Published by Piatkus,
1 August 2024.
ISBN: 978-0-349-4317-2 (HB)
Situated just off the Devonshire coast, the small island of St Rumon’s
is known locally as Coffin Island. Although most people insist it is called
this because of the shape of the island, others claim there is a more sinister
reason behind the name.
Until the Reformation, the island had
housed a Roman Catholic priory, but when Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of
the monasteries the monks were driven away and the prior was killed. It is
rumoured that the memory of this death is the reason that the island pub is
named The Hanging Man. During low tide the island is accessible by a causeway
but at other times it can only be reached by boat, which means the vicar who
serves five parishes, including St Rumon’s Church, has had to learn how to
handle a small motorboat.
The day after a severe storm the vicar
approaches the island and sees that part of the cliff that borders the
churchyard has broken away and, to her horror, she sees that two skeletons are
lying on the shore. When she gets near enough to see properly, she discovers
that there is also a third, far more recent body, half-rotted, and wrapped in a
purple nylon sheet.
Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson
achieved a degree in archaeology before he entered the police. When he and his
superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Gerry Heffernan, arrive on the
island they realise that the skeletons had been buried outside the church wall
and Wesley wonders about the reason for this unsanctified burial, however it is
the fate of the third body that they must investigate. They can tell that the
corpse is that of a woman who had died in the last few years, but the body is
too badly decomposed to be identifiable. However, the sheet in which she is
shrouded is in the style of the 1970s, which means it was fashionable long
before the victim’s death. It is evident that she was unlawfully buried, and it
seems probable that she was unlawfully killed. Neil Watson is an eminent local
archaeologist who has been a friend of Wesley since their university days and
Wesley asks him if he can arrange for a facial reconstruction of the dead
woman. Neil becomes fascinated by the destroyed priory and arranges an
archaeological dig on the site.
The largest house on the island is Coffin
House, which is owned by the author and self-styled academic Quentin Search,
who lives there with his troubled daughter, Ginevra, and his
assistant-cum-mistress Jocasta. Search’s wife no longer lives there, and he
claims that she has left him and has travelled abroad but that he does not know
her current whereabouts. Wesley and Gerry suspect that Search is lying but they
know they are prejudiced against him because of his offensive arrogance. Search
claims to be an academic but Neil has warned Wesley that he is a charlatan who
falsifies history and makes up dramatic, untrue stories in order to sell his
books. In order to publicise his books, Search mounts a vendetta against Neil,
claiming that he and his fellow archaeologists are denying the truth of
Search’s claims because they work for the establishment. Neil is upset and
angry but he knows that he cannot afford the financial output to sue Search for
slander and so he concentrates on his archaeological work and on arranging the
facial recognition for the police. At the same time, Neil’s lover, Annabel,
assists him by researching sixteenth century church records and she uncovers
the diary of a vicar of St Rumon’s parish that reveals the identity of the two
skeletons and the reason why they were buried outside the churchyard.
Wesley and Gerry question everyone on the
island, including the residents of Coffin House and the local cottages, the
team of visiting bell ringers and Search’s ubiquitous builder. Despite all
their efforts, the death toll continues to rise and it is not until Wesley
links the story in the five-hundred-year-old diary to their current
investigation that the truth finally becomes clear.
Coffin Island is the twenty-eighth novel featuring Wesley Peterson
and it lives up to the high standard of its predecessors. It is a fascinating
mixture of contemporary crime and historical records and the historical diary
both explains and anticipates the main contemporary story. The scene setting is
superb, the central characters are engaging, and the plot is complex and
well-constructed. Coffin Island is a compelling read, which I recommend.------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
Kate Ellis was born 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's novels feature archaeology graduate Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson
who fights crime in South Devon. Each story combines an intriguing
contemporary murder mystery with a parallel historical case. She has also
written five books in the spooky Joe Plantagenet series set up in North
Yorkshire as well as many short stories for crime fiction anthologies and
magazines. Kate was elected a member of The Detection Club in 2014. She is a
member of the Crime Writers Association and Murder Squad, and Mystery People.
Her most recent series is set post WW1.
The third and latest book in this series is The
House of the Hanged Woman. www.kateellis.co.uk
Carol Westron is
a successful author and a Creative Writing teacher. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary
and Victorian times. Her first book The
Terminal Velocity of Cats was
published in 2013. Since then, she has since written 8 further mysteries.
Carol recently gave an interview to Mystery People. interview
www.carolwestron.com
To read a review of Carol latest book click on the title
Death and the Dancing Snowman
