Let’s Meet the Author
Talk Book Discussion : The Marriage Hearse by Kate Ellis
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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 the "mean streets" (or should it be "mean lanes"?) of 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 in North Yorkshire and an historical trilogy set in the aftermath of the First World War 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. Kate was the winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library award in 2019 and she is currently working on her twenty seventh Wesley Peterson novel.
Wesley Peterson
My Wesley Peterson series blends contemporary crime with history and archaeology in the 'mean lanes' of South Devon.
The books in order are:
The Merchant's House (1998),
The Armada Boy (1999),
An Unhallowed Grave (1999),
The Funeral Boat (2000),
The Bone Garden (2001),
A Painted Doom (2002),
The Skeleton Room (2003),
The Plague Maiden (2004),
A Cursed Inheritance (2005),
The Marriage Hearse (2006),
The Shining Skull (2007),
The Blood Pit (2008),
A Perfect Death (2009),
The Flesh Tailor (2010),
The Jackal Man (2011),
The Cadaver Game (2012),
The Shadow Collector (2013),
The Shroud Maker (2014),
The Death Season (2015),
The House of Eyes (2016),
The Mermaid's Scream (2017),
The Mechanical Devil (2018),
Dead Man's Lane (2019),
The Burial Circle (2020),
The Stone Chamber (2021),
Serpent's Point (2022) and
The Killing Place (2023)
Coffin Island (2024)
Deadly Remains (2025
Also available are five books in her spooky and mysterious series set in the ancient city of Eborby in North Yorshire and featuring DI Joe Plantagenet: SEEKING THE DEAD, PLAYING WITH BONES, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS & WALKING BY NIGHT
Kate has also completed a powerful and stunning historical trilogy set in the aftermath of the First World War. A HIGH MORTALITY OF DOVES, THE BOY WHO LIVED WITH THE DEAD & THE HOUSE OF THE HANGED WOMAN are available in paperback and ebook
Quick News
Kate is pleased to announce two Kindle Monthly Deals during the whole of January 2024: Playing with Bones will be priced at 99p in the UK and The Merchant’s House will be priced at $0.99 in the USA
Kate's short story, 'Not a Note' is in the latest CWA Anthology 'Music of the Night'
Kate's historical crime novel The Devil's Priest is available to download from the Amazon Kindle Store for £1.77p ($2.99 US)
Kate has written about the art of plotting in the new Detection Club publication HOWDUNIT - a masterclass in crime writing from the UK's leading crime authors.
Kate's Diary

Updated December 2023
Forthcoming Events
On Monday 4 March 2024 at 6.30pm, Kate will be speaking at Little Sutton Library, 283 Chester Road, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port CH66 1QQ
Kate will be attending Crimefest, Bristol, 9 - 12 May 2024
Featured Books

Seeking the Dead
Joe Plantagenet
The Killing Place
Wesley Peterson

The Merchant's House
Wesley Peterson
The Shining Skull
Wesley Peterson

Dead Man's Lane
Wesley Peterson
Out 3rd August in hardback, e-book and audiobook

November. With the tourist season well and truly over in South Devon, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is looking forward to a quieter month in the CID. But when a man is shot dead on Bonfire Night, he finds he has a disturbing murder case on his hands. The body of Patrick North was found in woodland connected to Nesbaraton Hall, a grand estate dating back to the eighteenth century. North worked for the Smithson family who now own the estate. The family are away on holiday, however when an anonymous letter threatening to abduct the Smithson son is uncovered, Wesley fears North's death might have been collateral damage in a kidnap plot. Meanwhile, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson discovers a hidden grotto on land that was once part of the Nesbaraton estate. Evidence of past rituals and the shocking discovery of a skeleton raise questions about strange occurrences, past and present, on the land. Then, just when Wesley's team seem to be making progress in their investigation, a resident of the nearby village is killed in a near-identical shooting to North's. A race is on to find the ruthless killer, before they strike again . . .
DI Joe Plantagenet encounters crime with supernatural links in a medeval Yorkshire city.

Walking By Night

Seeking the Dead

Playing With Bones

Kissing The Demons

A new trilogy of novels set in the aftermath of World War I

The House of the Hanged Woman

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead

A High Mortality of Doves
In the aftermath of the dissolution of the monasteries, a former abbess pursues a brutal killer in 16th century Liverpool.

The Devil's Priest

Dark and Merciless Things - A Collection of 10 Short Stories
Location, Location, Location
Or how the 'Tradmouth' crime wave began!

Having lived all my life in the North West of England, I arrived in Devon purely by chance in 1984. The last minute offer of a holiday for myself, my husband and my elder son (then six months old) at a friend's apartment in Torquay led to a journey on the Paignton to Kingswear steam railway to the ancient port of Dartmouth. When I crossed the sparkling river on the ferry that sunny September day, chugging towards the historic town with its pastel coloured houses cascading down to the water, it was love at first sight and we have returned to Dartmouth every year since then.
When I began to write crime novels I had to decide where my stories were going to be set. I didn't feel drawn to a 'big city' setting and I found that the South Hams area of Devon with its seafaring connections, historic towns and beautiful countryside populated by all manner of interesting people - locals, incomers, farmers, artists, holiday makers etc, etc - fitted the bill perfectly.
I made the decision not to use real place names but to base my fictitious locations only loosely on actual towns and villages. Tradmouth is, of course, loosely based on Dartmouth; Neston on Totnes; Morbay on Torbay; Bloxham on Brixham etc. However, unlike the real Dartmouth my Tradmouth has a police headquarters and a large hospital; and my Morbay is far seedier than the attractive resort of Torquay. In 'An Unhallowed Grave' my 'Stokeworthy' is an amalgam of several villages near Dartmouth and 'Stokeworthy Manor' bears a close resemblance to Bradley Manor, a beautiful medieval house (National Trust) situated near Newton Abbott. This approach allows me a good deal of freedom to use my imagination and to change things around to suit the story I want to tell.
Of course everyone who reads my books will know that I like to feature past crimes as well as present…two mysteries for the price of one. And although I might take terrible liberties with modern day locations I try to ensure that the historical aspect of the stories is as accurate as possible. For 'The Armada Boy' I researched the D Day landing practices on Slapton sands and the evacuation of the South Hams in 1944…as well as the fate of the Spanish Armada of 1588. 'The Funeral Boat' was inspired by reading about Viking raids on south Devon in 997AD in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. And when I read about Devon's strong connections with the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 and the county's grim connection (courtesy of Judge Jeffreys) with the West Indies, 'The Bone Garden' was born. 'A Painted Doom' deals with the dramatic events of the Wars of the Roses (Devon was strongly on the Lancastrian side) and their tragic aftermath. I am currently working on book seven in the series which features Devon's darker maritime history…wrecking.
Of course as my books deal with contemporary crime and contemporary issues, my research isn't limited to events in the past. I spend some time each year in Devon just getting a feel for the area and what is going on. Several of the pubs mentioned in the books are based on real establishments (painstaking research again) and St Margaret's church where Gerry Heffernan sings in the choir is based on the lovely medieval church of St Saviour's in the centre of Dartmouth.
Sometimes Wesley and Gerry's investigations take them further afield. In my latest book, 'A Painted Doom', Gerry Heffernan takes a sentimental journey back to his native Liverpool. (I particularly enjoyed writing this as Gerry's youthful haunts seem to be strangely similar to my own). However, I'm afraid the crime wave looks set to continue in 'Tradmouth' for the foreseeable future and I only hope the people of the South Hams will forgive me for increasing the 'murder rate' in their beautiful part of the world.
and now the crime wave moves to North Yorkshire.......
For a while I've been keen to branch out and begin another, totally different, series (not that Wesley will be taking a back seat - I've just completed the next book in the Tradmouth series and the following one is in the planning stage).
It was while I was taking part in an archaeological dig in York with my younger son, Olly, that I had the initial idea for my new Joe Plantagenet novels. In search of entertainment after the dig had finished for the day, Olly and I decided to go on one of York's ghost walks and the tales our guide told planted a seed in my mind that was to eventually grow into 'Seeking the Dead'.
Since that evening I have come to know York rather well as Olly won a place at York University to study archaeology at King's Manor (now part of the university but once home to the Abbot of St Mary's Abbey in the Middle Ages and headquarters of the Council of the North after the Reformation). And so York became Eborby (as with Tradmouth, I like to use a different name to give myself the freedom to use my imagination). I love the city of York with its ancient walls, its narrow snickleways, its magnificent Minster and its rich and eventful history. It is also reputed to be the most haunted city in England so I couldn't resist adding a touch of the supernatural to the new books as well as memorable characters and mysteries with plenty of twists and turns.
I do hope my readers enjoy the new series!
December 2023
I’m writing this in the middle of all my Christmas preparations although so far they’re going well. The cards have all been sent, the presents have been wrapped, the carol services have been attended (although a cold I suffered from recently has robbed me of my singing voice) and this morning the turkey was caught and is now safely stashed in the fridge. As well as this I’ve completed the copy edit for Wesley’s next case (COFFIN ISLAND – out in the summer) and I’ve even started to plan his investigation for 2025 (although I’m afraid I’ve had to abandon writing for the time being to concentrate on the Festive Season).
A few days ago I received a rather nice Christmas present. My publisher has given me a contract for three new books (two Wesley Petersons and a brand new Joe Plantagenet). The good news is that three of my Joe Plantagenet books, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS and WALKING BY NIGHT (rather spooky and set in Eborby – a thinly disguised York) will be issued by Little, Brown with beautiful new covers on 1st February 2024 – not long to go now. I must say I’m really looking forward to resuming this particular series and earlier this week I spent a few days Christmas shopping in York - and picking up a few new ideas of course.
However, the real purpose of this short update is to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
And here’s something that I hope will make you smile. I’ve been thinking up a few new lyrics to famous Christmas songs – lyrics suited to the world of classic detective stories!
This one’s to be sung to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town:
YOU’D BETTER THINK UP A GOOD ALIBI
IT BETTER BE CONVINCING, I’M TELLING YOU WHY
HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN
HE’S MAKING A LIST
HE’S CHECKING IT TWICE
THOSE LITTLE GREY CELLS WILL WORK IN A TRICE
HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN
HE KNOWS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN LYING
HE KNOWS WHO DID THE CRIME
HE KNOWS IF YOU’VE BEEN BAD OR GOOD
AND WHO DESERVES TO BE DOING TIME
SO YOU’D BETTER THINK UP A GOOD ALIBI
IT BETTER BE CONVINCING, I’M TELLING YOU WHY
HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN
And finally here’s a revised verse for Walking in a Winter Wonderland:
IN THE MEADOW WE CAN BUILD A SNOWMAN
AND PRETEND THAT HE IS FATHER BROWN
HE’LL SAY ‘HAVE YOU SOLVED IT?’
WE’LL SAY ‘NO, MAN’
‘WELL I CAN DO THE JOB WHILE I’M IN TOWN’!
A very happy Christmas to everyone – and happy reading. See you next year!
October 2023
Summer is well and truly at an end and, during my breaks from writing, I’ve been trying to spend time tidying up in the garden. It’s also the time of year when I buy a new diary and there are already a few entries for library talks and conferences in 2024 (I’ve already signed up for CrimeFest in Bristol next May). Watch out for any events near you. I always love meeting my readers.
The last few months have been busy as usual. I’ve just finished Wesley’s next case, entitled Coffin Island and my editor loved reading it. I’ll say more about it nearer publication time but, I must say, I’m quite pleased with this one.
As well as working hard, I’ve also managed to get away on holiday. In early September I visited Devon again and we were blessed with a week of glorious weather. My excuse is that I have to carry out research for my Wesley Peterson mysteries but the truth is, I just love it down there. I visited several lovely bookshops while I was there. I signed books at Browser Books and the Community Bookshop in Dartmouth and at Harbour Books in Kingsbridge. I also visited the fantastic Ivybridge Bookshop where I spoke to an enthusiastic audience about my work and the life of a crime writer. I also met a fellow writer there; top chef and food writer, Orlando Murrin, who is about to publish his first crime novel. I had the pleasure of reading Knife Skills for Beginners before my visit and I enjoyed it very much.

While I was in Devon I did my usual pilgrimage to Greenway, the holiday home of Agatha Christie. I walked there with my husband from Kingswear (on the opposite bank of the River Dart from Dartmouth). It’s quite a challenging walk; only about three and a half miles through woodland but very steep in places. We always feel much fitter when we’ve been to Dartmouth!
After returning from Devon I travelled to Nottingham to speak at Bromley House Library, a flourishing independent library founded in 1816. It was so good to meet everyone there and many thanks to the staff there for the warm welcome I received.
At the start of this month we decided to grab some last minute sunshine and fly to the lovely Greek island of Rhodes. It was our first visit and we were bowled over by the amazing old town, the lovely people and the fantastic food. And the cats! So many cats! I suspect they rule the place. On our return we watched a DVD I had of the Poirot episode Triangle at Rhodes. It was good to be reminded of our holiday.

My editor has just sent through pictures of the new covers for my soon to be re-released Joe Plantagenet books, Kissing the Demons, Watching the Ghosts and Walking by Night. I’m really pleased with them and I understand that they will be available in early February 2024. I’m also delighted to announce that Wesley’s latest case, The Killing Place, will be out in paperback on 11th April next year.
July 2023
Well, summer seems to have been and gone but the season makes little difference to an author. There are books to write and deadlines to fulfill and I’m lucky to have a lovely office in my garden which is good to work in come rain or shine.
However, there are always distractions when you’re ‘working from home’ and my own distraction during June’s great weather was the arrival of my youngest son and his family (my daughter in law, two very little girls plus dog). They’ve been living with us while building work’s been done on their house and I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to live with small children (with all the cooking, entertainment and washing that entails). All the memories returned of trying to cram all my writing into the period when the children were at school/nursery and I must confess it does help to focus the mind. So much so that I managed to complete Wesley’s next case (working title Coffin Island) in record time. I’ve sent it off to my editor and I’m just waiting to receive her comments.
I’ve still managed to get out and about. I attended a wonderful Crime Writers’ Association conference in York (one of my favourite places) in April. The highlight (apart from catching up with my fellow writers) was a gala dinner in the reconstructed Victorian street in the Castle Museum (once the prison where, among others, Dick Turpin was held and executed). In May I was in Bristol for CrimeFest, probably the friendliest crime fiction festival of the year. I participated in two panels and I was thrilled to find myself speaking alongside Simon Brett, one of my favourite authors, and Robert Thorogood, the creator of Death in Paradise.
I’ve also been visiting libraries, presenting my murder mystery ‘The Case of the Late Cook’ at Leigh Library in Lancashire and speaking at Cleethorpes library in Lincolnshire. Taking part in events and meeting readers is one of the best parts of a writer’s job!

The good news is that Wesley Peterson’s twenty seventh case with be out in hardback and ebook on 3rd August. Here’s a little taste of THE KILLING PLACE:
November. With the tourist season well and truly over in South Devon, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is looking forward to a quieter month in the CID. But when a man is shot dead on Bonfire Night, he finds he has a disturbing and complex murder case on his hands.
The body of Patrick North was found in woodland connected to Nesbarton Hall, a grand estate dating back to the eighteenth century. North worked for the Smithson family who now own the estate. The family are away on holiday, but when an anonymous letter threatening to abduct the Smithson son is uncovered, Wesley fears North’s death might have been collateral damage in a sinister kidnap plot.
Meanwhile, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson discovers a hidden grotto in a developer’s field – land that was once part of the Nesbarton estate. Evidence of past rituals and the shocking discovery of a skeleton buried next to the grotto raise questions about strange occurrences, past and present,on the estate that was once owned by a notorious privateer.
Then, just when Wesley’s team seem to be making progress in their investigation, a resident of the nearby village is killed in a near identical shooting. A race is on to find the ruthless killer, before they strike again . . .
I do hope everyone enjoys Wesley’s new investigation.

Finally I have exciting news for my readers. I can now reveal that all my Joe Plantagenet books are to be reissued by Little Brown (the publisher of my Wesley Peterson series) and I have agreed to continue the series (which, hopefully, means more visits to York to carry out research!). I have received many emails asking whether I was going to write more about Joe and now I can give the answer ‘yes’. However, all Wesley’s fans needn’t worry because his investigations will continue as well.
February 2023
I’m not sure whether it’s too late to wish all my readers a very happy new year. Probably, but I’ll do it anyway. Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a good Christmas (although it seems a long time ago now).
I do hope everyone enjoyed the short story I posted over the Christmas period The Third Elf. It was great fun writing a Christmas story featuring Wesley Peterson and the team. Perhaps it’s something I’ll do again next year.
Since the Festive Season I’ve settled down to writing again and I’ve been hard at work. Wesley’s next case The Killing Place, is now finished and it will be published this coming August. Finishing a manuscript is only the start of a long process before publication. First my editor gives me her notes on how the story can be refined and improved. Then it goes to the copy editor who does a more detailed edit, looking for repetition and any other errors. After that it goes to the proofreader. During the process the design of the jacket is decided on (I must say, my publisher’s given me some lovely covers). Only when everything is in place is it released into the world.

Once I’d completed The Killing Place, I was asked to write a short story with a Beatles theme. Needless to say, as a Liverpool girl brought up in the same area as Paul and John, I jumped at the chance. The story is called Happiness is a Warm Gun and was inspired by something that happened to me as a teenager (not murder I hasten to add). It contains a lot of Beatles references and I think it will be published in an anthology in the States. I’ll let you know once I have the details.
The good news is that Serpent’s Point is out in paperback (and cheaper ebook) at the beginning of March – and it will be stocked in most Sainsbury’s stores in the country which is fantastic. Earlier this month my publisher made it available on Kindle for one day only for 99p and the result was spectacular. It reached number 1 in historical mysteries and police procedurals and number 9 in the whole Kindle chart (above Prince Harry!)
Serpent’s Point in South Devon is the focus of local legends. The large house on the headland is shrouded in an ancient tale of evil, and when a woman is found strangled on the coastal path nearby, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate.
The woman had been house-sitting at Serpent’s Point and Wesley is surprised to discover that she was conducting an investigation of her own into unsolved missing persons cases. Could these enquires have led to her murder? In the meantime, while the case takes Wesley to Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson makes a dramatic discovery of his own in a field near Serpent’s Point.
Then, when a skeleton is uncovered, the pressure rises to find a killer and Wesley and Neil discover that Serpent’s Point holds more deadly secrets than anyone could have imagined.
As I mentioned, I’ve already started writing Wesley’s next case but I also intend to get out and about this year. I’m looking forward to attending the annual Crime Writers’ Association Conference (York in April) and CrimeFest (Bristol in May) where I hope to meet lots of readers.
That’s it for now. Happy Reading!
Forthcoming Events
On Monday 4 March 2024 at 6.30pm, Kate will be speaking at Little Sutton Library, 283 Chester Road, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port CH66 1QQ
Kate will be attending Crimefest, Bristol, 9 - 12 May 2024
PLEASE SEE "QUICK NEWS" BELOW, FOR KATE'S LATEST KINDLE MONTHLY DEALS
Kate Ellis is an award winning author of two thrilling crime series and has sold over a million books worldwide. She has also written three historical crime novels and many short stories.
Kate has a story in this great anthology - Happiness is a Warm Gun inspired by her experiences growing up in Liverpool in the Beatles era :-)
Her books in the Wesley Peterson series, containing an intriguing blend of mystery and history, include:
The Merchant's House, The Armada Boy, An Unhallowed Grave, The Funeral Boat, The Bone Garden, A Painted Doom, The Skeleton Room, The Plague Maiden, A Cursed Inheritance, The Marriage Hearse, The Shining Skull, The Blood Pit, A Perfect Death, The Flesh Tailor, The Jackal Man, The Cadaver Game, The Shadow Collector, The Shroud Maker, The Death Season, The House of Eyes , The Mermaid's Scream, The Mechanical Devil , Dead Man's Lane, The Burial Circle, The Stone Chamber, Serpent's Point, The Killing Place & Coffin Island
Also available are five books in her spooky and mysterious series set in the ancient city of Eborby in North Yorshire and featuring DI Joe Plantagenet: SEEKING THE DEAD, PLAYING WITH BONES, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS & WALKING BY NIGHT
Kate has also completed a powerful and stunning historical trilogy set in the aftermath of the First World War. A HIGH MORTALITY OF DOVES, THE BOY WHO LIVED WITH THE DEAD & THE HOUSE OF THE HANGED WOMAN are available in paperback and ebook
Quick News
Fans of Kate's Joe Plantagenet series will be pleased to hear that the third, fourth and fifth books in the series have been reissued and are now available. A sxith adventure for Joe is planned - date to be announced
Kate is pleased to announce that Coffin Island has been selected for the Thrills & Chills KBD promotion in October. This is a week-long themed Kindle promotion in the US, running from 28/10/24–03/11/24. As well as being priced at 99¢ for the week, it’ll also feature on the Kindle Deals page and be included in their email newsletters to subscribers
Kate's short story, 'Not a Note' is in the latest CWA Anthology 'Music of the Night'
Kate's historical crime novel The Devil's Priest is available to download from the Amazon Kindle Store for £1.77p ($2.99 US)
Kate has written about the art of plotting in the new Detection Club publication HOWDUNIT - a masterclass in crime writing from the UK's leading crime authors.
Kate's Diary
kate2012
Updated May 2024
Forthcoming Events
On Saturday 7 Sept at 12.00 noon, Kate will signing books at Browswer Books, Foss Street, Dartmouth, Devon
On Tuesday 10 Sept at 5.30pm, Kate will speaking at The Ivybridge Bookshop, Ivybridge, Devon
On Thursday 19 September at 2pm, Kate will be speaking at Whitehaven Library, Lowther St, Whitehaven CA28 7QZ
11 to 13 October, Kate will be taking part in DEATH IN THE DALES, Sedbergh Crime Festival. Click here for Info and tickets
Featured Books
Dead Man's Lane
Wesley Peterson
The Shining Skull
Wesley Peterson
The Armada Boy
Wesley Peterson
The Stone Chamber
Wesley Peterson
The Cadaver Game
Wesley Peterson
Out 1st August in Hardback
Coffin Island
Despite many years living in South Devon, DI Wesley Peterson has never visited the tiny island of St Rumon’s. That is until erosion from a storm reveals three bodies buried outside the local churchyard.
Two are ancient skeletons, but one is far more recent, and Wesley realises he has uncovered a case of murder. But whose remains are they? And who killed them?
The island has only a small number of inhabitants. Yet one resident keeps cropping up in Wesley’s investigation: the author and self-styled academic, Quentin Search.
Meanwhile Wesley’s friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, becomes fascinated by the remains of the island’s old priory. His discovery of a journal, written by a sixteenth century cleric, reveals an eerie tale of strange rituals and disturbing deaths.
As Wesley begins to wonder whether the past might be repeating itself, another murder occurs . . . There is a calculated killer on the island – one whose grip is as deadly as the rising tide.
Kate's novels feature archaeology graduate Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson who fights crime in the "mean streets" (or should it be "mean lanes"?) of 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 in North Yorkshire and an historical trilogy set in the aftermath of the First World War 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. Kate was the winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library award in 2019 and she is currently working on her twenty seventh Wesley Peterson novel.
Wesley Peterson
My Wesley Peterson series blends contemporary crime with history and archaeology in the 'mean lanes' of South Devon.
The books in order are:
The Merchant's House (1998),
The Armada Boy (1999),
An Unhallowed Grave (1999),
The Funeral Boat (2000),
The Bone Garden (2001),
A Painted Doom (2002),
The Skeleton Room (2003),
The Plague Maiden (2004),
A Cursed Inheritance (2005),
The Marriage Hearse (2006),
The Shining Skull (2007),
The Blood Pit (2008),
A Perfect Death (2009),
The Flesh Tailor (2010),
The Jackal Man (2011),
The Cadaver Game (2012),
The Shadow Collector (2013),
The Shroud Maker (2014),
The Death Season (2015),
The House of Eyes (2016),
The Mermaid's Scream (2017),
The Mechanical Devil (2018),
Dead Man's Lane (2019),
The Burial Circle (2020),
The Stone Chamber (2021),
Serpent's Point (2022) and
The Killing Place (2023)
Coffin Island (2024)
Deadly Remains (2025
Also available are five books in her spooky and mysterious series set in the ancient city of Eborby in North Yorshire and featuring DI Joe Plantagenet: SEEKING THE DEAD, PLAYING WITH BONES, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS & WALKING BY NIGHT
Kate has also completed a powerful and stunning historical trilogy set in the aftermath of the First World War. A HIGH MORTALITY OF DOVES, THE BOY WHO LIVED WITH THE DEAD & THE HOUSE OF THE HANGED WOMAN are available in paperback and ebook
Quick News
Kate is pleased to announce two Kindle Monthly Deals during the whole of January 2024: Playing with Bones will be priced at 99p in the UK and The Merchant’s House will be priced at $0.99 in the USA
Kate's short story, 'Not a Note' is in the latest CWA Anthology 'Music of the Night'
Kate's historical crime novel The Devil's Priest is available to download from the Amazon Kindle Store for £1.77p ($2.99 US)
Kate has written about the art of plotting in the new Detection Club publication HOWDUNIT - a masterclass in crime writing from the UK's leading crime authors.
Kate's Diary

Updated December 2023
Forthcoming Events
On Monday 4 March 2024 at 6.30pm, Kate will be speaking at Little Sutton Library, 283 Chester Road, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port CH66 1QQ
Kate will be attending Crimefest, Bristol, 9 - 12 May 2024
Featured Books

Seeking the Dead
Joe Plantagenet
The Killing Place
Wesley Peterson

The Merchant's House
Wesley Peterson
The Shining Skull
Wesley Peterson

Dead Man's Lane
Wesley Peterson
Out 3rd August in hardback, e-book and audiobook

November. With the tourist season well and truly over in South Devon, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is looking forward to a quieter month in the CID. But when a man is shot dead on Bonfire Night, he finds he has a disturbing murder case on his hands. The body of Patrick North was found in woodland connected to Nesbaraton Hall, a grand estate dating back to the eighteenth century. North worked for the Smithson family who now own the estate. The family are away on holiday, however when an anonymous letter threatening to abduct the Smithson son is uncovered, Wesley fears North's death might have been collateral damage in a kidnap plot. Meanwhile, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson discovers a hidden grotto on land that was once part of the Nesbaraton estate. Evidence of past rituals and the shocking discovery of a skeleton raise questions about strange occurrences, past and present, on the land. Then, just when Wesley's team seem to be making progress in their investigation, a resident of the nearby village is killed in a near-identical shooting to North's. A race is on to find the ruthless killer, before they strike again . . .
DI Joe Plantagenet encounters crime with supernatural links in a medeval Yorkshire city.

Walking By Night

Seeking the Dead

Playing With Bones

Kissing The Demons

A new trilogy of novels set in the aftermath of World War I

The House of the Hanged Woman

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead

A High Mortality of Doves
In the aftermath of the dissolution of the monasteries, a former abbess pursues a brutal killer in 16th century Liverpool.

The Devil's Priest

Dark and Merciless Things - A Collection of 10 Short Stories
Location, Location, Location
Or how the 'Tradmouth' crime wave began!

Having lived all my life in the North West of England, I arrived in Devon purely by chance in 1984. The last minute offer of a holiday for myself, my husband and my elder son (then six months old) at a friend's apartment in Torquay led to a journey on the Paignton to Kingswear steam railway to the ancient port of Dartmouth. When I crossed the sparkling river on the ferry that sunny September day, chugging towards the historic town with its pastel coloured houses cascading down to the water, it was love at first sight and we have returned to Dartmouth every year since then.
When I began to write crime novels I had to decide where my stories were going to be set. I didn't feel drawn to a 'big city' setting and I found that the South Hams area of Devon with its seafaring connections, historic towns and beautiful countryside populated by all manner of interesting people - locals, incomers, farmers, artists, holiday makers etc, etc - fitted the bill perfectly.
I made the decision not to use real place names but to base my fictitious locations only loosely on actual towns and villages. Tradmouth is, of course, loosely based on Dartmouth; Neston on Totnes; Morbay on Torbay; Bloxham on Brixham etc. However, unlike the real Dartmouth my Tradmouth has a police headquarters and a large hospital; and my Morbay is far seedier than the attractive resort of Torquay. In 'An Unhallowed Grave' my 'Stokeworthy' is an amalgam of several villages near Dartmouth and 'Stokeworthy Manor' bears a close resemblance to Bradley Manor, a beautiful medieval house (National Trust) situated near Newton Abbott. This approach allows me a good deal of freedom to use my imagination and to change things around to suit the story I want to tell.
Of course everyone who reads my books will know that I like to feature past crimes as well as present…two mysteries for the price of one. And although I might take terrible liberties with modern day locations I try to ensure that the historical aspect of the stories is as accurate as possible. For 'The Armada Boy' I researched the D Day landing practices on Slapton sands and the evacuation of the South Hams in 1944…as well as the fate of the Spanish Armada of 1588. 'The Funeral Boat' was inspired by reading about Viking raids on south Devon in 997AD in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. And when I read about Devon's strong connections with the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 and the county's grim connection (courtesy of Judge Jeffreys) with the West Indies, 'The Bone Garden' was born. 'A Painted Doom' deals with the dramatic events of the Wars of the Roses (Devon was strongly on the Lancastrian side) and their tragic aftermath. I am currently working on book seven in the series which features Devon's darker maritime history…wrecking.
Of course as my books deal with contemporary crime and contemporary issues, my research isn't limited to events in the past. I spend some time each year in Devon just getting a feel for the area and what is going on. Several of the pubs mentioned in the books are based on real establishments (painstaking research again) and St Margaret's church where Gerry Heffernan sings in the choir is based on the lovely medieval church of St Saviour's in the centre of Dartmouth.
Sometimes Wesley and Gerry's investigations take them further afield. In my latest book, 'A Painted Doom', Gerry Heffernan takes a sentimental journey back to his native Liverpool. (I particularly enjoyed writing this as Gerry's youthful haunts seem to be strangely similar to my own). However, I'm afraid the crime wave looks set to continue in 'Tradmouth' for the foreseeable future and I only hope the people of the South Hams will forgive me for increasing the 'murder rate' in their beautiful part of the world.
and now the crime wave moves to North Yorkshire.......
For a while I've been keen to branch out and begin another, totally different, series (not that Wesley will be taking a back seat - I've just completed the next book in the Tradmouth series and the following one is in the planning stage).
It was while I was taking part in an archaeological dig in York with my younger son, Olly, that I had the initial idea for my new Joe Plantagenet novels. In search of entertainment after the dig had finished for the day, Olly and I decided to go on one of York's ghost walks and the tales our guide told planted a seed in my mind that was to eventually grow into 'Seeking the Dead'.
Since that evening I have come to know York rather well as Olly won a place at York University to study archaeology at King's Manor (now part of the university but once home to the Abbot of St Mary's Abbey in the Middle Ages and headquarters of the Council of the North after the Reformation). And so York became Eborby (as with Tradmouth, I like to use a different name to give myself the freedom to use my imagination). I love the city of York with its ancient walls, its narrow snickleways, its magnificent Minster and its rich and eventful history. It is also reputed to be the most haunted city in England so I couldn't resist adding a touch of the supernatural to the new books as well as memorable characters and mysteries with plenty of twists and turns.
I do hope my readers enjoy the new series!
December 2023
I’m writing this in the middle of all my Christmas preparations although so far they’re going well. The cards have all been sent, the presents have been wrapped, the carol services have been attended (although a cold I suffered from recently has robbed me of my singing voice) and this morning the turkey was caught and is now safely stashed in the fridge. As well as this I’ve completed the copy edit for Wesley’s next case (COFFIN ISLAND – out in the summer) and I’ve even started to plan his investigation for 2025 (although I’m afraid I’ve had to abandon writing for the time being to concentrate on the Festive Season).
A few days ago I received a rather nice Christmas present. My publisher has given me a contract for three new books (two Wesley Petersons and a brand new Joe Plantagenet). The good news is that three of my Joe Plantagenet books, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS and WALKING BY NIGHT (rather spooky and set in Eborby – a thinly disguised York) will be issued by Little, Brown with beautiful new covers on 1st February 2024 – not long to go now. I must say I’m really looking forward to resuming this particular series and earlier this week I spent a few days Christmas shopping in York - and picking up a few new ideas of course.
However, the real purpose of this short update is to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
And here’s something that I hope will make you smile. I’ve been thinking up a few new lyrics to famous Christmas songs – lyrics suited to the world of classic detective stories!
This one’s to be sung to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town:
YOU’D BETTER THINK UP A GOOD ALIBI
IT BETTER BE CONVINCING, I’M TELLING YOU WHY
HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN
HE’S MAKING A LIST
HE’S CHECKING IT TWICE
THOSE LITTLE GREY CELLS WILL WORK IN A TRICE
HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN
HE KNOWS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN LYING
HE KNOWS WHO DID THE CRIME
HE KNOWS IF YOU’VE BEEN BAD OR GOOD
AND WHO DESERVES TO BE DOING TIME
SO YOU’D BETTER THINK UP A GOOD ALIBI
IT BETTER BE CONVINCING, I’M TELLING YOU WHY
HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN
And finally here’s a revised verse for Walking in a Winter Wonderland:
IN THE MEADOW WE CAN BUILD A SNOWMAN
AND PRETEND THAT HE IS FATHER BROWN
HE’LL SAY ‘HAVE YOU SOLVED IT?’
WE’LL SAY ‘NO, MAN’
‘WELL I CAN DO THE JOB WHILE I’M IN TOWN’!
A very happy Christmas to everyone – and happy reading. See you next year!
October 2023
Summer is well and truly at an end and, during my breaks from writing, I’ve been trying to spend time tidying up in the garden. It’s also the time of year when I buy a new diary and there are already a few entries for library talks and conferences in 2024 (I’ve already signed up for CrimeFest in Bristol next May). Watch out for any events near you. I always love meeting my readers.
The last few months have been busy as usual. I’ve just finished Wesley’s next case, entitled Coffin Island and my editor loved reading it. I’ll say more about it nearer publication time but, I must say, I’m quite pleased with this one.
As well as working hard, I’ve also managed to get away on holiday. In early September I visited Devon again and we were blessed with a week of glorious weather. My excuse is that I have to carry out research for my Wesley Peterson mysteries but the truth is, I just love it down there. I visited several lovely bookshops while I was there. I signed books at Browser Books and the Community Bookshop in Dartmouth and at Harbour Books in Kingsbridge. I also visited the fantastic Ivybridge Bookshop where I spoke to an enthusiastic audience about my work and the life of a crime writer. I also met a fellow writer there; top chef and food writer, Orlando Murrin, who is about to publish his first crime novel. I had the pleasure of reading Knife Skills for Beginners before my visit and I enjoyed it very much.

While I was in Devon I did my usual pilgrimage to Greenway, the holiday home of Agatha Christie. I walked there with my husband from Kingswear (on the opposite bank of the River Dart from Dartmouth). It’s quite a challenging walk; only about three and a half miles through woodland but very steep in places. We always feel much fitter when we’ve been to Dartmouth!
After returning from Devon I travelled to Nottingham to speak at Bromley House Library, a flourishing independent library founded in 1816. It was so good to meet everyone there and many thanks to the staff there for the warm welcome I received.
At the start of this month we decided to grab some last minute sunshine and fly to the lovely Greek island of Rhodes. It was our first visit and we were bowled over by the amazing old town, the lovely people and the fantastic food. And the cats! So many cats! I suspect they rule the place. On our return we watched a DVD I had of the Poirot episode Triangle at Rhodes. It was good to be reminded of our holiday.

My editor has just sent through pictures of the new covers for my soon to be re-released Joe Plantagenet books, Kissing the Demons, Watching the Ghosts and Walking by Night. I’m really pleased with them and I understand that they will be available in early February 2024. I’m also delighted to announce that Wesley’s latest case, The Killing Place, will be out in paperback on 11th April next year.
July 2023
Well, summer seems to have been and gone but the season makes little difference to an author. There are books to write and deadlines to fulfill and I’m lucky to have a lovely office in my garden which is good to work in come rain or shine.
However, there are always distractions when you’re ‘working from home’ and my own distraction during June’s great weather was the arrival of my youngest son and his family (my daughter in law, two very little girls plus dog). They’ve been living with us while building work’s been done on their house and I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to live with small children (with all the cooking, entertainment and washing that entails). All the memories returned of trying to cram all my writing into the period when the children were at school/nursery and I must confess it does help to focus the mind. So much so that I managed to complete Wesley’s next case (working title Coffin Island) in record time. I’ve sent it off to my editor and I’m just waiting to receive her comments.
I’ve still managed to get out and about. I attended a wonderful Crime Writers’ Association conference in York (one of my favourite places) in April. The highlight (apart from catching up with my fellow writers) was a gala dinner in the reconstructed Victorian street in the Castle Museum (once the prison where, among others, Dick Turpin was held and executed). In May I was in Bristol for CrimeFest, probably the friendliest crime fiction festival of the year. I participated in two panels and I was thrilled to find myself speaking alongside Simon Brett, one of my favourite authors, and Robert Thorogood, the creator of Death in Paradise.
I’ve also been visiting libraries, presenting my murder mystery ‘The Case of the Late Cook’ at Leigh Library in Lancashire and speaking at Cleethorpes library in Lincolnshire. Taking part in events and meeting readers is one of the best parts of a writer’s job!

The good news is that Wesley Peterson’s twenty seventh case with be out in hardback and ebook on 3rd August. Here’s a little taste of THE KILLING PLACE:
November. With the tourist season well and truly over in South Devon, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is looking forward to a quieter month in the CID. But when a man is shot dead on Bonfire Night, he finds he has a disturbing and complex murder case on his hands.
The body of Patrick North was found in woodland connected to Nesbarton Hall, a grand estate dating back to the eighteenth century. North worked for the Smithson family who now own the estate. The family are away on holiday, but when an anonymous letter threatening to abduct the Smithson son is uncovered, Wesley fears North’s death might have been collateral damage in a sinister kidnap plot.
Meanwhile, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson discovers a hidden grotto in a developer’s field – land that was once part of the Nesbarton estate. Evidence of past rituals and the shocking discovery of a skeleton buried next to the grotto raise questions about strange occurrences, past and present,on the estate that was once owned by a notorious privateer.
Then, just when Wesley’s team seem to be making progress in their investigation, a resident of the nearby village is killed in a near identical shooting. A race is on to find the ruthless killer, before they strike again . . .
I do hope everyone enjoys Wesley’s new investigation.

Finally I have exciting news for my readers. I can now reveal that all my Joe Plantagenet books are to be reissued by Little Brown (the publisher of my Wesley Peterson series) and I have agreed to continue the series (which, hopefully, means more visits to York to carry out research!). I have received many emails asking whether I was going to write more about Joe and now I can give the answer ‘yes’. However, all Wesley’s fans needn’t worry because his investigations will continue as well.
February 2023
I’m not sure whether it’s too late to wish all my readers a very happy new year. Probably, but I’ll do it anyway. Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a good Christmas (although it seems a long time ago now).
I do hope everyone enjoyed the short story I posted over the Christmas period The Third Elf. It was great fun writing a Christmas story featuring Wesley Peterson and the team. Perhaps it’s something I’ll do again next year.
Since the Festive Season I’ve settled down to writing again and I’ve been hard at work. Wesley’s next case The Killing Place, is now finished and it will be published this coming August. Finishing a manuscript is only the start of a long process before publication. First my editor gives me her notes on how the story can be refined and improved. Then it goes to the copy editor who does a more detailed edit, looking for repetition and any other errors. After that it goes to the proofreader. During the process the design of the jacket is decided on (I must say, my publisher’s given me some lovely covers). Only when everything is in place is it released into the world.

Once I’d completed The Killing Place, I was asked to write a short story with a Beatles theme. Needless to say, as a Liverpool girl brought up in the same area as Paul and John, I jumped at the chance. The story is called Happiness is a Warm Gun and was inspired by something that happened to me as a teenager (not murder I hasten to add). It contains a lot of Beatles references and I think it will be published in an anthology in the States. I’ll let you know once I have the details.
The good news is that Serpent’s Point is out in paperback (and cheaper ebook) at the beginning of March – and it will be stocked in most Sainsbury’s stores in the country which is fantastic. Earlier this month my publisher made it available on Kindle for one day only for 99p and the result was spectacular. It reached number 1 in historical mysteries and police procedurals and number 9 in the whole Kindle chart (above Prince Harry!)
Serpent’s Point in South Devon is the focus of local legends. The large house on the headland is shrouded in an ancient tale of evil, and when a woman is found strangled on the coastal path nearby, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate.
The woman had been house-sitting at Serpent’s Point and Wesley is surprised to discover that she was conducting an investigation of her own into unsolved missing persons cases. Could these enquires have led to her murder? In the meantime, while the case takes Wesley to Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson makes a dramatic discovery of his own in a field near Serpent’s Point.
Then, when a skeleton is uncovered, the pressure rises to find a killer and Wesley and Neil discover that Serpent’s Point holds more deadly secrets than anyone could have imagined.
As I mentioned, I’ve already started writing Wesley’s next case but I also intend to get out and about this year. I’m looking forward to attending the annual Crime Writers’ Association Conference (York in April) and CrimeFest (Bristol in May) where I hope to meet lots of readers.
That’s it for now. Happy Reading!
Forthcoming Events
On Monday 4 March 2024 at 6.30pm, Kate will be speaking at Little Sutton Library, 283 Chester Road, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port CH66 1QQ
Kate will be attending Crimefest, Bristol, 9 - 12 May 2024
PLEASE SEE "QUICK NEWS" BELOW, FOR KATE'S LATEST KINDLE MONTHLY DEALS
Kate Ellis is an award winning author of two thrilling crime series and has sold over a million books worldwide. She has also written three historical crime novels and many short stories.
Kate has a story in this great anthology - Happiness is a Warm Gun inspired by her experiences growing up in Liverpool in the Beatles era :-)
Her books in the Wesley Peterson series, containing an intriguing blend of mystery and history, include:
The Merchant's House, The Armada Boy, An Unhallowed Grave, The Funeral Boat, The Bone Garden, A Painted Doom, The Skeleton Room, The Plague Maiden, A Cursed Inheritance, The Marriage Hearse, The Shining Skull, The Blood Pit, A Perfect Death, The Flesh Tailor, The Jackal Man, The Cadaver Game, The Shadow Collector, The Shroud Maker, The Death Season, The House of Eyes , The Mermaid's Scream, The Mechanical Devil , Dead Man's Lane, The Burial Circle, The Stone Chamber, Serpent's Point, The Killing Place & Coffin Island
Also available are five books in her spooky and mysterious series set in the ancient city of Eborby in North Yorshire and featuring DI Joe Plantagenet: SEEKING THE DEAD, PLAYING WITH BONES, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS & WALKING BY NIGHT
Kate has also completed a powerful and stunning historical trilogy set in the aftermath of the First World War. A HIGH MORTALITY OF DOVES, THE BOY WHO LIVED WITH THE DEAD & THE HOUSE OF THE HANGED WOMAN are available in paperback and ebook
Quick News
Fans of Kate's Joe Plantagenet series will be pleased to hear that the third, fourth and fifth books in the series have been reissued and are now available. A sxith adventure for Joe is planned - date to be announced
Kate is pleased to announce that Coffin Island has been selected for the Thrills & Chills KBD promotion in October. This is a week-long themed Kindle promotion in the US, running from 28/10/24–03/11/24. As well as being priced at 99¢ for the week, it’ll also feature on the Kindle Deals page and be included in their email newsletters to subscribers
Kate's short story, 'Not a Note' is in the latest CWA Anthology 'Music of the Night'
Kate's historical crime novel The Devil's Priest is available to download from the Amazon Kindle Store for £1.77p ($2.99 US)
Kate has written about the art of plotting in the new Detection Club publication HOWDUNIT - a masterclass in crime writing from the UK's leading crime authors.
Kate's Diary
kate2012
Updated May 2024
Forthcoming Events
On Saturday 7 Sept at 12.00 noon, Kate will signing books at Browswer Books, Foss Street, Dartmouth, Devon
On Tuesday 10 Sept at 5.30pm, Kate will speaking at The Ivybridge Bookshop, Ivybridge, Devon
On Thursday 19 September at 2pm, Kate will be speaking at Whitehaven Library, Lowther St, Whitehaven CA28 7QZ
11 to 13 October, Kate will be taking part in DEATH IN THE DALES, Sedbergh Crime Festival. Click here for Info and tickets
Featured Books
Dead Man's Lane
Wesley Peterson
The Shining Skull
Wesley Peterson
The Armada Boy
Wesley Peterson
The Stone Chamber
Wesley Peterson
The Cadaver Game
Wesley Peterson
Out 1st August in Hardback
Coffin Island
Despite many years living in South Devon, DI Wesley Peterson has never visited the tiny island of St Rumon’s. That is until erosion from a storm reveals three bodies buried outside the local churchyard.
Two are ancient skeletons, but one is far more recent, and Wesley realises he has uncovered a case of murder. But whose remains are they? And who killed them?
The island has only a small number of inhabitants. Yet one resident keeps cropping up in Wesley’s investigation: the author and self-styled academic, Quentin Search.
Meanwhile Wesley’s friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, becomes fascinated by the remains of the island’s old priory. His discovery of a journal, written by a sixteenth century cleric, reveals an eerie tale of strange rituals and disturbing deaths.
As Wesley begins to wonder whether the past might be repeating itself, another murder occurs . . . There is a calculated killer on the island – one whose grip is as deadly as the rising tide.
3Maura49
>2 EadieB: Many thanks for the update on a very prolific author. Long way to go in this series.
4EadieB
>3 Maura49: Yes we do have a long way to go!
5Andrew-theQM
Thanks Eadie 😊 I look forward to her getting back to the Joe Plantagenet series. A lot of years since the group read that.
6EadieB
>5 Andrew-theQM: I’m looking forward to reading more of those books too!
7Sergeirocks
>2 EadieB: Thanks, Eadie, 🙂.
