI Wesley Peterson crime series from Kate Ellis, the award-winning author of the 2019 CWA Dagger in the Library.
What readers are saying about Kate Ellis:
'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times
'Kate Ellis has got to be one of my favourite authors' Reader review, 5 stars
'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves
'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer
'Another brilliant book that keeps you gripped' Reader review, 5 stars
'Haunting' Independent
'Kate has you spellbound' Reader review, 5 stars
'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'Unputdownable' Bookseller