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Wesley Peterson #14
The Flesh Tailor: Wesley Peterson, Book 14
When Dr James Dalcott is shot dead in his cottage it looks very much like an execution. And as DI Wesley Peterson begins piecing together the victim's life, he finds that the well-liked country doctor has been harbouring strange and dramatic family secrets.
Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson has discovered a number of skeletons in nearby Tailors Court that bear marks of dissection and might be linked to tales of body snatching by a rogue physician in the 16th century. But when Neil finds the bones of a child buried with a 1930s coin, the investigation takes a sinister turn.
Who were the children evacuated to Tailors Court during World War II? And where are they now? When a link is established between the wartime evacuees and Dr Dalcott's death, Wesley is faced with his most challenging case yet.
Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson has discovered a number of skeletons in nearby Tailors Court that bear marks of dissection and might be linked to tales of body snatching by a rogue physician in the 16th century. But when Neil finds the bones of a child buried with a 1930s coin, the investigation takes a sinister turn.
Who were the children evacuated to Tailors Court during World War II? And where are they now? When a link is established between the wartime evacuees and Dr Dalcott's death, Wesley is faced with his most challenging case yet.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Kate Ellis
122 books638 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 - 30 of 80 reviews
February 27, 2024
I return to this series when I want something cosy that I can fall asleep to😀
August 19, 2023
Haven't caught up with this series for some time, and this one didn't disappoint. Kept me guessing until the end.
February 14, 2018
Kate Ellis writes crime novels that are different. Contemporary crimes that have an historical echo or overlay.
In "The Flesh Tailor" a local doctor is shot dead in his home, meanwhile skeletons turn up during an excavation on a 16th century property. There cannot possibly be a link. Wanna bet?
Great story with plenty of plot twists.
Highly recommended.
In "The Flesh Tailor" a local doctor is shot dead in his home, meanwhile skeletons turn up during an excavation on a 16th century property. There cannot possibly be a link. Wanna bet?
Great story with plenty of plot twists.
Highly recommended.
May 2, 2021
Ok, now. Way to go, with the 14th of a series being the best! Cannot put this one down, but I had to in order to watch the Kentucky Derby. Even so...this one is my favorite so far. It is complex, full of puzzles, both historic and current, and puts Wesley in a non-stop complex investigation of murders old and new. Great read!
June 17, 2018
Dr Dalcott is about to go to a dinner party with some friends of his...
when he doesn't turn up alarm bells start to ring.
He is found murdered that evening, on his own doorstep.
Detective Wesley Peterson begins his investigations and soon his workload is doubled as an interesting discovery at a local 15th century building is made.
The two cases become Wesleys' priority, and as he delves into the backgrounds of the people involved in both, there are just too many coincedences .
Exactly what was going on at Tailors Court all those years ago?... is the question all through the book.
An interesting read, enjoyed the story and how everything came together at the end. I always shy away from anything that is set before 1970!! but im glad i took a chance here. a bit of the past mixed in with modern day.
Although i didn't guess the outcome, i wasn't totaly gripped. i feel there was a great opportunity here to write something sinister and deep..but yet it felt a little 'murder she wrote' to me.
i would however, try this author again.
when he doesn't turn up alarm bells start to ring.
He is found murdered that evening, on his own doorstep.
Detective Wesley Peterson begins his investigations and soon his workload is doubled as an interesting discovery at a local 15th century building is made.
The two cases become Wesleys' priority, and as he delves into the backgrounds of the people involved in both, there are just too many coincedences .
Exactly what was going on at Tailors Court all those years ago?... is the question all through the book.
An interesting read, enjoyed the story and how everything came together at the end. I always shy away from anything that is set before 1970!! but im glad i took a chance here. a bit of the past mixed in with modern day.
Although i didn't guess the outcome, i wasn't totaly gripped. i feel there was a great opportunity here to write something sinister and deep..but yet it felt a little 'murder she wrote' to me.
i would however, try this author again.
May 7, 2020
#14 in the Kate Ellis series featuring DI Wesley Peterson. Started reading and already I have death, archaeology, and more.
The story is fairly complicated including bodies from both the Elizabethan era and the latter years of World War II. Complicated search for the people living in and evacuated to an old home on Wesley Peterson's patch. His buddy Neil is involved when skeletons are found during renovations on a very old home, then there is a murder, and conflicting views on a earlier murder with possibly a death penalty hanging wrongly carried out. I was fascinated for much of the story, with all the creepiness of dissection of bodies acquired through grave robbing and more. But at the end there was one or two twists too many, with the elastic being stretched almost too far to be credible. Still thinking about it. Maybe I need a Pete the Cat book for a palette cleanser!
Only 10 books to go to be all caught up with this series! What a laugh. What's Covid 19 for, if not to catch up on things. Also scored a number of the series I did not have on sale via Barnes & Noble a bit ago. Makes it easier.
The story is fairly complicated including bodies from both the Elizabethan era and the latter years of World War II. Complicated search for the people living in and evacuated to an old home on Wesley Peterson's patch. His buddy Neil is involved when skeletons are found during renovations on a very old home, then there is a murder, and conflicting views on a earlier murder with possibly a death penalty hanging wrongly carried out. I was fascinated for much of the story, with all the creepiness of dissection of bodies acquired through grave robbing and more. But at the end there was one or two twists too many, with the elastic being stretched almost too far to be credible. Still thinking about it. Maybe I need a Pete the Cat book for a palette cleanser!
Only 10 books to go to be all caught up with this series! What a laugh. What's Covid 19 for, if not to catch up on things. Also scored a number of the series I did not have on sale via Barnes & Noble a bit ago. Makes it easier.
October 30, 2013
A very enjoyable crime mystery, a cross between Midsomer Murders and Lewis. The setting in Devon where I have just been added to the enjoyment.
May 11, 2019
Not as good as the others in the series
I wasn’t sure how to rate this one. As a stand alone mystery, if you’ve never read any of the others in the series, it was okay. To be honest, I finished reading it several days ago but I now can’t remember who the murderer was! I do remember that the solution seemed to come out of nowhere after a lot of unrelated subplots. One of Ellis’ strengths in the series has been the back and forth between past mystery and present mystery. This time it didn’t really work in my eyes. The past mysteries weren’t well fleshed (sorry for the pun) out.
I generally read these less for the mystery than for how the characters—Wesley, his wife Pam, their archaeologist friend Neil and various supporting figures—are developing. I was disappointed in Wesley in this book. He is ignoring his family unnecessarily whilst focusing more on more on his police work, even though his detective work certainly isn’t even of the calibre of Miss Marple. In this book he continues to stay out late meeting with a female reporter even though she never has any information that the police don’t already know.
And I didn’t like this character, Nuala, the “girl reporter” at all. She seems to be a throwback to an era where women were mainly described as flirty and vampy or frumpy. The series is set in our era where women, hopefully, have moved past that. So, really, having a character like that, especially in a book written by a woman, is disappointing. She doesn’t add to the story at all. In fact, thinking about it, most female characters in the series so far are dependent on the male characters.
Still I will continue to read the series because I do see Ellis overcoming some of her earlier writing faults (well, faults in my eyes) like her reliance on describing women having “shy smiles.”
Still I don’t recommend it as a particularly good example of this series and, if you really like a good MYSTERY, I wouldn’t put this at the top of my list
I wasn’t sure how to rate this one. As a stand alone mystery, if you’ve never read any of the others in the series, it was okay. To be honest, I finished reading it several days ago but I now can’t remember who the murderer was! I do remember that the solution seemed to come out of nowhere after a lot of unrelated subplots. One of Ellis’ strengths in the series has been the back and forth between past mystery and present mystery. This time it didn’t really work in my eyes. The past mysteries weren’t well fleshed (sorry for the pun) out.
I generally read these less for the mystery than for how the characters—Wesley, his wife Pam, their archaeologist friend Neil and various supporting figures—are developing. I was disappointed in Wesley in this book. He is ignoring his family unnecessarily whilst focusing more on more on his police work, even though his detective work certainly isn’t even of the calibre of Miss Marple. In this book he continues to stay out late meeting with a female reporter even though she never has any information that the police don’t already know.
And I didn’t like this character, Nuala, the “girl reporter” at all. She seems to be a throwback to an era where women were mainly described as flirty and vampy or frumpy. The series is set in our era where women, hopefully, have moved past that. So, really, having a character like that, especially in a book written by a woman, is disappointing. She doesn’t add to the story at all. In fact, thinking about it, most female characters in the series so far are dependent on the male characters.
Still I will continue to read the series because I do see Ellis overcoming some of her earlier writing faults (well, faults in my eyes) like her reliance on describing women having “shy smiles.”
Still I don’t recommend it as a particularly good example of this series and, if you really like a good MYSTERY, I wouldn’t put this at the top of my list
April 14, 2018
In The Flesh Tailor, a doctor is murdered as he prepares to leave for a dinner party. There are some obvious suspects, his soon to be ex-wife and her somewhat shady partner, along with a couple of pals of his. Suspects are one thing, but evidence is elusive. Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson has quite a puzzle to sort out.
The second storyline, which is a trademark of this series, concerns skeletons found during an excavation. Peterson's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, is called out to the site. The bones turn out to be quite old, but further digging to ensure they have recovered everything turns up the remains of a more recent death.
This is a decent mystery series; however, the discovery of old bones every time there's a present day murder is highly unlikely which makes the tone of the books somewhat formulaic. Despite that, Kate Ellis spins a good tale and the historical mystery always adds extra depth to the storyline.
The second storyline, which is a trademark of this series, concerns skeletons found during an excavation. Peterson's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, is called out to the site. The bones turn out to be quite old, but further digging to ensure they have recovered everything turns up the remains of a more recent death.
This is a decent mystery series; however, the discovery of old bones every time there's a present day murder is highly unlikely which makes the tone of the books somewhat formulaic. Despite that, Kate Ellis spins a good tale and the historical mystery always adds extra depth to the storyline.
May 2, 2021
Again Kate Ellis has gone and written another great book in the Wesley Peterson series. I was glued to the pages from the get go like the other books in the series. Ellis takes the past and the present and merges them together too great such a criminal tale. The characters are well thought through and the plot line even more.
I love the way that the author takes the past and intwines it with the current case that Wesley Peterson is working on, tying them together in ways that you probably wouldn't think was possible or even in ways you thought would work out together. By blending it together, it creates a whole new world of crime investigation.
I love the way that the author takes the past and intwines it with the current case that Wesley Peterson is working on, tying them together in ways that you probably wouldn't think was possible or even in ways you thought would work out together. By blending it together, it creates a whole new world of crime investigation.
October 17, 2023
My guilty pleasure! Coming from South Devon I enjoy trying to" place" all the locations, some obvious,others not so. I enjoy the historical and contemporary strands of the story and gradual development.of the central characters' stories across the series.
March 20, 2025
14th in the Wesley Peterson series. This ibe was really good with crime and archeology combined as in all the books in this series. But also a glimpse into what it was like for evacuated children during the war. There was some very good twists in this one as well. Couldn't read it quick enough. Really enjoying this series.
May 31, 2022
An excellent murder mystery from an author that was new to me. It is one of a series of books by Kate Ellis featuring DI Wesley Peterson set in Devon. It starts with the murder of a local GP. Seemingly unconnected to the search for Dr Dalcott's killer is the discovery by an archeologist of skeletons buried at nearby Tailors Court who appear to bear the marks of dissection. Each chapter of the book begins with an extract from the reminisces of a wartime evacuee who was sent to Tailors Court to avoid the blitz. As the story unfolds it becomes evident that these three strands are interconnected and that Dr Dalcott's murder is linked to events in both the 16th and 20th centuries.
I thought this was very well written and full of unexpected plot developments and red herrings. Every time I thought I'd worked out who the murderer was I was proved wrong! I liked the way events in the 16th century influenced what happened to the evacuees. There were many plausible suspects but also peripheral characters that it was easy to overlook. And a pushy journalist (it seems obligatory to have one, usually female, in all crime novels and they usually publish something that hinders the investigation!) who flirted with Peterson who sort of enjoyed the attention! She did however have some useful local information so although annoyingly persistent she did have a part to play in uncovering the truth.
I would never have guessed the ending (other than that the pushy journalist would inevitably be there at the denouement!). My hairdresser Dawn who often passes interesting books on to me gave me this book and one other in the series which I am looking forward to reading. This would make an excellent TV adaptation. Great entertainment and a real page turner.
I thought this was very well written and full of unexpected plot developments and red herrings. Every time I thought I'd worked out who the murderer was I was proved wrong! I liked the way events in the 16th century influenced what happened to the evacuees. There were many plausible suspects but also peripheral characters that it was easy to overlook. And a pushy journalist (it seems obligatory to have one, usually female, in all crime novels and they usually publish something that hinders the investigation!) who flirted with Peterson who sort of enjoyed the attention! She did however have some useful local information so although annoyingly persistent she did have a part to play in uncovering the truth.
I would never have guessed the ending (other than that the pushy journalist would inevitably be there at the denouement!). My hairdresser Dawn who often passes interesting books on to me gave me this book and one other in the series which I am looking forward to reading. This would make an excellent TV adaptation. Great entertainment and a real page turner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2012
First Line: November. The month of the dead. The month of remembrance and funerals.
Once again Kate Ellis has written a wonderful blend of new and ancient mysteries occurring in the south of England. Dr. James Dalcott is found shot dead in his cottage, and when Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson begins piecing together the facts of the victim's life, he finds the well-liked doctor had been hiding some very strange family secrets.
While Peterson is working on the Dalcott murder, archaeologist Neil Watson has been called out to Tailors Court-- a property that dates back to Elizabethan times-- where six skeletons have been found. Watson finds that the skeletons show signs of dissection and may be linked to tales of sixteenth-century body snatching. However, one more skeleton is found-- that of the body of a young child buried with a toy car and a coin dating from the 1930s. Watson's investigation has taken an even more sinister turn from the days of Queen Elizabeth to the time of children evacuated from London during World War II. Could there possibly be a connection between the murdered doctor and the skeletons of Tailors Court?
If you've ever read a Wesley Peterson mystery written by Kate Ellis, you know there is a connection between the new mystery and the old, and the delight is in trying to discover the connection before the author reveals it. Now through fourteen books in this series, the main characters feel like well-loved members of my family, and I look forward to reading about what's happened to them as much as I enjoy the murder investigations.
The Flesh Tailor is particularly engaging because of the three separate cases. The present-day case concerning the execution-style murder of the doctor is truly puzzling, and learning about the history of an old house has always been a favorite past time of mine. Tailors Court and its Elizabethan occupant do not disappoint. When Ellis introduces the memories of a wartime evacuee who experienced Tailors Court as a child, my interest and my level of enjoyment moved up another notch or three. The quality of Ellis's Wesley Peterson mysteries is consistently high, but The Flesh Tailor is one of the best of the series. If you love mysteries that blend excellent characterization with the police procedural and strong dashes of archaeology and history, this series will most definitely be your cup of tea. Curl up with one and find out!
Once again Kate Ellis has written a wonderful blend of new and ancient mysteries occurring in the south of England. Dr. James Dalcott is found shot dead in his cottage, and when Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson begins piecing together the facts of the victim's life, he finds the well-liked doctor had been hiding some very strange family secrets.
While Peterson is working on the Dalcott murder, archaeologist Neil Watson has been called out to Tailors Court-- a property that dates back to Elizabethan times-- where six skeletons have been found. Watson finds that the skeletons show signs of dissection and may be linked to tales of sixteenth-century body snatching. However, one more skeleton is found-- that of the body of a young child buried with a toy car and a coin dating from the 1930s. Watson's investigation has taken an even more sinister turn from the days of Queen Elizabeth to the time of children evacuated from London during World War II. Could there possibly be a connection between the murdered doctor and the skeletons of Tailors Court?
If you've ever read a Wesley Peterson mystery written by Kate Ellis, you know there is a connection between the new mystery and the old, and the delight is in trying to discover the connection before the author reveals it. Now through fourteen books in this series, the main characters feel like well-loved members of my family, and I look forward to reading about what's happened to them as much as I enjoy the murder investigations.
The Flesh Tailor is particularly engaging because of the three separate cases. The present-day case concerning the execution-style murder of the doctor is truly puzzling, and learning about the history of an old house has always been a favorite past time of mine. Tailors Court and its Elizabethan occupant do not disappoint. When Ellis introduces the memories of a wartime evacuee who experienced Tailors Court as a child, my interest and my level of enjoyment moved up another notch or three. The quality of Ellis's Wesley Peterson mysteries is consistently high, but The Flesh Tailor is one of the best of the series. If you love mysteries that blend excellent characterization with the police procedural and strong dashes of archaeology and history, this series will most definitely be your cup of tea. Curl up with one and find out!
October 9, 2015
This is the fourteenth in the Wesley Peterson series and it felt very formulaic and pedestrian. Some of the clues in the story were obvious to me but it took another 50 pages for the detectives to catch up. The author has hit a winning formula and although each story is different the model is the same each time and my interest in the characters is waning. In the early books we had Wesley interacting with his family and his colleagues but this book had little of that.
May 7, 2020
An evocative title hinting at the gruesome crimes which require Wesley's and Neil's attention in this Kate Ellis instalment. I have reached the 14th of this series and continuing to enjoy it so much. Here we have 3 layers - dire deeds in Elizabethan times, the Second World War and present day - of course all are cleverly connected and the surprising twist at the end definitely makes this a 4-star read :)
August 6, 2023
This isn't one of the newer ones in this Wesley Peterson series. It dates from 2010. However, as I explained in other reviews, I've given up on trying to read them in order. Our local library doesn't have them for whatever reason. I'm surprised at that to be honest. I've been getting the through Interlibrary Loan and they've been from out of state. That's fine because there are plenty of other authors that I'm following plus I haven't made a dent in my own books lately!
These books can be gruesome - just be forewarned. After reading this one I can't understand why nobody has made these books into a series on Acorn or Britbox. Ms. Ellis combines archaeology and present day murders. In this book there are actually three sets of murders - old ones from the Elizabethan era, one from wartime and postwar England and one present day. They are intertwined in a particularly horrifying way. Plus there is a particularly creepy pharmaceutical company that also does minor surgeries. Or so they say.
When a local doctor who is well respected and loved by many of his peers is murdered in cold blood by an unknown assailant, Wesley and his crew follow all kinds of leads. It takes a while. At one point Wesley knows the answer is within reach but it continues to elude him. Of course it all comes together in the end but not without some scariness at the very end.
Unlike other of her books this one isn't based on an old murder from the middle ages or the Elizabethan era. At least Ellis doesn't allude to that in the book. It probably is based on a lot of her reading. Ms Ellis is a meticulous writer with a lot of interesting archaeological detail which is one of the reasons I enjoy her books.
These books can be gruesome - just be forewarned. After reading this one I can't understand why nobody has made these books into a series on Acorn or Britbox. Ms. Ellis combines archaeology and present day murders. In this book there are actually three sets of murders - old ones from the Elizabethan era, one from wartime and postwar England and one present day. They are intertwined in a particularly horrifying way. Plus there is a particularly creepy pharmaceutical company that also does minor surgeries. Or so they say.
When a local doctor who is well respected and loved by many of his peers is murdered in cold blood by an unknown assailant, Wesley and his crew follow all kinds of leads. It takes a while. At one point Wesley knows the answer is within reach but it continues to elude him. Of course it all comes together in the end but not without some scariness at the very end.
Unlike other of her books this one isn't based on an old murder from the middle ages or the Elizabethan era. At least Ellis doesn't allude to that in the book. It probably is based on a lot of her reading. Ms Ellis is a meticulous writer with a lot of interesting archaeological detail which is one of the reasons I enjoy her books.
March 27, 2025
Dr James Dalcott is shot dead in his cottage. Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is called on the case. Archaeologist Neil Watson is called to Tailors Court after bines have been discovered dating back to Elizabethan times, and another set are found dating back to the war.
As always I prefer to read books in order. This allows me to get to know the characters and their lives away from the main story. This one however is number fourteen so I have jumped straight in. On this occasion the story can be read as a stand alone.
I felt there was a lot going on in this book. There is the modern day murder along with the a possible murder of a child dating back to the war. There was also I felt a lot of characters with plenty going on. However it does all come together and all is explained.
The book has a bunch of interesting and likeable main characters which I would like to come across agian. The story wasn't long but I felt it did drag a little in places. The story was slowly building to its conclusions which had a satisfactory end.
I did think that becsuse it was a archaeological based crime I thought there would have been a little more on the subject. This I thought can across very thinly, in the background. It didn't spoil the book but it may have added an extra something.
My first by this author and I have a further two in my tbr which I will read. Quite enjoyable and I would recommend.
Right in true time team fashion off to the pub !
As always I prefer to read books in order. This allows me to get to know the characters and their lives away from the main story. This one however is number fourteen so I have jumped straight in. On this occasion the story can be read as a stand alone.
I felt there was a lot going on in this book. There is the modern day murder along with the a possible murder of a child dating back to the war. There was also I felt a lot of characters with plenty going on. However it does all come together and all is explained.
The book has a bunch of interesting and likeable main characters which I would like to come across agian. The story wasn't long but I felt it did drag a little in places. The story was slowly building to its conclusions which had a satisfactory end.
I did think that becsuse it was a archaeological based crime I thought there would have been a little more on the subject. This I thought can across very thinly, in the background. It didn't spoil the book but it may have added an extra something.
My first by this author and I have a further two in my tbr which I will read. Quite enjoyable and I would recommend.
Right in true time team fashion off to the pub !
December 17, 2023
This is a good crime thriller that weaves multiple cases together as Wesley investigates the murder of a local well loved doctor at the same time as uncovering a potential historical murder ring at a local farm, all of which happens to overlaps with his own life as his family and friends become involved as the case continues. On top of this, it becomes apparent that the good doctor may not have been as clean cut as first thought as his involvement in a local private clinic leads to several surprising and somewhat illegal revelations. The writing is very good and flows well, pulling together and separating the different strands as red herrings a plenty arise and vanish throughout the book.
March 15, 2025
There was a lot going on, and some of the storylines intertwined with each other (alongside the chapter beginnings as usual), so I had no idea whether they'd all be linked. I see that Nick Tarnaby got a lot more airtime (or maybe I didn't notice his presence a lot in the previous one).
The anagram seemed a bit far-fetched for a crime novel, I'd expect to have seen that in a less thought out plan, and it turns out that some unrelated character actually had the anagram name in the first place (seemed a bit unlikely), the big reveal was such a twist that I didn't imagine it to be like this. I guess this is one of the better novels; there was a lot of dead ends to some of the facts found out.
The anagram seemed a bit far-fetched for a crime novel, I'd expect to have seen that in a less thought out plan, and it turns out that some unrelated character actually had the anagram name in the first place (seemed a bit unlikely), the big reveal was such a twist that I didn't imagine it to be like this. I guess this is one of the better novels; there was a lot of dead ends to some of the facts found out.
August 13, 2026
Welcome back, old friends, it's been a while!
Although not one of the best outings for DI Wesley Peterson and co, it is, nevertheless well written, researched and engaging. Pam remains annoying, something Kate Ellis has acknowledged in discussion, Neil appears more on the fringes and there is the introduction of a pushy female journalist who is linked to one of the historical witnesses.
Unlike previous Peterson novels, this utilises relatively recent history (WW2) in that some of the original witnesses are still alive and is somewhat disturbing involving evacuees and psychologically damaged children without being overly shocking.
Perfect holiday reading.
Although not one of the best outings for DI Wesley Peterson and co, it is, nevertheless well written, researched and engaging. Pam remains annoying, something Kate Ellis has acknowledged in discussion, Neil appears more on the fringes and there is the introduction of a pushy female journalist who is linked to one of the historical witnesses.
Unlike previous Peterson novels, this utilises relatively recent history (WW2) in that some of the original witnesses are still alive and is somewhat disturbing involving evacuees and psychologically damaged children without being overly shocking.
Perfect holiday reading.
January 10, 2022
Oh, no!
I have read the thirteen prior books in this series and would have given all of them four—maybe five—stars. This one was a disappointment.
I’ve come to expect tightly constructed plots, characters who behave in consistent manners, and precise use of the language. This book was careless in all three areas. I almost wondered if it had been shunted off to a studio of apprentices, as Renaissance artists were wont to do.
(I wasn’t going to mention the gruesome aspects which I found off-putting, but here they are.)
Not giving up, though. On to Book15.
I have read the thirteen prior books in this series and would have given all of them four—maybe five—stars. This one was a disappointment.
I’ve come to expect tightly constructed plots, characters who behave in consistent manners, and precise use of the language. This book was careless in all three areas. I almost wondered if it had been shunted off to a studio of apprentices, as Renaissance artists were wont to do.
(I wasn’t going to mention the gruesome aspects which I found off-putting, but here they are.)
Not giving up, though. On to Book15.
June 6, 2026
Another winner that didn’t disappoint
I adore the Wesley Peterson series. It feels like the police staff are fast friends of mine. This was a fast paced mystery that kept me guessing and accurately figuring out. Very cool how everything was revealed in the end with twists and turns along the way. The main reason I read these is that they are clean. Almost no gratuitous content or profanity. I hope Kate Ellis never goes that route to please her publishers. Her writing stands on its own.
I adore the Wesley Peterson series. It feels like the police staff are fast friends of mine. This was a fast paced mystery that kept me guessing and accurately figuring out. Very cool how everything was revealed in the end with twists and turns along the way. The main reason I read these is that they are clean. Almost no gratuitous content or profanity. I hope Kate Ellis never goes that route to please her publishers. Her writing stands on its own.
February 4, 2025
This west country series featuring DI Wesley Peterson gets better and better. It's also much darker, I feel, with each sucessive book.
The Flesh Tailor begins with the brutal murder of a local doctor but soon Wesley and Co are investigating several murder over many decades, spanning a period from the 1600's, to the present day with some of the story based during WW2. There are some quite macabre and gruesome aspects to this story - it is also quite convoluted in parts and the conclusion was very clever and unexpected. The way the various elements intertwine and connect are very clever.
The Flesh Tailor begins with the brutal murder of a local doctor but soon Wesley and Co are investigating several murder over many decades, spanning a period from the 1600's, to the present day with some of the story based during WW2. There are some quite macabre and gruesome aspects to this story - it is also quite convoluted in parts and the conclusion was very clever and unexpected. The way the various elements intertwine and connect are very clever.
May 22, 2026
As always, the Tradmouth investigative team is kept busy with multiple intertwining cases which end up dovetailing or, in the instance of the usual red herring(s), being resolved satisfactorily in the process. My favorite aspect of this particular entry in the Wesley Peterson series is the WWII tale of several young evacuees and their ties to the contemporary investigation of the death of a well-liked local doctor. The author always manages to get in an interesting history lesson!
April 19, 2022
Wow… I think the whole way through I had my ideas and then at the end bang everything changed, the whole way through it keeps you hooked. There is so many different things going on it’s impossible to loose interest. So excited to read the rest of this series and would 100% recommend this to others :)
September 4, 2025
I like the Wesley Petetson series by Kate Ellis, but this one (despite its promising start and atmospheric tone) was a bit of a disappointment. Too many characters with convoluted associations. But I'm sticking with the series, and fingers crossed that the next book will be a return to form.
© Koplowitz 2025
© Koplowitz 2025
September 21, 2017
SO many twists--some telegraphed. Having the historical elements, the horrors of the Blitz and the 1600s' developing scientific explorations, combine to shadow and shape the present-day murder mystery was superb. Humans are SO wily and SO interesting.
August 11, 2020
Pretty much up to standard. I enjoyed the mixing of stories from the far past, more recent past and the present. Although these books are formulaic in many ways they are very readable with excellent plots.
May 1, 2021
First time I have read a Kate Ellis book, liked the mix of past and present, written well with interesting characters, based in my county of Devon, will definitely read more, shame about the long chapters though
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