Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Serpent's Point by Kate Ellis

 
First Lines: The bridegroom had strangler's hands. Strong hands. Restless hands. Hands that could squeeze the life out of some unsuspecting victim. Susan didn't like the bridegroom.
 
When a woman is found strangled on a coastal path, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson learns that the victim was a housesitter at Serpent's Point, an old estate shrouded in mystery, said to be cursed, and currently a filming location for a Regency romance.
 
The police soon learn that the dead woman was conducting her own investigation into unsolved missing persons cases, and the next logical question is: Could this have led to her own death?
 
While the murder inquiry takes Wesley to Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, archaeologist Neil Watson is making a dramatic discovery of his own in the fields close to the house. 
 
When a skeleton is uncovered, the pressure to find the killer increases, and Neil and Wesley realize that Serpent's Point holds more secrets than anyone could ever have imagined.
 
~
 
I've been a devoted fan of this series since the very first book, and by this time, the entire cast has become family. I love the dual timeline aspect of each book. In Serpent's Point, readers follow along with Wesley and Neil in the present day, but they're also treated to the journal entries of wannabe famous archaeologist Dr. Aldus Claye who lived at Serpent's Point in 1921. Claye's journal entries gave me delicious little shivers because they reminded me so much of Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess". 

I really enjoyed Serpent's Point because Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, has a larger role. When two teenage girls take their metal detectors to a field close to the old manor house, their find brings Neil into what could very well be a monumental discovery. Neil not only gets to dig around in the attic for old documents, but his work in the field also garners the attention of nighthawks, and that leads to a stay with Wesley and Wesley's wife, Pam, who gave me the biggest laugh in the book. The three have been good friends since their university days, and it doesn't take much for Pam to realize that she chose the right man: "...at least Wesley left his work behind once he was home. If she'd opted for Neil, she'd have taken permanent second place to a hole in the ground."

While it's great to catch up with what has been happening with all the characters and get down and dirty in Neil's trenches, I always love trying to put all the pieces together to solve the mystery.  This is extremely difficult to do because author Kate Ellis is one of the best at supplying some first-class misdirection. No matter how hard I try, I never figure it all out when I read one of her Wesley Peterson mysteries, and that makes the entire experience such a joy.

If you're a fan of Elly Griffiths' Dr. Ruth Galloway series, I think you'd really enjoy Kate Ellis' Wesley Peterson. Although I recommend starting at the beginning, I can see where doing that with a (so far) twenty-six-volume series could be daunting. You could easily slip into this series with Serpent's Point because Ellis does a good job of supplying enough backstory to answer questions without bogging down the plot. Either way, I do hope you'll consider giving this series a try. It's a winner!

Serpent's Point by Kate Ellis
eISBN: 9780349425740
Piatkus © 2022
eBook, 347 pages
 
Police Procedural, #26 DI Wesley Peterson mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

10 comments:

  1. This really is a fine series, isn't it, Cathy? I think Ellis does a great job with the dual timeline. More than that, I like the way she blends the characters' home lives with the main plots. That's not easy to do, but she does it very well.

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    1. Yes, she does. The writers who can blend their characters' home lives with their main plots are the ones who can create readers' "families".

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  2. Sounds like there is plenty to like about this series. The dual timeline aspect is unique. Like you said, it is a bit daunting to start a 20 + book series. But, I am glad to know we will never run out of good things to read!

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    1. I know some people who freak out over the fact that they will never be able to read all the books that they want to read. I find it a comfort.

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  3. Yet another series for my reading list. The list keeps getting longer and no matter how hard I read I never seem to make much progress.

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    1. Neither do I, Dorothy. Neither do I. At least I learned a long time ago to appreciate the fact instead of letting it stress me out.

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  4. I like that his friend is an archaeologist...that's one of the things I love to read about in mysteries. I think I'd really like this one. :D

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  5. I have added the first book to my wish list. Sounds like an interesting series, though I agree 20+ books is a bit daunting. It would be nice to have a good series to fill in for the ending (or was it?) of the Dr. Ruth Galloway books. Thanks for the great review and recommendation.

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