Skeleton Room (A Wesley Peterson Murder Mystery) [Hardcover]

Cheryl Richardson (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Wesley Peterson Murder Mystery | Publication Date: January 30, 2003

Eighteenth century Chadleigh Hall in Devon (until recently used as a girls' boarding school) is being converted by Dominic Kilburn, its new owner, into a luxury hotel. But when his builders start work on a previously bricked-up room they make a grisly discovery - the skeleton of what looks to be a young woman tied to a chair. To DI Wesley Peterson and his boss Gerry Heffernan it looks as if some poor unfortunate soul has been walled up and left to die. Meanwhile Wesley's archaeologist friend Neil is investigating the ruins of a ship called the Celestina, wrecked in a nearby cove in 17772. The new owner of Chadleigh Hall, Dominic Kilburn, has legal rights to the wreck and is impatient to get his hands on her reputed cargo of gold. But then a woman's body is found floating in the sea by divers and Wesley has not one but two unexplained deaths on his hands...

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a beguiling author who interweaves past and present. Like its predecessor... the book works well on both levels' The Times 'detective fiction with a historical twist - fans...will love it.' Scotland on Sunday 'Liverpool born Kate Ellis (no relation) has written a series of fascinating detective novels set in Devon...featuring a quietly intelligent black policeman... They are intriguing books with mysteries that mirror event s from previous centuries 'Ron Ellis 'She writes well...recounted with pleasant wit and a genuine feeling' Birmingham Post 'Kate Ellis gets my personal vote as Most Promising New Crime Writer' Sherlock Holmes Magazine 'sense of the abiding presence of history that adds another dimension to an already intriguing tale' Northern Echo 'moody mystery...a splendid piece of whodunnit, and when?' Newcastle Evening Chronicle

About the Author

Kate Ellis is the author of The Wesley Peterson Series and has twice been nominated for the Crime Writers’ Association Short Story Dagger.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus; First edition (January 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749906200
• ISBN-13: 978-0749906207
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,542,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ellis has become a favorite author of mine, January 5, 2011

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Skeleton Room (A Wesley Peterson Murder Mystery) (Hardcover)

First Sentence: 20 July - The woman in the red T-shirt lay on the sharp gray rocks far below; distant and tiny, like a small fish caught in the teeth of some gigantic sea creature.

Murder past and present. In renovating Chadleigh Hall, a former girl's boarding school, a secret room has been found holding a secret of its own; the skeletal remains of a woman tied to a chair. Was the murder related to the school or older and associated with the town's history of causing ships to wreck on its coast, murdering survivors and plundering the ships contents? And how, if at all, does this relate to the woman's body dragged from the sea who had been pushed from a nearby cliff?

In a few words, Ellis conveys the horror the victim would have experienced of being walled in a room and left to die. Ellis' descriptions, whether of such terror or of living in a village where most everyone could walk to work, is part of her appeal. She is a wonderfully visual writer, whether it is of places, situations or people.

Regarding people, she has created a diverse and interesting cast of principal characters. Gerry Heffernan, the boss, is somewhat old-fashioned in his views on women and technology while being an experienced cop who leads his team. Wesley Peterson is the intellect, somewhat put down for his education, dealing with racism due to his color, but respected by his boss. In every ointment comes a fly in the shape of DC Steve Carstairs who is bigoted, sexist, lazy and not overly bright. He is offset by Rachael and Trish, the very capable women on the force. It's the wonderful, diverse ensemble cast rounded out with non-police characters which gives a very real feeling to the story.

And what a good story it is. The plot is very well done. There are several threads which intersect, and very effective plot twists which never feel contrived. With each thread, I wanted to know more while being unable to predict where the story was going and certainly didn't predict the resolutions presented. I did enjoy the nod to the movie "Charade."

Ellis has become a favorite author of mine. Her books have never disappointed me, and "The Skeleton Room" stands well among them. They are more than a standard police procedural, blending the personal lives of the characters, archeology, English history and murder.

THE SKELETON ROOM (Pol Proc-Peterson/Heffernan-England-Cont) - VG
Ellis, Kate - 7th in series
Piatkus, ©2003, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 0749906200

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, September 12, 2010

By 

Auntie Annie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Skeleton Room: A Wesley Peterson Murder Mystery (The Wesley Peterson Murder Mysteries) (Paperback)

This, and all of the Wesley Peterson books by Kate Ellis, are impossible to put down. Each takes a modern police case handled by DI Peterson of Tradmouth and draws parallels with an archeology dig handled by his friend Neil Watson. Peterson and Watson were at school together, and both hold degrees in archeology. These books, though they follow the investigation through the police department, are much more than proceedurals. We follow Wesley's family--the Jamacian physicians who are his parents and his interracial marriage. We know his friend, Neil, and his friends; DCI Hefferman and his family; the other policemen and women of Tradmouth and their personal lives. We learn a little about archeology and history, too, as we follow the case. A well-written, well-characterized and intriguing series!