Tony R Cox is an ex-provincial UK journalist. The Simon Jardine series is based on his memories of the early 70s - the time of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll - when reporters relied on word of mouth and there was no internet, no mobile phones, not even a fax machine.
Country florists don’t get murdered gruesomely; they’re sweet, innocent and kind, but Kate Ellis’s latest DCI Wesley Patterson mystery novel breaks that axiom, like snapping the stems from a multi-coloured bouquet.
The central plot is intriguing and beguiling as it paints the tranquil South Devon, with a ‘bad things don’t happen here’ flavour. Running concurrently through the narrative is Ellis’s trademark, a historical murder with the Great Fire of London as a backdrop. At some point the strands will converge.
The identity of the murderer is obvious to the reader. Even after a few pages, they can congratulate themselves on solving the mystery, or did they? This is what makes Kate Ellis such a joy to read, misdirection or other possibilities, machinations posed by her narrative style. The author doesn’t batter the reader with fast violent action, enthusiastic love links, or frantic car chases; instead she gradually develops scenarios that excite and cajole until there is no escape.
Our hero, DI Wesley Patterson is a proven detective, a married man and father but one with an ‘eye for the ladies’ and a wayward thought or two. Through his actions, Ellis takes the reader gently but meticulously along a path with many twists and turns, drawing us in, and holding our hand until a finale arrives, one that is both violent and exciting.
Dead Man’s Lane is the 23rd in the DI Wes Patterson series, but in-line with the precursors, it works well as a standalone murder mystery.
