The Killing Place

Detective Wesley Peterson and archaeologist Dr Neil Watson return to solve a mystery surrounding a grand estate in the Devon countryside. Can they catch a killer before they strike again?

'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' THE TIMES

November. With the tourist season over in South Devon, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is looking forward to a quieter month in the CID. But when a man is shot dead on Bonfire Night, he finds he has a complex murder case on his hands.

The body of Patrick North was found in woodland connected to Nesbaraton Hall, a grand estate dating back to the eighteenth century. The Smithson family, who own the estate, are away on holiday. However, when an anonymous letter threatening to abduct the Smithson son is uncovered, Wesley fears North's death might have been collateral damage in a sinister kidnap plot.

Meanwhile, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson discovers a hidden grotto in a developer's field - land that was once part of the Nesbaraton estate. Evidence of past rituals and the discovery of a skeleton buried next to the grotto raise questions about strange occurrences, past and present, on the estate.

Then, just when Wesley's team seem to be making progress in their investigation, a resident of the nearby village is killed in a near identical shooting. A race is on to find a ruthless killer, before they strike again . . .

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 Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths.

Praise for million-copy-bestselling author Kate Ellis . . .

'Clever plotting hides a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves

'Haunting' Independent

'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer

'Unputdownable' Bookseller

'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph

Praise for Kate Ellis:
A beguiling author who interweaves past and present The Times
Haunting Independent
I loved this novel . . . Clever plotting hides a powerful story of loss, malice and deception -- Ann Cleeves
The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end Closer
A traditional detective story with an intriguing historical twist . . . Ellis is a fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Star author. Unputdownable Bookseller
I absolutely loved this book . . . A perfectly paced crime novel that beautifully evokes both time and place. Kate Ellis keeps you guessing all the way through to the final unexpected twist -- L. C. Tyler
A splendidly macabre thriller with a very dark heart and a hugely effective twist at the end -- Andrew Taylor
Fascinating, with a characteristically clever twist -- Martin Edwards
Imagine a plot as devious as anything Agatha Christie devised, locate it in a Derbyshire village in 1919 and with writing as close to the pulse as Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth and you will have some idea of the extraordinary power of Kate Ellis's new novel -- Peter Lovesey

Kate Ellis was born and brought up in Liverpool and studied drama in Manchester. She is the award-winning author of the DI Wesley Peterson detective novels, as well as the Albert Lincoln trilogy and the Joe Plantagenet mysteries.

Kate has won the CWA Dagger in the Library Award for her crime writing. She has also twice been shortlisted for the CWA Short Story Dagger and been longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

Visit her online at:

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