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Deadly Remains: The gripping new mystery in the DI Wesley Peterson crime series
Million-copy bestselling author Kate Ellis returns with the brand new mystery in the DI Wesley Peterson crime series.
When a body is discovered in a picturesque South Devon village, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate. The victim, Barry Brown, is a celebrity ghostwriter and the theft of his laptop suggests that the motive for murder may lie in his work.
While Wesley investigates Barry's famous clients, Wesley's teenage son Michael joins family friend, Dr Neil Watson, on an intriguing excavation of a crashed World War Two plane on Dartmoor. The plane was used to ferry secret agents into Europe during the war and, when three skeletons are discovered nearby, it seems the wreckage might hold more secrets than they could ever have imagined.
Wesley's case leads him to the same area and he discovers a sinister history surrounding the moor and the nearby village of Moor Barton.
With four unexplained deaths, can Wesley solve the mystery before anyone else is put in danger?
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 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
When a body is discovered in a picturesque South Devon village, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate. The victim, Barry Brown, is a celebrity ghostwriter and the theft of his laptop suggests that the motive for murder may lie in his work.
While Wesley investigates Barry's famous clients, Wesley's teenage son Michael joins family friend, Dr Neil Watson, on an intriguing excavation of a crashed World War Two plane on Dartmoor. The plane was used to ferry secret agents into Europe during the war and, when three skeletons are discovered nearby, it seems the wreckage might hold more secrets than they could ever have imagined.
Wesley's case leads him to the same area and he discovers a sinister history surrounding the moor and the nearby village of Moor Barton.
With four unexplained deaths, can Wesley solve the mystery before anyone else is put in danger?
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 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
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2025
34 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Kate Ellis
122 books615 followersKate 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
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 17, 2025
Excellent full of twists and turns
These books all provide fascinating parallels between the past and the present. This was no different and provided many twists and turns within the plot . A great read
These books all provide fascinating parallels between the past and the present. This was no different and provided many twists and turns within the plot . A great read
August 24, 2025
Unputdownable!
As usual, Kate Ellis has woven a story within a story, both of which would have stood on their own. I found the book to be very moving and became involved with the characters. When will the next Wesley Peterson book out, please?
As usual, Kate Ellis has woven a story within a story, both of which would have stood on their own. I found the book to be very moving and became involved with the characters. When will the next Wesley Peterson book out, please?
August 20, 2025
The discovery of a body sends DI Wesley Peterson to the picturesque village of Little Rockingham in South Devon. The body is identified as Barry Brown, a celebrity ghost writer. The cottage had been ransacked, and his laptop is missing. However, the sight of a Rolex watch clearly on view suggests to Wesley that the killing is not motivated by theft but may most probably lie in his work.
Wesley’s son Michael is now thirteen and has kept quiet to his classmates about his decision to take part in an archaeological dig over the summer vacation. It’s bad enough having a father who is a police inspector, without uncle Dr Neil Watson, an unconventional Indiana Jones figure as well. When he arrives at the dig, Neil gives a speech about the World War Two plane, a Lysander that had crashed there in September 1943. The pilot had escaped but later died. As Neil talks Michael studies his fellow diggers. As well as the students there were members of the archaeology society, who were mostly in their retirement years. Also, some well-built men who he guessed were former soldiers. Standing a little way from the rest was an elderly man wearing an old beige bucket hat. Micheal looked away, he looked the kind of man his parents used to warn him against when he was younger.
As with previous books interspersed with Wesley’s investigation there are several diary entries dating from May 1943 from the diary of Flight Officer John Carmody who flies in an unmarked black plane back and forth dropping and collecting secret agents in an isolated French field. In a later entry he records that only half of them seem to make a return journey and often wonders what happens to them. There are six diary entries from John Carmody, and I found them all very moving. Also, during that period there are entries from the diary of young Edith Tallow whose husband has turned out not to be the nice man she thought she had married.
When DCI Gerry Heffernan and Wesley attend the postmortem, they discover that it possibly wasn’t the head wound that killed Barry Brown, more likely poison but they won’t know for sure until the toxicology results come through.
As frequently happens at digs, people turn up interested to know what’s happening, one such is Ralph Gornay,
complete with silk cravat and silver-topped walking cane. Neil remembers him from the village meeting
expressing it disrespectful to dig up a crashed plane. And Michael is again aware that standing a little way off is the man in the bucket hat. Michael mentions it to Neil and a short walk in his direction takes them to a place where someone has been amateurly digging. For what? Neil is not happy. Even less so when human bones are discovered.
As Wesley looks deeper into the death of Barry Brown it becomes clear from the many empty files at Barry’s house that someone didn't want the book he was writing to be written. The book he was writing was linked to the crashed plane, and the possibility that the pilot wasn’t the only one on the plane when it crashed.
As Wesley continues to investigate, he discovers a sinister history surrounding the moor and the village of Moor Barton. Who was the passenger and what happened to them?
On the personal front, one of the girls with the group of students at the dig introduces herself to Michael . ‘I’m Harriet’. Come and join us she says. And DS Rachel Tracey, with her police career, a farm to help run and a baby who is close to celebrating his first birthday, is not getting out and about as much as she used to. Gerry aware of her circumstances is trying to make it easy for her and consequently instead of being out interviewing people with Wesley she is in the office most of the time. Not what Rachel wants. And let’s not forget, Della, Pam’s mother., she of the weird crazes and arty clothes that prove so embarrassing to her teenage grandson, and Wesley.
This intriguing ingeniously plotted, mystery gripped me from start to finish. A real page turner. Most highly
recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
Wesley’s son Michael is now thirteen and has kept quiet to his classmates about his decision to take part in an archaeological dig over the summer vacation. It’s bad enough having a father who is a police inspector, without uncle Dr Neil Watson, an unconventional Indiana Jones figure as well. When he arrives at the dig, Neil gives a speech about the World War Two plane, a Lysander that had crashed there in September 1943. The pilot had escaped but later died. As Neil talks Michael studies his fellow diggers. As well as the students there were members of the archaeology society, who were mostly in their retirement years. Also, some well-built men who he guessed were former soldiers. Standing a little way from the rest was an elderly man wearing an old beige bucket hat. Micheal looked away, he looked the kind of man his parents used to warn him against when he was younger.
As with previous books interspersed with Wesley’s investigation there are several diary entries dating from May 1943 from the diary of Flight Officer John Carmody who flies in an unmarked black plane back and forth dropping and collecting secret agents in an isolated French field. In a later entry he records that only half of them seem to make a return journey and often wonders what happens to them. There are six diary entries from John Carmody, and I found them all very moving. Also, during that period there are entries from the diary of young Edith Tallow whose husband has turned out not to be the nice man she thought she had married.
When DCI Gerry Heffernan and Wesley attend the postmortem, they discover that it possibly wasn’t the head wound that killed Barry Brown, more likely poison but they won’t know for sure until the toxicology results come through.
As frequently happens at digs, people turn up interested to know what’s happening, one such is Ralph Gornay,
complete with silk cravat and silver-topped walking cane. Neil remembers him from the village meeting
expressing it disrespectful to dig up a crashed plane. And Michael is again aware that standing a little way off is the man in the bucket hat. Michael mentions it to Neil and a short walk in his direction takes them to a place where someone has been amateurly digging. For what? Neil is not happy. Even less so when human bones are discovered.
As Wesley looks deeper into the death of Barry Brown it becomes clear from the many empty files at Barry’s house that someone didn't want the book he was writing to be written. The book he was writing was linked to the crashed plane, and the possibility that the pilot wasn’t the only one on the plane when it crashed.
As Wesley continues to investigate, he discovers a sinister history surrounding the moor and the village of Moor Barton. Who was the passenger and what happened to them?
On the personal front, one of the girls with the group of students at the dig introduces herself to Michael . ‘I’m Harriet’. Come and join us she says. And DS Rachel Tracey, with her police career, a farm to help run and a baby who is close to celebrating his first birthday, is not getting out and about as much as she used to. Gerry aware of her circumstances is trying to make it easy for her and consequently instead of being out interviewing people with Wesley she is in the office most of the time. Not what Rachel wants. And let’s not forget, Della, Pam’s mother., she of the weird crazes and arty clothes that prove so embarrassing to her teenage grandson, and Wesley.
This intriguing ingeniously plotted, mystery gripped me from start to finish. A real page turner. Most highly
recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
August 23, 2025
As usual an interesting and engaging read!
An interesting story line which grabs you from the start.
A complex plot woven throughout, with excellent association with war time events.
Well worth the read.
Looking forward to Wesley's next case, number 30!
An interesting story line which grabs you from the start.
A complex plot woven throughout, with excellent association with war time events.
Well worth the read.
Looking forward to Wesley's next case, number 30!
August 24, 2025
Another great story!
Kate Ellis never disappoints!
Another great storyline, and I’m enjoying watching the development of all the characters, especially Wesley’s children and of course the dreaded mother-in-law!
Kate Ellis never disappoints!
Another great storyline, and I’m enjoying watching the development of all the characters, especially Wesley’s children and of course the dreaded mother-in-law!
March 28, 2026
Another success for Wesley Peterson
Anothrr good book by Kate Ellis in the DI Wesley Peterson series .Combines archeology and history with a good story and Murders. Ialways enjoy Kate Ellis books if you havent read any please try one, excellent book can recommend
Anothrr good book by Kate Ellis in the DI Wesley Peterson series .Combines archeology and history with a good story and Murders. Ialways enjoy Kate Ellis books if you havent read any please try one, excellent book can recommend
August 23, 2025
Great series
I have really enjoyed this series of books and the characters are credible and developing. I look forward to the next one.
I have really enjoyed this series of books and the characters are credible and developing. I look forward to the next one.
August 24, 2025
Very good
May 8, 2026
I have jumped forward in time with this one - it was on special offer - and I will just have to catch up with the others. Their son has gone from being a baby to being 12 years old and enjoying his first experience of an archaeological dig - cue murder and mayhem. Brilliantly plotted and I always learn a lot as well!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews