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. © Cathy G. Cole of Kittling: Books All rights reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Kittling: Books or Cathy's feed , be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.