Book Review: An Unhallowed Grave

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

An Unhallowed Grave     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Kate Ellis
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Wesley Peterson # 3
Dunne, May 2001, $22.95, 240 pp.

The two teens enter the churchyard in Stokeworthy, England to cast a love spell. However, instead of seeing their true loves, Jo Talbott and Leanne Matherly find a corpse hanging from a tree. The police arrive to contain the scene and it turns out that the local constable did the right thing because the local doctor later followed up by the medical examiner believe that the victim was strangled first and then hung from the tree to make it look like suicide.

Detective Sergeant Peterson and Detective Inspector Heffernan begin investigating the murder of Pauline Brent, a doctor's receptionist. Immediately, the police learn that the victim was well liked, but never fully accepted as a local after living in the South Devon region for fifteen years. They also learn that the tree has a long history as legend says others as far back as five centuries ago have been hung there. With an archeology dig nearby adding clues to the seemingly impossible to solve case, Peterson, who has a degree in archeology, begins to see links between the murders and another incident in 1969, but still struggles to uncover the identity of the killer.

AN UNHALLOWED GRAVE is an excellent British police procedural with a touch of archeology enhancing the entertaining story line. Readers will enjoy the plot mostly because the key cast members such as Peterson and his family (through second hand accounts) seems real, making the inquiries feel genuine. The who-done-it is quite the puzzler, leading the audience to want to seek Kate Ellis previous Peterson novels (see ARMADA BOY).

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner