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Joe Plantagenet #5
Walking by Night
Fifth intriguing mystery in the atmospheric Joe Plantagenet police procedural series"
Taking a short cut home beneath the ruined abbey in the centre of the city, a teenage girl reports stumbling across a body. She also claims to have seen a mysterious nun-like figure watching her from the shadows. But during the subsequent search, no body is found. The girl s inebriated state and her troubled history make the police sceptical of her story, and only Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet is inclined to believe her.
Then a woman is reported missing, and Joe finds himself caught up in a complex investigation involving a production of The Devils at the local Playhouse. Could the play, with its shocking religious and sexual violence, have something to do with the woman s disappearance? And is there really a connection with the tragic death of a young nun at the site many centuries before? Nothing is as it first appears.
Taking a short cut home beneath the ruined abbey in the centre of the city, a teenage girl reports stumbling across a body. She also claims to have seen a mysterious nun-like figure watching her from the shadows. But during the subsequent search, no body is found. The girl s inebriated state and her troubled history make the police sceptical of her story, and only Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet is inclined to believe her.
Then a woman is reported missing, and Joe finds himself caught up in a complex investigation involving a production of The Devils at the local Playhouse. Could the play, with its shocking religious and sexual violence, have something to do with the woman s disappearance? And is there really a connection with the tragic death of a young nun at the site many centuries before? Nothing is as it first appears.
224 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2015
90 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Kate Ellis
119 books603 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 70 reviews
June 19, 2017
What’s not to like in this book? There is a setting shrouded in fog and a murder shrouded in mystery and strange apparitions. Eborby is a town from medieval times complete with abbey ruins and ghostly tales. After a night drinking with friends, Debby Telerhaye is walking home through the fog, when she feels she is being followed. In her fear she stumbles and encounters a dead body and a nun like figure in long black robes. But when police investigate the body has gone missing. Was it really there? Many are inclined to disbelieve her but Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet believes her and investigates further. As well as this scenario, a woman is reported missing and she is the lead in the current production of The Devils at the Playhouse. Are these incidents connected? Or is it more to do with the legend of a young nun centuries before and her tragic death?
I found this book an interesting read. The plot is cleverly worked out and well written, without being too gory as some police procedural books are. Apparently this is the fifth book featuring D I Plantagenet. I had not read the others and it didn’t matter at all. I quickly engaged with Joe Plantagenet who is an extremely likeable character. There are enough red herrings thrown in to perhaps throw the reader of the track, as to who is the murderer. I don’t read a lot of crime novels but I really enjoyed this one. It is an interesting read that held my attention throughout.
I found this book an interesting read. The plot is cleverly worked out and well written, without being too gory as some police procedural books are. Apparently this is the fifth book featuring D I Plantagenet. I had not read the others and it didn’t matter at all. I quickly engaged with Joe Plantagenet who is an extremely likeable character. There are enough red herrings thrown in to perhaps throw the reader of the track, as to who is the murderer. I don’t read a lot of crime novels but I really enjoyed this one. It is an interesting read that held my attention throughout.
November 1, 2015
The fifth book about Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet.
A young girl on her way home from the pub stumbles over a dead body, but when the police get to the scene of the crime the body is gone. She also claims that she was watched by someone that looked like a nun, but the police don't believe her story since she was quite drunk. But Joe Plantagenet feels that the girl may be telling the truth, and then a body is found.
I was very happy to be approved for the latest book in the Joe Plantagenet series. I have never read a book in the series before, but I have read a book in her Wesley Peterson series and I loved that book. So, I was looking forward to reading this book very much. I liked Joe Plantagenet, he was an interesting character and the fact that he was supposed to have become a priest instead of a cop (Just like Hathaway in Lewis the TV-series) was intriguing. The story was interesting. I kind of narrowed it down to a couple of suspects towards the end, but I didn't figure out exact who the killer was before it's revealed.
I liked this book very much and I have owned the first book in this series and I'm looking forward to reading that one!
I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!
A young girl on her way home from the pub stumbles over a dead body, but when the police get to the scene of the crime the body is gone. She also claims that she was watched by someone that looked like a nun, but the police don't believe her story since she was quite drunk. But Joe Plantagenet feels that the girl may be telling the truth, and then a body is found.
I was very happy to be approved for the latest book in the Joe Plantagenet series. I have never read a book in the series before, but I have read a book in her Wesley Peterson series and I loved that book. So, I was looking forward to reading this book very much. I liked Joe Plantagenet, he was an interesting character and the fact that he was supposed to have become a priest instead of a cop (Just like Hathaway in Lewis the TV-series) was intriguing. The story was interesting. I kind of narrowed it down to a couple of suspects towards the end, but I didn't figure out exact who the killer was before it's revealed.
I liked this book very much and I have owned the first book in this series and I'm looking forward to reading that one!
I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!
December 21, 2025
I guess I confirmed for myself that I don't particularly enjoy the Plantagenet series. Murder and Drama! Loads of drama.
I do like the Wesley Peterson series from this author.
but...just 99cents from Amazon right now
I do like the Wesley Peterson series from this author.
but...just 99cents from Amazon right now
January 26, 2018
Joe found it hard to read the young man, but he was sure of one thing: Perry was the centre of Perry’s world, and he had an exaggerated opinion of his own importance in the artistic world. An arrogance like that could be dangerous…
Kate Ellis’s Walking By Night is the fifth in the Joe Plantagenet series; an atmospheric murder mystery /police procedural set in Eborby, North Yorkshire (a thinly-disguised York / Eboracum), a mecca for tourists with its historic buildings and ruins dating back to Roman settlement. The main character DI Joe Plantagenet trained for the priesthood but left when he fell in love and joined the police.
The story opens with student Debby Telerhaye, leaving a pub one night after a few too many drinks, to walk home through the fog. She senses she is being followed, guessing it to be her mother’s obnoxious boyfriend, and tries to hide in the undercroft near to the abbey ruins. There she trips, sees body of a woman on the ground and the image of a nun, and takes off in a hurry dropping her phone, seeking help in a nearby pub. Joe is walking home himself, hears noises in the area and enters the pub to discover a hysterical Debby, and learns that the landlady has already called the police. A search of the undercroft finds no body and Joe walks Debby home, wondering why she is adamant to turn down the offer of a lift in the patrol car.
Daylight brings news of the body of a woman found in the abbey grounds, identified as a young actress playing in “The Devils”, a play of murder, torture and madness at the Playhouse, a theatre built on the grounds of an old hospital run by nuns and allegedly haunted. When Debby is asked to recount what she had seen DCI Emily Thwaite recognises the name from a case she was assigned to earlier in her career, the disappearance of Debby’s brother Peter Telerhaye, then aged 7, and who has never been found.
Kate Ellis has written a suspenseful mix of gothic-style murder and cold case, bound together in overlap, with many twists as the victim’s past is revealed and potential suspects brought in for questioning. Though I guessed who the murderer was half way through (for once I was right) this did little to detract from the multiple plots emerging. I felt the former flame of Joe’s was unnecessary, possibly a throwback to earlier books in the series, but otherwise it is well-written and recommended.
Kate Ellis’s Walking By Night is the fifth in the Joe Plantagenet series; an atmospheric murder mystery /police procedural set in Eborby, North Yorkshire (a thinly-disguised York / Eboracum), a mecca for tourists with its historic buildings and ruins dating back to Roman settlement. The main character DI Joe Plantagenet trained for the priesthood but left when he fell in love and joined the police.
The story opens with student Debby Telerhaye, leaving a pub one night after a few too many drinks, to walk home through the fog. She senses she is being followed, guessing it to be her mother’s obnoxious boyfriend, and tries to hide in the undercroft near to the abbey ruins. There she trips, sees body of a woman on the ground and the image of a nun, and takes off in a hurry dropping her phone, seeking help in a nearby pub. Joe is walking home himself, hears noises in the area and enters the pub to discover a hysterical Debby, and learns that the landlady has already called the police. A search of the undercroft finds no body and Joe walks Debby home, wondering why she is adamant to turn down the offer of a lift in the patrol car.
Daylight brings news of the body of a woman found in the abbey grounds, identified as a young actress playing in “The Devils”, a play of murder, torture and madness at the Playhouse, a theatre built on the grounds of an old hospital run by nuns and allegedly haunted. When Debby is asked to recount what she had seen DCI Emily Thwaite recognises the name from a case she was assigned to earlier in her career, the disappearance of Debby’s brother Peter Telerhaye, then aged 7, and who has never been found.
Kate Ellis has written a suspenseful mix of gothic-style murder and cold case, bound together in overlap, with many twists as the victim’s past is revealed and potential suspects brought in for questioning. Though I guessed who the murderer was half way through (for once I was right) this did little to detract from the multiple plots emerging. I felt the former flame of Joe’s was unnecessary, possibly a throwback to earlier books in the series, but otherwise it is well-written and recommended.
April 9, 2015
This is the 5th installment of the DI Joe Plantagenet series by Kate Ellis, and this is the first book I have read by Kate Ellis but will not be my last.
In Walking by Night, a body is discovered, only to disappear when the police investigate the report by a young local woman in the historical city of Eborby. DI Joe Plantagenet believes the young woman’s story and soon a body is discovered need the abbey ruins. Who is the victim? Who moved the body? And why was she killed in the small city of Eborby, a walled city from medieval times with plenty of tourists to view the city ruins?
This novel offers many twists and turns as the investigation continues with more suspects and victims appearing. This is a good classical mystery which I would compare to the style of Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, and Anne Perry. I would definitely recommend this to readers who want interesting characters, good writing and not too much gore.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In Walking by Night, a body is discovered, only to disappear when the police investigate the report by a young local woman in the historical city of Eborby. DI Joe Plantagenet believes the young woman’s story and soon a body is discovered need the abbey ruins. Who is the victim? Who moved the body? And why was she killed in the small city of Eborby, a walled city from medieval times with plenty of tourists to view the city ruins?
This novel offers many twists and turns as the investigation continues with more suspects and victims appearing. This is a good classical mystery which I would compare to the style of Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, and Anne Perry. I would definitely recommend this to readers who want interesting characters, good writing and not too much gore.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2015
Walking By Night has proven to be just what I needed, a break from heavier things with a British procedural, set in a foggy Yorkshire town full of history and unexplained death. I haven't read any of the books of this series before but that did not seem to interfere with understanding the characters or the essentials of their histories. I find that I have read a couple of books in another of Ellis' series and have others on my tbr and would definitely read more of this Joe Plantagenet series.
The mystery itself is complex from the start with multiple leads, multiple directions of inquiry. And the narrative itself follows more than one character's voice. I enjoyed the chase, not allowing myself to become too worried about red herrings. Instead, I simply read on---wondering who, in the end was responsible. Enjoyable--except for the victims.
Rating 3.5*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
The mystery itself is complex from the start with multiple leads, multiple directions of inquiry. And the narrative itself follows more than one character's voice. I enjoyed the chase, not allowing myself to become too worried about red herrings. Instead, I simply read on---wondering who, in the end was responsible. Enjoyable--except for the victims.
Rating 3.5*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
September 28, 2015
First Sentence: Debby Telerhaye’s footsteps echoed in the fog like hammer blows as her tottering heels hit the stone pavement.
No one really believes the claim of an inebriated teen who claims to have seen a dead body and nun-like figure in the ruins of an abbey, except for DI Joe Plantagenet. The story becomes more believable when a woman is reported missing. Does it have something to do with a local play dealing the religious and sexual violence? Or could it even connect to the death of a young nun centuries before?
Ellis captures our attention from the very first with the combination of a young woman, fog, an abandoned abbey, the sense of being followed, and a dead body. For what more could one ask?
Joe Plantagenet is clearly a man with a past and a very interesting character. He had studied for the priesthood, married and was widowed. Through him, Ellis paints a very realistic portrait of a man who is still grieving, even after several years. He is also a man whose friend is a Canon and a Diocesan Exorcist. It is also nice to have a protagonist listen to sacred music, such as the Thomas Tillis mass for four voices, Allegri:Miserere. In contrast his DCI, Emily Thwaite, is a married woman with three children. It makes for a nice contrast.
One must respect an author who doesn’t make you feel as though you’ve missed something by starting with the fifth book in the series. Still, reading this does make one want to go back and start at the beginning of the series.
“Walking by Night” contain a delicious sense of menace, a very good plot twist, and intrigue that underlies the entire story.
WALKING BY NIGHT (Police Procedural-Joe Plantagenet-England-Contemporary) – G+
Ellis, Kate – 5th in series
Severn House/First World Publication – July 2015
No one really believes the claim of an inebriated teen who claims to have seen a dead body and nun-like figure in the ruins of an abbey, except for DI Joe Plantagenet. The story becomes more believable when a woman is reported missing. Does it have something to do with a local play dealing the religious and sexual violence? Or could it even connect to the death of a young nun centuries before?
Ellis captures our attention from the very first with the combination of a young woman, fog, an abandoned abbey, the sense of being followed, and a dead body. For what more could one ask?
Joe Plantagenet is clearly a man with a past and a very interesting character. He had studied for the priesthood, married and was widowed. Through him, Ellis paints a very realistic portrait of a man who is still grieving, even after several years. He is also a man whose friend is a Canon and a Diocesan Exorcist. It is also nice to have a protagonist listen to sacred music, such as the Thomas Tillis mass for four voices, Allegri:Miserere. In contrast his DCI, Emily Thwaite, is a married woman with three children. It makes for a nice contrast.
One must respect an author who doesn’t make you feel as though you’ve missed something by starting with the fifth book in the series. Still, reading this does make one want to go back and start at the beginning of the series.
“Walking by Night” contain a delicious sense of menace, a very good plot twist, and intrigue that underlies the entire story.
WALKING BY NIGHT (Police Procedural-Joe Plantagenet-England-Contemporary) – G+
Ellis, Kate – 5th in series
Severn House/First World Publication – July 2015
October 30, 2018
While reading this book, I thought how much it compares to you watching the third, fourth or fifth movie of a great series... you know the characters well enough to understand their motivations and behavior, but the story is never predictable. this story is anything but predictable. Usually I can sort out the killer but not this time. It's been 3 years since this book was published and not a peep have we heard about a sixth book. Here's keeping my fingers crossed. This is way too good of a series to end it with only five books.
March 6, 2015
DI Joe Plantagenet comes across a disturbance in a city pub where a young girl claims to have stumbled across a corpse. Joe is off duty but he talks to the girl and believes she is telling the truth and not hallucinating or making it up. When the alleyway in which she saw the body is searched there is no sign of a body. It does however reappear a short distance away in some abbey ruins a few hours later. What follows is a sinister, frog-shrouded mystery featuring ghosts, artists, a clairvoyant, a long missing small child and tensions and feuds between actors in one of the city's theatres which is currently home to a production of the play 'The Devils'.
I found this story gripping reading and it is every bit as good as the previous books in this well written crime series with its hints of the supernatural. I love the setting - the fictional Eborby which many will recognise as York. I like Joe as a character and his boss, Emily and they work well together though they do not always see eye to eye. Joe himself has a troubled and difficult past with which he is struggling to come to terms with but it does not dominate the books.
If you want something a bit different in the crime and mystery genre then try this series. They can be read as standalone novels. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
I found this story gripping reading and it is every bit as good as the previous books in this well written crime series with its hints of the supernatural. I love the setting - the fictional Eborby which many will recognise as York. I like Joe as a character and his boss, Emily and they work well together though they do not always see eye to eye. Joe himself has a troubled and difficult past with which he is struggling to come to terms with but it does not dominate the books.
If you want something a bit different in the crime and mystery genre then try this series. They can be read as standalone novels. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
July 26, 2024
Sigh, this was just a boring book. The last 30 pages were good, and I liked how the story was told from multiple characters’ perspectives; however, I found the characters difficult to connect to and the plot largely uninteresting and quite underdeveloped. Perhaps it was my error for picking a book that comes from a series, but I erroneously thought that it would be a good horror/mystery book. I feel like the blurb did not correspond to the story I read and presented a more enticing plot than I received. I am not sure I could be convinced to read the other books in this series.
November 25, 2018
It was okay.
Found it hard to get enthused about any of the characters, but it was an okay read. Nothing exciting or absorbing.
Found it hard to get enthused about any of the characters, but it was an okay read. Nothing exciting or absorbing.
August 11, 2021
Good entry for the series
This is the second book in Kate Ellis’ Joe Plantagenet series that I have read. Set in the fictional city of Eborby (based on the cathedral city of York), Plantagenet is a detective whose cases always involve some kind of ghostly element. In this one, a young girl going home from a pub one foggy night is convinced she’s being followed and ducks into an alleyway where she sees the ghostly figure of a nun and what looks like a body lying on the ground.
She runs away and reports it to the police who are dubious until a body is discovered later, although not where the girl saw it. And so the main story begins, the search for a killer, with sub stories of a 12 year old kidnapping of a little boy, a theatre production of “The Devils” which is itself bedeviled with problems (and another murder) and the continuing saga of Plantagenet’s lonely life as a widower with a failed relationship. Suspects abound and I didn’t figure out the murderer until close to the end of the book.
As per usual with mysteries and thrillers, some of the behavior of Plantagenet and one of the people in danger made me shake my head. Who leaves a total stranger—someone who could have murderous or at least violent instincts—in their apartment while they go off to work? And what young girl who is convinced she is in danger will go off to a pub on a foggy night? And ducks into an alleyway? As I said, it made me shake my head and there are a few loose ends when the murderer is revealed—namely why DID they choose one of the victims when there is no evidence in the book about it despite the murderer trying to explain it. I couldn’t follow it but then murderers are not always rational. Overall, I really liked the book. Ellis made Eborby/York come to life and I am looking forward to visiting it soon. In the daytime.
This is the second book in Kate Ellis’ Joe Plantagenet series that I have read. Set in the fictional city of Eborby (based on the cathedral city of York), Plantagenet is a detective whose cases always involve some kind of ghostly element. In this one, a young girl going home from a pub one foggy night is convinced she’s being followed and ducks into an alleyway where she sees the ghostly figure of a nun and what looks like a body lying on the ground.
She runs away and reports it to the police who are dubious until a body is discovered later, although not where the girl saw it. And so the main story begins, the search for a killer, with sub stories of a 12 year old kidnapping of a little boy, a theatre production of “The Devils” which is itself bedeviled with problems (and another murder) and the continuing saga of Plantagenet’s lonely life as a widower with a failed relationship. Suspects abound and I didn’t figure out the murderer until close to the end of the book.
As per usual with mysteries and thrillers, some of the behavior of Plantagenet and one of the people in danger made me shake my head. Who leaves a total stranger—someone who could have murderous or at least violent instincts—in their apartment while they go off to work? And what young girl who is convinced she is in danger will go off to a pub on a foggy night? And ducks into an alleyway? As I said, it made me shake my head and there are a few loose ends when the murderer is revealed—namely why DID they choose one of the victims when there is no evidence in the book about it despite the murderer trying to explain it. I couldn’t follow it but then murderers are not always rational. Overall, I really liked the book. Ellis made Eborby/York come to life and I am looking forward to visiting it soon. In the daytime.
May 2, 2025
Another excellent read from Kate Ellis. A novel of murder, in an ancient city, with Roman ruins and swirling mists and fog. A tale of an old mystery of a missing child, with "ghosts" of long dead nuns and actors, a tale of a creepy play, mixed with an old theatre and the actors linked with play, a long dead martyr - throw in a medium and boy, you won't see the end coming!
October 28, 2024
First book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. Definitely 5 star worthy!
February 14, 2017
This is a quick read that is both very entertaining and has the usual surprise twist. The book opens with a young woman walking home after a night out with her friends. She's had a little too much to drink. It's a foggy night. She feels like she is being watched. Her mother's boyfriend has insinuated that he is watching her. She comes upon a body in the street and claims to see a nun. When the police came to look for the body, it was gone. However, Joe Plantagenet believes her even though her story is dismissed at first. Then the body of a woman is found. She is an actor in a play called The Devils which is somewhat controversial play that is based on real historical events. The reader also gets to know a little more about Joe Plantagenet and a secret that he is harboring. This is a fun series with a bit about ghosts and the town of Eborby which is actually York, in Northern England.
June 7, 2017
I am not really sure why, but this book left me feeling quite unsatisfied with the outcome. The first couple of books in this series I thought were really excellent, but the last couple have hit short of the mark. I'm not sure if it's the lack of believability in the main character's actions or something else. There is very little in this book about the recurring secondary characters, nothing to really flesh out the bare bones that were started early on in the series, and I do find series books much more satisfying when there is some real interaction and growth between the protagonist and the other characters.
The mystery itself is fairly well done, and I thought I had things figured out one way, but then there was actually an unexpected plot twist that I didn't see coming so at least there was a bit of surprise to the story. So far this seems to be the last one in this series, although the author is still writing entries in her other long-lived Wesley Peterson series, which I've only just started.
The mystery itself is fairly well done, and I thought I had things figured out one way, but then there was actually an unexpected plot twist that I didn't see coming so at least there was a bit of surprise to the story. So far this seems to be the last one in this series, although the author is still writing entries in her other long-lived Wesley Peterson series, which I've only just started.
October 31, 2018
This is the last book written in the Joe Plantagentet series. I read this series with a group on LibraryThing and we have enjoyed each installment. I am very sad to see the series coming to an end. I hope that Kate Ellis reconsiders and will write more books for this series as I think Joe Plantagenet needs to have some type of meaningful relationship. He also has secrets in his past that need to be revealed. If you haven't read this series, you really need to pick up the first book, Seeking the Dead, and you won't be disappointed. I love the characters in her books and they seem very believable. The plots are quite complex and hard to figure out. Lots of twists keep the pages turning. Highly recommend for historical mystery lovers!
December 2, 2020
Looks like this is the last book in the series, for now at least. I really like the characters, the setting, and the story lines of all the books and hope she writes another one with Joe Plantagenet soon!
April 17, 2015
A good Kate Ellis book, typical of her, plenty of history and murder well worth a read.
July 2, 2023
This novel is better than just okay but I never really wanted to get back to it. I think this may come down to the characters, which I never found terribly involving or engaging. The narrative provides plenty of atmosphere so the book scores high on a characteristic important to me but the atmosphere failed to offset the rather flat characters. There are also some trivial quirks I found off-putting, such as naming the central character ‘Plantagenet’ and referring to the town as ‘Eborby’. These are small things but they distracted me from a sound if conventional plot.
A drunk teen takes a short cut home beneath the ruined abbey in the centre of the city and thinks she’s seen a body and the ghostly image of a nun. She reports this to the police who find nothing to back up her account. Joe’s superior dismisses the girl as a time-waster but Plantagenet is inclined to believe her. Then a woman is reported missing, and Joe finds himself caught up in a complex investigation involving a production of The Devils at the local Playhouse. It makes Joe wonder if there is a vague connection between the current crime and the tragic death of a young nun centuries before and the ghost of an actor in the same theatre many years ago.
The local Playhouse is central to the plot. DI Joe Plantagenet is a reliable cop but he has an angsty soul that sometimes puts him in conflict with his colleagues and perhaps with the reader. The religious touches always felt distracting and off-putting. On the other hand the fictional setting has historical buildings, narrow alleyways and creepy, foggy settings perfect for the character and the narrative to create wonderful creepy scenes.
This is the fifth book in a series and that’s not a big problem, however, understanding the background revealed by earlier novels may have made a difference in my reception of the story. From this book I got a really negative feeling towards DCI Emily Thwaite but she is clearly not intended to be a one-dimensional, blinkered cop -- which is how she appeared to me in this book.
There are some interesting characters and twists but this is just a nice, entertaining novel without any deep, hidden meanings.
A drunk teen takes a short cut home beneath the ruined abbey in the centre of the city and thinks she’s seen a body and the ghostly image of a nun. She reports this to the police who find nothing to back up her account. Joe’s superior dismisses the girl as a time-waster but Plantagenet is inclined to believe her. Then a woman is reported missing, and Joe finds himself caught up in a complex investigation involving a production of The Devils at the local Playhouse. It makes Joe wonder if there is a vague connection between the current crime and the tragic death of a young nun centuries before and the ghost of an actor in the same theatre many years ago.
The local Playhouse is central to the plot. DI Joe Plantagenet is a reliable cop but he has an angsty soul that sometimes puts him in conflict with his colleagues and perhaps with the reader. The religious touches always felt distracting and off-putting. On the other hand the fictional setting has historical buildings, narrow alleyways and creepy, foggy settings perfect for the character and the narrative to create wonderful creepy scenes.
This is the fifth book in a series and that’s not a big problem, however, understanding the background revealed by earlier novels may have made a difference in my reception of the story. From this book I got a really negative feeling towards DCI Emily Thwaite but she is clearly not intended to be a one-dimensional, blinkered cop -- which is how she appeared to me in this book.
There are some interesting characters and twists but this is just a nice, entertaining novel without any deep, hidden meanings.
October 23, 2023
After a night on the town with her friends, Debby, a drunken teenage girl, is walking home near the ruined abbey in the city centre when she sees a mysterious nun-like figure watching her from the shadows. Running in terror, she claims to have tripped over a dead woman. However, when the police go to investigate, no body is found and Debby's story is dismissed as the product of her inebriated state and her troubled past. Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet is inclined to believe her though, especially when an actress is reported missing and Joe finds himself caught up in a complex investigation involving a production of The Devils at the local Playhouse. Could the play, with its shocking religious and sexual violence, have something to do with the woman’s disappearance? Are the abbey and theatre really haunted or is there something more sinister than ghosts at work here?
A skillfully plotted mystery with a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. A great Halloween read.
A skillfully plotted mystery with a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. A great Halloween read.
July 19, 2024
Teenager Debby Telerhaye perhaps unwisely, decides to walk home after a night out with friends through one of the worst fogs in living memory and becomes convinced someone is following her. Taking a short cut in order to avoid her possible stalker, she almost stumbles over what she believes to be the body of woman in long dark clothes. Convinced she has discovered a victim of murder, she swiftly discovers that the police are sceptical given her inebriated condition and her claim of seeing a nun in the fog. Luckily for her, DI Plantagenet believes her, and it is not long before the corpse of an actor in a production of the infamous play 'The Devils' is discovered matching the description of the woman Debby claimed to have seen.
Possibly more gothic than others in the Plantagenet series, involving child murder, dodgy psychics, bloody deaths, murderous nuns and a returning ex- girlfriend, this, the latest outing for Joe Plantagenet is as entertaining as its predecessors. More please!
Possibly more gothic than others in the Plantagenet series, involving child murder, dodgy psychics, bloody deaths, murderous nuns and a returning ex- girlfriend, this, the latest outing for Joe Plantagenet is as entertaining as its predecessors. More please!
August 10, 2024
The novel kicks off with a girl claiming to have seen a body and a mysterious nun in a foggy night, only for both to vanish without a trace. As DI Joe Plantagenet dig deeper into the case, the plot thickens with the disappearance of a woman, a leading actress in a provocative theatre production.
The author does a fantastic job creating an atmospheric setting of the city. However, the initial supernatural mystery gradually settles into a more traditional police procedural. It may slow the pace for readers (like me) expecting a full-blown thriller, but the story remains engaging.
My full review
The author does a fantastic job creating an atmospheric setting of the city. However, the initial supernatural mystery gradually settles into a more traditional police procedural. It may slow the pace for readers (like me) expecting a full-blown thriller, but the story remains engaging.
My full review
May 10, 2017
Another hit for Kate Ellis, the fifth in the Joe Plantagenet series. This time there are. Murders and disappearances, crypts and theaters. Plantagenet and Thwaite slowly piece together current and older crimes featuring the same Councilman and Psychic. Are they guilty of the crimes? Or is there someone else who wants the actors dead?
The end will surprise you! Dear
The end will surprise you! Dear
July 28, 2019
Very exciting book, some unexpected plot twists, though I had some trouble really getting into the book at the start. Took me almost a month to get halfway through the book, but finished the last half in 2 days though. I'm curious to read more by this author.
January 4, 2020
The fifth book in this series and possibly the best one...had me gripped throughout guessing who had done it....a real thriller, with stories of murder and of ghost....brilliant....
Now when is book 6 coming out???
Now when is book 6 coming out???
August 22, 2024
I quite enjoyed this book, it was a bit different to what I normally read. It seemed predictable, but there is a good plot twist in there that I didn't see coming. This was quite a quick, easy read with good writing and just enough mystery to keep me turning pages.
September 8, 2024
held my attention well.
This is the first book I have read featuring Joe Plantagenet I have read and I found it very enjoyable. The mixture of present day and historical fiction was excellent and I shall certainly read more of these books.
This is the first book I have read featuring Joe Plantagenet I have read and I found it very enjoyable. The mixture of present day and historical fiction was excellent and I shall certainly read more of these books.
October 6, 2024
This is the first Joe Plantagenet book I've read, so a bit late to the series but I enjoyed it and will probably go and find some of the previous books. I'm a fan of Kate Ellis, having read all the Wesley books which I think are better but this was a good tale with interesting characters.
October 8, 2025
Hard copy. Yorkshire detective Joe searches for a murderer in foggy Yorkshire. Ok. Set late 20th century with elements of historical environments for atmosphere and ghost stories. Read in 3 afternoons.
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