The Blood Pit

Wesley Peterson #12

by Kate Ellis

Never has DI Wesley Peterson witnessed such a bizarre crime scene. The victim, Charles Marrick, has been murdered, his body drained of blood. Described by those who knew him as 'evil', it seems that Wesley isn't going to have any shortage of suspects - until a popular local vet is murdered in an identical fashion...and a third body is discovered many miles away.

And when Wesley's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, starts getting disturbing anonymous letters written in gory detail about macabre events at a medieval abbey - which Neil fears are being sent by the killer Wesley is looking for - Wesley wonders whether there could be a connection between all these deaths and Neil's letters. And could Neil himself be in danger? As the sinister truth unfolds, both Wesley and Neil are forced to face tragedy and shocking revelations...and a killer who bears the scars of past sins.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Procedural, Archaeology, Mystery Thriller, Historical Fiction

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 27, 2008

About the author

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

Reviews

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

No more shy smiles please

I like Kate Ellis’ books. By number 12, I know Gerry Heffernan and Wesley Peterson well. And I enjoy their stories although really as far as detectives go, they take an awfully long time to figure out who the killer is.

This book was particularly convoluted. I thought I had figured out who the killer was by the middle but I was only half right. And Ellis unfairly drops a clue that the killer is one gender when they are in fact the other. Not really on I think. Her storyline is the usual, medieval and then modern, murders and/or misdoings. She is very good at that but this one is more complicated, almost too complicated. And Heffernan and Wesley stumble around in the dark when, really, had they delved more into the pasts of the three murdered men at the beginning, they could have found what they had in common and, if they had pressed the people who knew them back then, they would have known what happened.

But the thing that irks me the most is how many times she uses the term “shy smile”—all the women smile shyly it seems, with Rachel, another recurring character, giving the most. I have noted it in Peters’ books before and this time I searched on my Kindle for how many times shy or shyly were used—19 in this one book. More than once per chapter. I obviously find it very distracting :)

Still I am attached to Wesley and his colleagues and friends so I will be reading the next one.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not care for this one. The theme is blood and the action is beyond ghoulish. If you have never read one of the Wesley Peterson books, do not start with this 12th book. Typically there is something interesting going on that Neil is working on that ties in with Wesley's murders he is tasked with solving. Not for me this time.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A corpse is found drained of blood. And then another. One victim is considered an evil bastard; the other is much loved. What can possibly link them in death? Wesley Peterson has to find out.

Meanwhile, Wes' friend, archaeologist Neil Watson is getting weird, somewhat threatening messages, while working a local dig.

Slowly, the threads of both cases begin to twist together.

Great read. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

DI Wesley Peterson has never witnessed such a bizarre crime scene. A man has been brutally murdered by two precise wounds to his neck and his body drained of blood.

This book was a 4* Stars for me.

I love how Kate Ellis interweaves the past with the present in this series. All the crimes have some connection to things that have happened hundreds of years in the past. These books also manage to keep me guessing, unlike a lot of other crime novels I have read where you can figure out the culprit before the end, Kate Ellis is good at keeping the guilty hidden until the very end and it happens to be the last person you would think of.

This series is also good at hitting you with a good twist when you least expect it. They don't go over the top throwing twist after twist until you're like wtf this is just too unreal. The twist at the end of The Blood Pit left me gob smacked, I did not see it coming and I enjoyed this one even more than I did the last.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feelings. I would have given it a 3.5. The story moves forward well and most of the police officers are shown as caring people, torn between duty and family life. There were a few clues as to whodunnit. What irked was that so many of the women smiled 'shyly' at the men, whatever their status. What irritated was that police officers who were women were referred to as 'WPC's. This appelation was discontinued in the 1980's.

[Kerryrosalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn’t get into it at all and there’s too many books to read to waste time on one you’re not interested in!

[ToriJaneReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Historical Fiction
Pace: Slow
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Rating: 2*s

This Is my first book by author Kate Ellis and since I own more than just this one, I was hoping for a better read than what was delivered. I probably shouldn’t have started with the 12th book, but nothing said I had to read them in order. However, after skimming some other reviews it seems as though there’re others that are better and that the two detectives generally do just take their sweet ass time figuring out crimes.

This storyline started out so well. The first murder was so intriguing, and the widow was infuriating enough to be my first suspect. However, it seemed to slow right down after this until the next murder which by the time it happened, I found I couldn’t really care. I didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters either as I found the storyline not only dragged but jumped around a little bit too. Even with them investigating a previous murder in an area close to where I live couldn’t drag up any further interest.

‘The Blood Pit’ has a good, twisty plot, but the storyline is so slow and actually very badly edited that I had to just skim the dialogue to see what happened in the end. (As we all know, I have a problem DNF’ing and considering I was stuck on this book for close to 3 weeks as I didn’t even want to pick it up, I was just doing anything to finish it). I will say that I was disappointed with the outcome for Steve Carstairs also. I can’t say I was his biggest fan throughout the book, in fact, I couldn’t stand him, but his final outcome was just plain sad and from what little I knew of him, I can’t say it was very believable for his character either.

From seeing other reviews raving about the previous books in the series, I will try another book by Ellis, though more so because I already have them on my book shelves. I wouldn’t recommend this book, but if you’re going to give them a go, then I would recommend reading them from the beginning to get a better sense of the characters and hopefully their development over the course of the previous 11 books. Perhaps this one was just a dud, and I might find the others to be better. Watch this space, I suppose!

[Belle Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointed with this one. Too many things hidden from the reader and ending wasn't credible given the way a previous scene was written (I even went back to reread the scene to see if my new perspective made a difference - it didn't).

Still like this series though, and have the most recent title from the library so will read that next.

[PAUL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book despite finding it stretching credibility at times. The possibility of a young Englishman, a convicted criminal, changing his appearance and becoming a renowned French chef with constant TV appearances without anyone knowing him from his previous life is risible. The denouement was equally questionable.
Not her best work by a long chalk.

[Vivitaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad :(

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't quite put a finger on why it's so but Kate Ellis has a talent for making dialogue sound 100% authentic. Most authors are pretty good at this but Kate Ellis' characters are like listening to people chat at the pub or in a coffee shop. And the good characters show weaknesses in highly plausible ways.

As to the story - semi-spoiler alert - it is sad. One of the victims deserved his fate, the others less so. One's sympathy is with the murderer rather than the victim. There are some rather tense moments as characters are put in danger. One regular character dies.

An exsanguinated body is found but why is there no sign the victim had tried to defend himself. Then a second person is killed in the same way. Meanwhile police resources are also stretched by the discovery of a skeleton.

It turns out that there are two stories here which have a link not realised until almost the end.

The Wesley Peterson series books are highly satisfying but not books I'd want to re-read.

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly typical Wesley Peterson mystery (#12) with archaeological threads and, in this case, someone writing letters to old mate Neil Watson, the archaeologist.
A serial killer is at work bumping off first a nasty, then a nice, victim. The police later discover that there was an earlier killing, and only then do the threads begin to come together. Afterwards, the investigation proceeds apace and is wound up satisfactorily.
There are the usual sidelines of family life of the police officers, and while this adds humanity, it also adds to the length of the book - too long at 346 pages.
The edition I read is the Piatkus paperback 2021, with a different cover, and I began to notice quite a few spelling errors, which was a little disappointing.
I have usually had a few criticisms of the books in this series, but I keep grabbing them when available. This one is particularly gruesome and blood-soaked, but somehow it is just part of the plot.
I'll rate this 3.8.

[Alec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The mystery felt original and exciting, and I wasn't able to guess who had done it - even though I was trying very hard!

Great and large cast of very varied characters who felt complicated and messy in a very realistic way. I could imagine bumping into every one of them roaming the world.

There were a couple of minor inconsistencies that I noticed between chapters, and the author has a habit of repeating all the available information frequently. One conversation in particular was repeated very often. But these gripes are very minor, and for people who read slowly or have less than stellar memories would likely appreciate the reminders.

Trigger warnings for sexual assault in this book.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

#12 of Kate Ellis' Wesley Peterson series. I love the mix of crime and archaeology, the characters, and their lives....

This was a heart pounder.... The relationship between the history around the dig that Neil was in charge of and the series of contemporary deaths, eventually seen as murders, was complex and entertwined. The earlier evil from which all the later deaths came was horrific and complex. At the end unraveling the root causes and the retribution was almost too convoluted and even rushed. Otherwise it was the most intense book I'd read in quite some time. Obviously, I could not put the book down and finished it quickly. Kate Ellis creates such powerful plots. I really have to catch up on the series.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first Kate Ellis/Wesley Peterson book.

Not for me I fear. Much the same gripes as other readers have said.
Too many shy smiles. Too stereotypical gender wise.
Rather laborious story, told slowly.
The police were too slow on the uptake etc etc.

And the most annoying thing for me was the way the author adulterated Devon place names, so Dartmouth (a real town) becomes Tardmouth. Bigbury ( a real village) becomes Littlebury. etc etc

It's ludicrous. It's distracting. It feels childish.

I did finish it, so hence 2 stars, but really bordering on a zero from me

I won't bother with another.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Wesley Peterson I've read and definitely my favourite of the two. I'm glad I've come across this series - I'm loving the mixture of history and archaeology and crime all set in the Devon countryside and in spite of gruesome crimes, there's a cosy feeling. I think from now on, I'll read them in the right order which will make more sense with regard to character storylines. This one was a very intriguing multi-layered mystery involving victims poisoned with hemlock and bled to death, a skeleton in the woods, sinister letters and medieval monks......

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I could easily have stopped reading and not gone back to it. However, I’m very glad I continued. The second half of the book is faster paced and more intriguing, I might read further books of this series now.

The slowness of the beginning (and my lack of interest in the characters) is perhaps due to the fact that this is the 12th book in the series, there’s already backstory there I am not aware of, but the second half of the book engaged me with the characters anyway and now I want to know what happens to them next.

[Terri Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

When three murder happen, Wesley Peterson and the rest of the team at the station have to try and figure out what the connection is between their victims before anyone else is hurt. Thrown in to the mix, a skeleton of a man is found in the woods and it gives Wesley another task that he has to try and uncover in amongst his murder investigation.
Neil, Wesley's best friend and archaeologist is busy taking charge of a public dig when he starts to receive letters that creeps him out a little, they talk about monks and blood and seem to hint at knowing Neil more personally.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read many suspense or crime novels but figured I would give this one a try. It was OK. It kept me interested enough and I found some of the historical information interesting, whether it is true or not. I figured out who the killer was pretty early in the novel but it was fun to see things unravel throughout the story to that end. Not the best book I have read this year but not the worst either.

[Andrea Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read with now familiar themes covering archaeology with Neil Watson and DI Wesley Peterson, who were friends in university whilst both doing degrees in archaeology. Neil starts to worry when he receives anonymous letters referring to bloody events at a medieval Abbey and starts to wonder about the links to present-day crimes. Meanwhile, Wesley is attending crime scenes where the victims have exanguinated via strange wounds.

[Jodie Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*

I enjoyed the way the past was interwoven with the present through an archaeological dig. I felt that this added a different dimension to the book.

The book did have an interesting array of characters but at times the plot felt too convoluted and overly complicated. Parts of the book were particularly inconsistent and unrealistic. There was also repetition of dialouge, too many 'shy smiles' from female characters to male colleagues.

[Millie Beckett]

This was my first DNF of the year and my first DNF ever. The book was slow and nothing interesting was happening. Nearly a quarter way through and had no passion for the book. I want a book that makes me want to read 24/7 one that I can’t put down and this however was not it. It was harder to pick up Like I just wanted to finish with the book to be over and done with. I didn’t like the way it was writen nothing exciting happened.
0*

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often when you get to the 12th book in a series, you get the feeling that the author is phoning it in, but not here. This mystery both builds on the histories of the recurring characters and keeps them all busy solving multiple murders. Which ones are related and which ones not? How might one or more be related to something that happened centuries earlier?

[Willen P · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read this series, but I sprang back to it when I had the opportunity.

I actually liked this one a lot. There was quite some mystery, storylines interwoven and connected; the motive was an enigma (for the 'Spider's' victims), and some parts were very sad, if you think about it.

Also, RIP to a certain character; the future books will be different without them...

[Bud Mallar · Rating 4 out of 5]

another good one.

A few too many 'names' for this old brain to keep up with, but that's often normal for me.

I had part of it figured out, but totally missed most of it.

So new developments for several characters, so we'll have to see how that goes.

Easy read, looking forward to the next.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always good, always solid. By book 12, Ellis has written a consistent series that is easy to fall into no matter when I read the last one. And as always, the past is written in with history and tied into the present.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the best ones so far. It has been building for one of the minor characters and I won't spoil the twist but I didn't see it coming and there's even an additional gut twist at the end. Well written and chock full of history and intrigue and mystery.

[Christopher Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in this series set in Devon with the well established format of a story in the present and one in the past with parallels between the two. Very readable and technically well executed. Maybe some characters, such as Wesley's wife Pam could be a little more developed as the series progresses.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

there was less overlap of Neil and Wesley's lives in this one, but the mysteries still intertwined a bit. Long ago misdeeds have once again resulted in murder, though the current murder victims seem to share no link. Plus the mysterious letter writer adds a creepy factor to Neil's days.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Wasn’t the worst thing ever but wasn’t great. Kinda confusing as each paragraph was from a different storyline/ perspective. When you don’t know the characters that well it was hard to follow. Story wasn’t too bad I liked how it all linked but I wasn’t that fussed about it.