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The Death Season
Wesley Peterson - Book XIX
Kate Ellis

Piatkus (Little, Brown)
1 January 2015 / ISBN 9780349403137
Mystery

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

 

When a mysterious man is found dead in a hotel room, it looks like a simple case of sudden death. But when he is discovered to have two separate identities the police are called in. Meanwhile, Wesley's old college friend Neil is excavating the site of a village that fell into the sea back in 1918. Wesley's boss Gerry is still recuperating from his shooting earlier in the year and is looking up cold cases, one of which might well be rather hot…

I look forward to the next instalment of the Wesley Peterson series and wish there was more than one a year. But this might mean that the author took less time working on them, and that would be a great shame. This is not a standard police procedural as every tale has a link to the past and something bizarre that lifts the story out of the prosaic and into the almost fantastic. Almost, but not quite as there is nothing supernatural here but a fine sense of the extraordinary in everyday life. Murders bank up in the present, while a servant girl's diary leads to a chilling conclusion. As with all series part of the enjoyment is in discovering what the characters are up to, and how their past actions are affecting the present. Gerry chafes at his recuperation, Wesley reflects on the lack of time spent with his family and Pam makes a new friend, while Neil has a new woman in his sights. The archaeological sites and cold cases link up with the present murders and the story comes to a thrilling conclusion. This author has a great storyteller style that makes her work into real page turners. If you haven't read any of the series yet don't spoil it by reading this one - start at the beginning.

Reviewed 2015
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