Sunday 4 March 2018

Review: The Mechanical Devil (Wesley Peterson #22) by Kate Ellis

I'm a huge fan of Kate Ellis and I've now read all her Wesley Peterson books. Although this one began a little bit slowly it soon raced along and is now one of my favourites.

The story starts with a shooting at the site of a medieval manor house, the two victims apparently unknown to each other. What links them and the death of a student twenty years earlier? And does it have anything to do with the strange wooden figure recently discovered in a coffin-like lead box?

The main characters are Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson and his boss DCI Gerry Heffernan, along with archaeologist Neil Watson. The stories often have a historical mystery at their heart and the occasional touch of humour. My favourite characters are Gerry and Neil, and I do wish someone would turn these books into a TV series.

As with all Kate Ellis's books the murders come along in quick succession and it is hard to work out how they can all be connected. In fact, I often don't bother to try - I just sit back and enjoy the incredibly skilled plotting! This time, however, I did work out the culprit behind the attacks on a woman living on her own, so I felt quite pleased about that, and also identity of the main villain - but only about half a page before Wesley!

A definite 5 star rating from me and I'm sure fans of Elly Griffiths and traditional murder mysteries will love this one too.

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