I am an enormous fan of these West Country detective yarns that intriguingly always weave a past mystery with the present, often through some archaeological dig or other and star the lovely black DI Wesley Peterson.  Sadly, in this tale, he develops a roving eye and his subsequent guilt and angst made him a less likeable character, but the plot is as fascinating as ever, and I do highly recommend the whole series.  This is the eighth.

Comparison: Hilary Bonner, Stephen Booth, Robert Goddard. 
Similar this month: Christopher Fowler.

Synopsis

The brutal massacre of the Harford family at Potwoolstan Hall in Devon in 1985 shocked the country and passed into local folklore. And when a journalist researching the case is murdered twenty years later, the horror is reawakened. Sixteenth century Potwoolstan Hall, now a New Age healing centre, is reputed to be cursed because of the crimes of its builder, and it seems that inheritance of evil lives on as DI Wesley Peterson is faced with his most disturbing case yet.

As more people die violently, Wesley needs to discover why a young woman has transformed a dolls house into a miniature reconstruction of the massacre scene. And could the solution to his case lie across the Atlantic Ocean, in the ruined remains of an early English settlement in Virginia USA?
 

When the truth is finally revealed, it turns out to be as horrifying as it is dangerous.

Reviews

Praise for Kate Ellis:
 

‘a beguiling author who interweaves past and present. Like its predecessor . . . The book works well on both levels’ The Times

 ‘detective fiction with a historical twist . . . Fans will love it.’ Scotland on Sunday
 

‘moody mystery…a splendid piece of whodunnit, and when?’ Newcastle Evening Chronicle

‘a satisfying and enjoyable read’ Martin Edwards

About the Author

Kate Ellis was born and brought up in Liverpool and studied drama in Manchester. She has worked in teaching, marketing and accountancy and first enjoyed literary success as a winner of the North West Playwrights competition. Keenly interested in medieval history and ‘armchair’ archaeology, Kate lives in north Cheshire with her engineer husband, Roger, and their two sons. A Cursed Inheritance is her ninth Wesley Peterson novel. The Merchant’s House, The Armada Boy, An Unhallowed Grave, The Funeral Boat, The Bone Garden, A Painted Doom, The Plague Maiden and The Skeleton Room are also published by Piatkus.  More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation