The Shining Skull

Wesley Peterson #11

by Kate Ellis

An archaeological dig provides DI Wesley Peterson with a secret that may help him unveil the culprits behind a string of kidnappings
Marcus Fallbrook was kidnapped in 1976 and when he never returned home, his grieving family assumed the worst. Thirty years later, teenage singing star Leah Wakefield has disappeared and DI Wesley Peterson has reason to suspect that the same kidnapper is responsible. Another abductor is also at work in the area, a man who tricks blonde women into a bogus taxi and cuts off their hair. Leah may have fallen prey to the man the newspapers call "The Barber," or maybe she suffered a more sinister fate. Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson's gruesome task of exhuming the dead from a local churchyard yields a mystery of its own when a coffin is found to contain one corpse too many. The extra corpse may be linked to a strange religious sect dating back several hundred years. Wesley’s case load now spans several decades, and he soon discovers that the past can be a very dangerous place indeed.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Procedural, Mystery Thriller

274 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2007

About the author

Kate Ellis was born and brought up in Liverpool and she studied drama in Manchester. She worked in teaching, marketing and accountancy before first enjoying writing success as a winner of the North West Playwrights competition. Crime and mystery stories have always fascinated her, as have medieval history and archaeology which she likes to incorporate in her books. She is married with two grown up sons and she lives in North Cheshire, England, with her husband. Kate was awarded the CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY award in 2019

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story unfolds slowly, revealing more and more undiscovered crime between Manchester and Dereham in this 11th tale featuring Wesley Peterson. Friend Neil is also busy uncovering strange evidence as old graveyard is being unearthed and moved to make way for progress. The themes between the current crimes and those of the archaeological are not so closely related this time round, but still add interest as always.
This one gives us a tangled web of mother love or not, kidnapping, deception and murder. Following the clues as the detectives must, the reader, also in the dark, must follow the crumbs as well. A very satisfying read!

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding book in the impressive and addictive series. For the most part personal issues for the main characters take a back seat in order to focus on the the interwoven crimes from the present, recent and more distant pasts.

I am deeply impressed as to how well Ellis manages to come up with such intricate plots and was glued to my settee in order to finish this.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 1976 kidnap victim returns from the dead; a modern day singer is kidnapped.

Can these cases align? And how do they fit in with the strange sect that Dr Neil Watson is investigating after doing a major exhumation at a local church?

A pretty good story. All the pieces line up well. And a bonus for Wesley's wife Pam being less annoying than usual.

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

As usual there are two stories in this book—one from the 1800s and one modern day—that closely parallel each other. Ellis is an excellent mystery writer, I enjoy her characters and her plots. My only quibble, one I have noted before, is how many times she uses the term “shy smile”—everyone in the book gives shy smiles all through it. I really don’t know why she is so attached to it.

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of this series, even though there are some aspects or characters I don't like. I came to dislike the archaeologist Neil, however in this book I learned an important piece of background. That's the problem with reading books out of order. Can't be helped, though, as I rely on what I can find at the library.
This author never travels on a speedy autoroute. There will be a detour, then another byway, then a retracement of previous territory. It can get a bit tedious.
There's always some of the police officers' private life and problems thrown in, and this is also sometimes distracting.
As a fan, I put up with these little niggles, and I still recommend this to lovers of this genre.
Rating 4.0.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

What starts out as 4 unrelated mysteries - 3 contemporary and one historical - end up being cleverly interwoven by the author. This mystery had me guessing throughout the whole story and the resolution (pay attention to those characters!) had me surprised as I thought I figured it out.

The last story I read in this series was number 3, I believe, so I missed alot of the characters personal stories. For that reason the series should be read in order. Otherwise if that type of stuff doesn't bother you, sit back and enjoy the read!

[Ivana Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I may give up on this series as yet again this is a so-so book that didn't really enthrall. The inclusion of Neil Watson seems to be there purely to increase the page count - his plot has nothing to do with the main story and is so boring I found myself skipping most of his scenes towards the end. I'd give it a 1.5 if I could so I've generously rounded it up instead of down.

[Jan Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never fail the capture your attention

Again another set of mysteries conjoined by similarity. Past and present cases intertwine to demonstrate the universal flaws of mankind. The main characters remain true and invoke a sense of stability to a fragile world. When I need a good book to engage my mind, I always go back to a Kate Ellis series.

[Sarah Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long winded to get to the good part

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've discovered the secret to reading these books. I simply skim over the alternate story (the archeology stuff!). This is my third Kate Ellis novel in the past week or so and I've struggled with each, though realise I actually enjoy the murder/mystery element; I just find the historical component (ie. Wesley's friend Neil) kinda annoying and redundant.

[Don M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of typos in this book. Needs more attention to proofreading.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Marcus Fallbrook was kidnapped in 1976 and was never returned home; his grieving family assumed the worst. Then, thirty years later, teenage singing star Leah Wakefield disappears, and DI Wesley Peterson has reason to suspect that the same kidnapper is responsible. But then Marcus Fallbrook returns from the dead. Meanwhile archaeologist Neil Watson's gruesome task of exhuming the dead from a local churchyard yields a mystery of its own.
As usual, DCI Wesley Peterson is the head of the police team dealing in a murder while his university friend, Neil Watson, is investigating a historical mystery as part of an archeological dig. This book gives us a third mystery, one from the more recent past. This one involves the kidnapping of a child that bears a striking similarity to the current kidnapping of a celebrity.

Kate Ellis is really good creating plots. The characters are always good, but this is not a series that the character's lives become a major part of the series. That said...you could certainly read this series out of order. You might miss a few references to events from earlier books, but you will in no way, be confused.

Wesley is a detective in a small town in England. This story is about two kidnappings that are thirty years apart. along with that is the discovery a 2nd skeleton buried in coffin that is being relocated. The first kidnapping, 30 years ago, is of Marcus Fallbrook. He was 7 years old when he disappeared and was never found.

The 2nd kidnapping is a young local teen celebrity, Leah, who is a singer. Some of the circumstances of Leash's kidnapping are similar to those of Marcus's. At the same time as all this is going on, Neil, an archeologist and good friend of Wesley's, discovers a 2nd skeleton in a coffin that he has been hired to relocate. The skeleton is that of a young teenage boy and dates back approximately 100 years. Both, closely parallel each other.

It's an enjoyable, well plotted story as is this entire series. You might sometimes lose patience with Wesley and Neil...but the mystery and their skill in solving these cases are well worth the reading time.

This was the August Group Read: Mystery & Suspense group on LibraryThing

[Larraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't been able to get out much because of my vertigo and dizziness so I've been reading more. I have several Kate Ellis digital books that I bought for very little so I decided to dip into more. This one is from 2007 which continues my refusal to read them in order. This one had some amazing twists and turns especially at the end although it's logical once you figure it out. The book opens with a child being abducted and, despite a ransom being paid, is never heard from again. Then a middle aged man shows up saying that an accident started bringing back memories and his brother welcomes him into the family. Meanwhile a spoiled teenaged pop star is abducted using the same verbiage and the same paper as the older abduction. Meanwhile someone is pretending to be a cab driver and abducting blondes so he can cut off their hair.

At the same time there is an archaeological mystery of course. Wesley's friend, Neil, is helping to oversee the careful removal and reassignment of bodies that have been in an old church yard for centuries. A wealthy parishioner left funds to be used to add a church hall which necessitates moving them. He notices that some of the stones have an odd marking on them. They are followers of a woman who called herself the Shining One. And yes, this discovery ties in with one of the current cases in the book as well as solving an old murder.

This was one of the better books I've read in this series. I have a few more on my kindle but right now I'm ready for a book of Christmas mysteries. Stay Tuned.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first one in the series that I have read, and it was reasonably interesting. The book is really two stories interwoven. One is a contemporary police investigation into an abduction which may or may not be connected to a kidnapping from a coupe of decades earlier. The other is an archaeologist's discovery of a murder from centuries past - this one took a while to establish itself as it is mostly conveyed through letters exchanged between long dead friends at the start of each chapter, which is then immediately followed by the modern crime without an overt demarcation. For the first few chapters I kept thinking I must e missing some obvious connection between the two narratives.
This is a bit ore police procedural than Golden Age crime with clues and a cunning denouement. The plot was a good one, and I worked out some of it. I didn't really get a clear sense of the main police officer or the archaeologist, but no doubt that is because I have only read one in the series.
I liked the religious trappings of a strange prophetic cult, but thought this could perhaps have gone a little further (strange religions appeal to me!)

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

#11 in Ellis' Wesley Peterson series. I really enjoy this series set in Devon, England, for its combination of great characters, interesting policing, and archaeology. This plot reached back to the early 1800s and included two instances of child abduction, one in the mid-1970s, and the other in the present time, a child prodigy who vanished, a mysterious prophetess from the Regency era, a series of abductions of blonde women whose long hair was cut off before releasing them, the archaeologists grim work exhuming a number of burials to be moved to another part of the cemetery to allow an extension to the old church and much more. At spots I was a bit overwhelmed with the twists of the investigations, but it all sorted out by the end. I have a number more of the series which I bought at the first of the Bristol crime conferences which was part of the 'Left Coast Crime' conference series. A great event and access to lots of crime writing that was not as available in the US at that time. Nice to catch up a bit. It's been a crazy week but I managed to read some each day.... Hopefully things will calm down and I can do more reading every day.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first ever book by Kate Ellis and book 11 in the DI Wesley Peterson series. Apart from some character background I believe you can read each book in the series as and individual story without having to have read the books before the one you choose to read.

Marcus Fallbrook was abducted in 1976 and never returned leaving the family to believe in the worst. 30 years later there is a knock on the family home door by a man whom introduces himself as Mark Jones and claims to be the missing Marcus Fallbrook.

With the arrival of Mark Jones there has been another abduction of a local pop star Leah Wakefield with evidence showing the abductor could be the very same suspect that took Marcus Fallbrook in 1976.

For me this book was a 2.5 stars. It was alright, good enough that I wanted to keep reading but I felt it was just too twisty in the end. I mean it was like everyone in this book has a secret or something they are trying to hide. I love a good who-done-it but this was way out there.

[Bud Mallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, a good one.

As usual the past and the present can echo each other, but you're not going to learn what's really going on in Chapter 1.

The usual set of characters from the first 10 books, less emphasis on the negative aspects of their personal lives, but who knows what the author will do next.

A complicated story, or stories if you like. Lots of characters and names to keep track of, some parallel stuff to lead you astray, except you won't know it until later.

I thought it was a good ending, as my guess on whodunit was way off base. But a really good complicated story line that all eventually made sense. Sadly, some of that negative aspects of the main characters personal lives was left hanging.

Here we go on #12. Gotta read faster - think there is over 20 in this series - and no, start at the beginning.

[Willen P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very detailed and had a lot going on. I wasn't too interested in the side story about Neil and his finds (thought it was interesting to find two skeletons buried together and why that was). I mean it was fascinating to see how all the stuff happening were linked (the original kidnapping, the new one, the woman in the care home, the "Barber" mystery).

Never would have guessed the suspect, but although the story felt quite long, I wanted to read even more about it.

Pity Rachel still hasn't found a new love interest yet, seems to always be falling for married men.

Oh I should probably take a break from this series. There are so many books on my shelves waiting to be read and I'll never clear the space if I don't start finishing them

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this might be my favourite so far. I woke up at 2.15 this morn and couldn't get back to sleep so thought I'd read a few pages - bad idea - it was getting light when I finished the book and now I'm so tired! The historical C19th strand features a strange sect, a mathematical genius and two bodies mysteriously buried together in the same coffin. The present day crimes involve a celebrity kidnapping, a long lost brother back from the dead and the 'Barber' who is obsessed with cutting the hair of his victims.... All the interconnected plots were equally engrossing and intriguing. I love this series :)

[Virginia Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1976 a young boy named Marcus Fallbrook was kidnapped from his home in Tadmouth, Devon.
Thirty years later, Leah Wakefield, a teenage singing star, has also been seized and DI Wesley Petersen suspects it is the same kidnapper. At the same time a man, nicknamed "The Barber", is luring women into a fake taxi and cutting off their long, blonde hair. Meanwhile, while doing exhumation work in the local churchyard, archaeologist Neil Watson finds a coffin containing two bodies. These burials may be linked to a strange religious sect popular in the area during the Regency.
11th in the Wesley Petersen series.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starring this one lower than usual for Kate Ellis books because she pulled one of my least favorite stunts: thoroughly proving the innocence of a character, and then revealing 90% in that that character was not only guilty all along, but was a psychopath who murdered multiple people. This particular red herring felt deceptive instead of misleading, making the whole ending 'twist' feel cheap. To quote Bob's Burgers, "A lie is not a twist."

Ellis continues her fascination with adultery, though it is far less painful in this book. Pam, feeling guilty about her decisions in the last book, is actually nice to her husband for once. I wonder how many books until she tells Wesley what happened?

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered the next Kate Ellis, No.12, before I finished this one.
They really get under your skin.
The mysteries and descriptions of the detective work involved are engrossing and the way she ties the crime which is happening to a subject of a crime in a previous century is so interesting.
Cannot wait to, also, find out what is happening in the private lives of all the characters she has brought into novels as it gives you a more comfortable view of other people and the way their minds work and why.
Great writer and have enjoyed every one I have read, so far and hope I continue to do so.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t read much detective fiction any more, and tend to stick to “cozies” and British golden age even when I do read it. I picked this on impulse off the library’s new acquisitions shelf.

The subplot about a religious cult in the early 19th century was intriguing, and the other threads of the plot were pleasantly confusing, making me second-guess all through. I did not see the denouement coming.

Rather dark for my taste. Characters well-drawn, including the red herrings. I did find it redundant at times. Characters spent too much time rehashing what we already knew.

[Andrea Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange mixture of historical story and current events. The history revolves around an archaeology dig of some graves for reinternment and the discovery of 2 bodies in one coffin. This research involves letters referring to 2 legends of a woman who prophecies and a boy performing as a mathematical genius. The current story is also split between 1976 and 30 yrs on, but both are kidnappings. DI Peterson and his team methodically work their way through the evidence to find the truth about both events. A side story links the past and present.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another intriguing set of cases for Wesley Peterson & Co to investigate. A young pop star is kidnapped and a huge ransom demanded whilst at the same time a man returns to his home, having disappeared almost 30 years earlier, also a victim of kidnap. There are parallels between the two cases, which become more apparent as the police investigate. Meanwhile, Wesley's friend Neil is surprised whilst helping on a dig at a nearby Church to discover a coffin with two bodies - that of a local woman and a young man.
As always, the two seemingly unrelated cases are more connected than they first appear and there are lots of twists and turns before the conclusion.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably closer to 3.5 stars. Kate Ellis is first class at utterly realistic dialogue and at drawing pictures using a few well-chosen words. Although I love archaeology and history her historical themes tend to be unpleasantly grim. Even the contemporary crimes are a bit brutal. In this story I found the characterisation of Neil, Wesley, Pam, Gerry, and even Rachel less well-drawn than in other stories in the series.
But it was a mystery with twists and layers and an enjoyable read.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded up.

This book contained so many kidnappings and planned kidnappings that it all got a bit ridiculous. The police were so incompetent in their efforts to get Leah back that I was surprised they didn't all get demoted. Neil's storyline bored me for most of the book, although of course everything came together at the end. I didn't feel the author gave any good explanation of the appeal of Joan Shiner, which made things seem a bit under-motivated.

[Tim Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's okay. A bit tame for me. There were also several different threads to follow through the book which you hope tie up when you reach the end. In some ways they do, but in other ways they don't. Some of the threads are about the same subject (trying not to include spoilers) but aren't relevant to the main investigation (kidnapping).

[Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought there was going to be a connection between the cult from the 1800s and the current story but the only thing they have in common is the motive. These 2 are totally unrelated & what a bummer because I like that the settings are different from what I’m used to read & I like reading the local historical mysteries.

[Sarah Glaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic Kate Ellis novel

Kate tells such a good story , always come up with a interesting and enjoyable storyline

Also I enjoy the interwoven plot of the historical mystery which supports the current day plot