A skull is found in the cellar of what used to the home of a serial killer but is now being re-developed as part of a holiday resort. Did the skull belong to one of the victims whose body was never found or is a copycat starting up?

I certainly didn't see who the murderer was. I felt quite a bit of tension about the fate of a minor character who I hope we will see again. But when will people learn that being a friend or relative of a fictional detective is not safe? ( )

These books are the literary equivalent of a Rubik's cube! I can get one face to a single colour; sometimes, two but, NEVER all six.

The really amazing thing is that, when our hero explains how he solved the murder(s), I always end up thinking, "Of course!"

All the clues are there and the magic trick is performed perfectly fairly and yet, and yet... I never beat Wesley to the solution: EXCELLENT writing!!! ( )

This is the 1st book in the Wesley Petersons series I have read. I will have a look at other stories.

This is set in Devon
Some old bones are found in an old farm house that is being turned into a luxury hotel getaway place.
This old farm house has a very dark recent past. Young girls were found murdered there in the mid 1990s.
Also one of the girls Gemma Pollinger who went missing body has never been found.
The owner of the farm local odd ball and artist Jackson Temple is in jail for Murder.

Two people are murdered in the village a florist called Linda and an old teacher called Bert.
DI Wes Peterson and his team are investigating the Murders.
They need to dig deep into both Linda and Bert's past.
The old bodies found are from the 17th Centaury there is a few chapters in this book written as a Diary entry explaining this story.

An old flame of Wes's appears in the village Grace she is now an architect working on the old farmhouse project. She also meets an old friend who faked his own death. He is then found dead. Grace is also kidnapped.

It turns out the real killer in the 1990s was the missing girl called Gemma she came back re invented herself got some plastic surgery and changed her name.
She is confronted escapes but tries to kill herself.

Jackson Temple is released from Prison as he is an innocent man all along. ( )

Dead Man's Lane is yet another deeply satisfying mystery from the talented Kate Ellis. Her Wesley Peterson police procedural series always features dual timelines: one in the present and one in the past, both of which involve the same location. I always learn something new when I read a book in this series. This time as the sinister past of Strangefields Farm was revealed, I learned about deviant burials.

I do admit that I had to smile when I learned that developers were turning the former home of a serial killer with an address on Dead Man's Lane into luxury holiday homes. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? And as usual, I had to deduce how the historical timeline of Strangefields tied in with what was going on in the present. I love how Ellis ties everything together. Do the present-day murders tie into what Jackson Temples did? Did Temples actually kill those girls? Did one of the developers actually see a man reported to be dead? Who's robbing local elderly residents? What, exactly, does the history of that farm have to do with what's happening? In Dead Man's Lane, identity is key. Do we really know who all these people are? The journey to enlightenment is an enjoyable one, as it normally is with a Wesley Peterson mystery.

If you're in the mood for a character-, history-, and mystery-rich read, Dead Man's Lane is it. If you're in the mood for a long-running, high quality mystery series in which the cast of characters become friends and family, start at the beginning with The Merchant's House. I will never intentionally miss reading a book in this series. In fact, I've already started reading the next one! ( )

Wesley Peterson's boss Gerry was on the investigation that saw the conviction of Jackson Temples for the death of a number of young women. However one of the young victims was never found and Jackson Temples has throughout his imprisonment always refused to confess his guilt. Now a skull has turned up. Could it be from the missing body?

And two people are now claiming to have seen people they thought were dead.

The strands of this plot are cleverly interwoven with a journal begun in 1666, which among other things, describes the steps taken to stop the dead from rising. I like the interweaving of archaeological considerations with the main story. A very good read.

I have read far too few titles by this author. ( )