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Killing in the Shadows
Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet returns in the new book in Kate Ellis's gripping crime series set in Yorkshire.
The quaint Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe was a sanctuary for famous TV personality, Lexi Verity, away from prying eyes and camera flashes. But a life led in the spotlight can create envy in its shadows.
When Lexi is found dead in her swimming pool, DI Joe Plantagenet and DCI Emily Thwaite are called to investigate. The murder of the celebrity is front-page news and the pressure is on the Eborby CID to find the killer.
As Joe and Emily unravel the last moments of Lexi's life, they discover various motives for murder - as well as events in Lexi's distant past that would horrify the public if the facts were ever revealed.
Sinister secrets are also haunting the residents of the ancient cathedral city of Eborby nearby and Joe must decide which lead to follow, before a killer strikes again.
The quaint Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe was a sanctuary for famous TV personality, Lexi Verity, away from prying eyes and camera flashes. But a life led in the spotlight can create envy in its shadows.
When Lexi is found dead in her swimming pool, DI Joe Plantagenet and DCI Emily Thwaite are called to investigate. The murder of the celebrity is front-page news and the pressure is on the Eborby CID to find the killer.
As Joe and Emily unravel the last moments of Lexi's life, they discover various motives for murder - as well as events in Lexi's distant past that would horrify the public if the facts were ever revealed.
Sinister secrets are also haunting the residents of the ancient cathedral city of Eborby nearby and Joe must decide which lead to follow, before a killer strikes again.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 29, 2026
58 people are currently reading
28 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 9, 2026
3.75 / 5.0
Greta book from start to finish, I didn’t know Ellis had other series than the DI Wesley Peterson series so you read another book from her is a surprise. In all honesty, reading a book that’s sixth in the series and years in the making I was apprehensive when it was available on the library, but in actuality it’s an easy book to follow that can be read as a standalone, there are parts which are clear that stem from the previous books but there’s enough to understand the team dynamics, Joe’s personal and professional relationships. It’s a great book, it had me in the end if I’m honest. I think with Kate Ellis, I’ve found her books does a really good job to not make it bleeding predictable. Every book I’ve read I’ve been off, and that’s credit to the author for making the book keep me on my toes!
In a small Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe, where a famous TV personality Lexi Verity lives to hide away from the prying eyes of the media. She’s found dead in her swimming pool, and it’s up to DI Joe Plantagenet and DCI Emily Thwaite to investigate. The murder of a celebrity makes front page news and pressure is on to find the killer responsible. As Joe and Emily unravel the last moments of Lexi’s life, they discover various motives for murder as well as Lexi’s past that’s she’s been hiding for so long shedding light to the public. On top of that we also have a local homeowners who is haunted by the past events near the scientific cathedral city of Eborby, which Joe is keeping an eye on.
Overall it’s a solid read, am interested in the series if Ellis decides another book is on the cards! I find it rare that authors with more than one series manages to uphold the same level of quality and detail! And it turns out that it’s equally just as great as the Peterson ones!
Greta book from start to finish, I didn’t know Ellis had other series than the DI Wesley Peterson series so you read another book from her is a surprise. In all honesty, reading a book that’s sixth in the series and years in the making I was apprehensive when it was available on the library, but in actuality it’s an easy book to follow that can be read as a standalone, there are parts which are clear that stem from the previous books but there’s enough to understand the team dynamics, Joe’s personal and professional relationships. It’s a great book, it had me in the end if I’m honest. I think with Kate Ellis, I’ve found her books does a really good job to not make it bleeding predictable. Every book I’ve read I’ve been off, and that’s credit to the author for making the book keep me on my toes!
In a small Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe, where a famous TV personality Lexi Verity lives to hide away from the prying eyes of the media. She’s found dead in her swimming pool, and it’s up to DI Joe Plantagenet and DCI Emily Thwaite to investigate. The murder of a celebrity makes front page news and pressure is on to find the killer responsible. As Joe and Emily unravel the last moments of Lexi’s life, they discover various motives for murder as well as Lexi’s past that’s she’s been hiding for so long shedding light to the public. On top of that we also have a local homeowners who is haunted by the past events near the scientific cathedral city of Eborby, which Joe is keeping an eye on.
Overall it’s a solid read, am interested in the series if Ellis decides another book is on the cards! I find it rare that authors with more than one series manages to uphold the same level of quality and detail! And it turns out that it’s equally just as great as the Peterson ones!
April 14, 2026
enjoyed this crime thriller kept me on edge until the final page
February 23, 2026
Television personality and presenter Lexi Verity has moved to the Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe to escape from the prying eyes of fans and reporters and find some privacy in the countryside. Lexi’s second husband, Lord Pilton, a successful businessman, had advocated that Lexi left London because he believed she would be safer away from the city, after she had been stalked by an obsessed and ruthless fan, Nathan Corde, who has been imprisoned for his actions.
Lord Pilton is abroad, dealing with business, and Lexi has been left alone in the house, because her staff have the afternoon off. When her housekeeper, Margaret Cramp, returns, she finds Lexi dead in her private swimming pool. In panic, Margaret phones her cousin’s husband, Detective Sergeant Sunny Porter, who alerts his superiors, Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet and Detective Chief Inspector Emily Thwaite.
When the police discover that Nathan Corde was recently released from prison, and has been seen in the locality, the case seems open and shut, especially as Corde has now vanished from sight. Emily is convinced that the whole thing will be over as soon as they locate Corde. Joe hopes that his DCI is right, but he is not totally convinced that the straightforward solution is correct.
Unfortunately, finding Corde is easier said than done, as the Lexi’s stalker has acquired survival skills that make it easy for him to live in the wild without being detected. Corde may be the obvious suspect, but he is not the only one, and, while keeping up the hunt for the obsessed stalker, Joe and Emily have to consider the other people who may have reasons to harm Lexi. The other possible suspects are surprisingly numerous; they come from all walks of life, and are drawn from Lexi’s personal and public life, but it soon becomes clear that nobody knows much about the real Lexi, who concealed her true self beneath her bright television persona. The detectives also struggle to find out the truth about Lexi’s past life, and are faced with the question, who was she before she became Lexi Verity? Does the motive for her death lie in Lexi’s current fame, or in who she was before she became famous?
Emily has a busy domestic life with her husband and children, but Joe lives alone since the tragic death of his wife. In the evenings, he is grateful for the occasional company of his good friend, Canon George Merryweather, Diocesan Consultant on Deliverance and the Occult, and glad of the distraction when George tells him about a newly arrived family who have asked for George’s advice. The children of this family have been seeing the ghosts of a young girl and a man and have smelled burning. The family’s neighbour, Penny, a local solicitor, tells the children’s father, Ben, that there had been a fatal fire in the building, in which a young girl had died, after which a man committed suicide.
This convinces Ben to talk to George about the possibility of performing what used to be called an exorcism. Joe is more naturally religious and open minded regarding psychic matters than his down-to-earth colleague, which means he is less sceptical than Emily about the involvement of a psychic medium that Lexi had consulted a short while before her death. However, both Joe and Emily are uncertain that there is any link between Lexi’s death and the ghostly apparitions that Ben’s children claim to have seen. Then the death toll rises, and Joe and Emily have to act quickly and decisively in a desperate race to save other innocent lives.
Killing in the Shadows is the sixth book in the series featuring Joe Plantagenet. It is an excellent story, with engaging central characters that depict the police as human and vulnerable, but also caring and decent people. The plot is complex but coherent, with many skilfully laid false trails, and the book has a fascinating setting. This is a very enjoyable read, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
Lord Pilton is abroad, dealing with business, and Lexi has been left alone in the house, because her staff have the afternoon off. When her housekeeper, Margaret Cramp, returns, she finds Lexi dead in her private swimming pool. In panic, Margaret phones her cousin’s husband, Detective Sergeant Sunny Porter, who alerts his superiors, Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet and Detective Chief Inspector Emily Thwaite.
When the police discover that Nathan Corde was recently released from prison, and has been seen in the locality, the case seems open and shut, especially as Corde has now vanished from sight. Emily is convinced that the whole thing will be over as soon as they locate Corde. Joe hopes that his DCI is right, but he is not totally convinced that the straightforward solution is correct.
Unfortunately, finding Corde is easier said than done, as the Lexi’s stalker has acquired survival skills that make it easy for him to live in the wild without being detected. Corde may be the obvious suspect, but he is not the only one, and, while keeping up the hunt for the obsessed stalker, Joe and Emily have to consider the other people who may have reasons to harm Lexi. The other possible suspects are surprisingly numerous; they come from all walks of life, and are drawn from Lexi’s personal and public life, but it soon becomes clear that nobody knows much about the real Lexi, who concealed her true self beneath her bright television persona. The detectives also struggle to find out the truth about Lexi’s past life, and are faced with the question, who was she before she became Lexi Verity? Does the motive for her death lie in Lexi’s current fame, or in who she was before she became famous?
Emily has a busy domestic life with her husband and children, but Joe lives alone since the tragic death of his wife. In the evenings, he is grateful for the occasional company of his good friend, Canon George Merryweather, Diocesan Consultant on Deliverance and the Occult, and glad of the distraction when George tells him about a newly arrived family who have asked for George’s advice. The children of this family have been seeing the ghosts of a young girl and a man and have smelled burning. The family’s neighbour, Penny, a local solicitor, tells the children’s father, Ben, that there had been a fatal fire in the building, in which a young girl had died, after which a man committed suicide.
This convinces Ben to talk to George about the possibility of performing what used to be called an exorcism. Joe is more naturally religious and open minded regarding psychic matters than his down-to-earth colleague, which means he is less sceptical than Emily about the involvement of a psychic medium that Lexi had consulted a short while before her death. However, both Joe and Emily are uncertain that there is any link between Lexi’s death and the ghostly apparitions that Ben’s children claim to have seen. Then the death toll rises, and Joe and Emily have to act quickly and decisively in a desperate race to save other innocent lives.
Killing in the Shadows is the sixth book in the series featuring Joe Plantagenet. It is an excellent story, with engaging central characters that depict the police as human and vulnerable, but also caring and decent people. The plot is complex but coherent, with many skilfully laid false trails, and the book has a fascinating setting. This is a very enjoyable read, which I thoroughly recommend.
--------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
February 10, 2026
Zero glamour and no unnecessary theatrics define this latest outing for DI Joe Plantagenet, who finds himself leading the investigation when a famous figure is discovered dead. But do not be put off by that. No over the top theatrics are needed here. Almost immediately, the case proves to be anything but straightforward. Conflicting accounts of the victim’s life and shadowy connections begin to surface, forcing Joe and his team to peel back layers of deception where nothing is quite what it seems.
This is a captivating police procedural, elevated by a strong sense of place. Yorkshire is rendered with vivid clarity, its atmosphere quietly shaping the tone and grounding the story in a realism that many similar novels lack. Rather than aiming for spectacle, the book leans into authenticity, and it is all the better for it.
The dialogue is sharp, the character work convincing, and the central mystery engaging without resorting to gimmicks. Joe Plantagenet feels increasingly well realised, and this instalment continues to lift the series to impressive heights.
A gritty, confident, and highly enjoyable entry that proves once again that strong characterisation and solid police work can be far more compelling than gloss or glamour.
This is a captivating police procedural, elevated by a strong sense of place. Yorkshire is rendered with vivid clarity, its atmosphere quietly shaping the tone and grounding the story in a realism that many similar novels lack. Rather than aiming for spectacle, the book leans into authenticity, and it is all the better for it.
The dialogue is sharp, the character work convincing, and the central mystery engaging without resorting to gimmicks. Joe Plantagenet feels increasingly well realised, and this instalment continues to lift the series to impressive heights.
A gritty, confident, and highly enjoyable entry that proves once again that strong characterisation and solid police work can be far more compelling than gloss or glamour.
April 5, 2026
I've read many of Kate Ellis' books from different series. They are good, straightforward detective stories with usually a whiff of the supernatural somewhere threaded through the story. As with other settings she creates a fictitious name for the city in which the action is based. In this case it's clearly meant to be York. Have to say I find it irritating and don't bother with the invented name. It's York. I'm aware that writers don't want to be picked up on any inaccuracies but those who do locate their stories in a real place often preface the book with a statement saying that they've taken a few liberties with some locations etc. That aside it was a satisfying who dunnit. I do find much of the conversational chit chat very dated considering the main characters are all under forty years of age. But I can understand the attraction of story with a resolution, ongoing characters with some development from one book to the next and a setting that's a medieval city in north Yorkshire. I'm guessing it's York!
February 26, 2026
10 years since the last D I Joe Plantagenet novel. This was really good with the modern and historical mysteries nicely linked together. I enjoyed the ghostly aspect too. Hope it's not ten years until the next adventure for Joe.
February 22, 2026
Brilliant. Love this series
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews