When DNA evidence in a cold case of the disappearance of two teenage girls points to the local MP, his alibi is that he was visiting a prostitute in a house near where the girls were last seen. A student now living in that house has gone missing and it turns out that 150 years ago the house was notorious as the scene of a brutal murder.

Enjoyable solid police procedural with creepy background elements. ( )

Kissing the Demons by Kate Ellis is the 3rd entry in her police procedural series featuring D.I. Joe Plantagenet. The series is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eborby, which is obviously the walled city of York.

In Kissing the Demons, Joe and his immediate supervisor, Emily Thwaite are drawn into a twelve year old cold case of two missing girls but while following up on this case, a young university student who is slightly connected to the first case, is brutally murdered. Before these cases have been solved there are more deaths to contend with. There are plenty of suspects with secrets to hide but Joe and Emily are dogged in their approach and continue to follow the evidence. One aspect of this series is that it often touches on the supernatural. Mostly the ghostly aspects turn out to have a logical resolution but there are small touches that are left unexplained. In this book, there is a suggestion of a haunted house and a seance that appears to have communicated with a long dead spirit.

I enjoyed this suspenseful read that stays within the parameters of realistic police work even with it’s touches of Gothic spookiness. Kissing the Demons was an engrossing read with it’s various plots and complex characters. Although this series isn’t as well known as her Wesley Peterson series, I will definitely be continuing on. ( )

Over a hundred years ago a terrible murder took place at 13 Torland Place. The suspect, Obediah Shrowton, insisted he was innocent but the judge disagreed and he was put to death. When the house is taken by a group of four college students, their friendship begins to fall apart. When one of the girls, Petulia Ferribie, turns up dead, DI Joe Plantagenet and his boss, DCI Emily Thwaite, are called in to investigate. In the meantime Joe is also investigating a series of missing girls whose killer is mutilating them with some sort of sense theme.......touch, taste, hearing, etc.

The book is very well written and with its touch of the supernatural is something out of the ordinary run of crime stories. The plot is somewhat predictable in bringing in an exorcist, but the story itself was easy to read and there were a couple of surprises. The characters are well formed and it's always interesting to learn more about their personal lives. I look forward to the next book in the series.
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Kate Ellis has written a somewhat Gothic police procedural which has several twists and turns to enhance the suspense and create mystery around the murderer's identity. In fact, the characterizations are just as interesting as the plot details. Historical cold cases become entwined with the current crimes. There was a realism about dysfunctional families through generations that rang true.

A few lame developments rather ruined a 4-★ read:
In a seance, the name Obediah Shrowton is spelt out and a great thing is made of that being reason for the discord in the students' rented house. However much the past history was gruesome, as part of the house's unsavoury reputation, the seance remains a paranormal aspect that wasn't further clarified.
Equally diverting attention, Kirsten, Joe's sister-in-law, arrives on the scene, invoking distracting backstory. She ends up dragging too much bitterness into the plot for no discernible purpose as far as the mysteries are concerned. In an unrealistic plot development, this Kirsten-character becomes the focus of the murderer, which was rather illogical.

This novel (#3 in the series) was my first introduction to Ellis' Joe Plantagenet mysteries and as a stand-alone story, very enjoyable. I liked the character enough to pursue the next book. I suspect I haven't lost the thread of this series by not reading the two prior novels and I fully expect to enjoy those books when I am able to obtain copies from the library. ( )

What's It About?
Thirteen Torland Place is a house with a disturbing past. When a student living there is found murdered, DI Joe Plantagenet wonders whether her death has anything to do with its grim history. Then other, similar deaths come to light and he fears that a ruthless serial killer is at work. Could the deaths be connected to Obediah Shrowton, an executed murderer whose presence still seems to linger in the house? Or is there a yet more sinister and dangerous explanation?

What Did I Think?
If you enjoy a good, solid police procedural with strong supernatural overtones, you will diffidently like the Joe Plantagenet series. Kate Ellis has skillfully blended history with present-day crime to produce an outstanding series with excellent characters.

The story is complex...perhaps a bit too complex, which lost it the 5th star...and suspenseful. This is due partly to the fact that there are so many people who have a great deal to lose if their secrets are revealed. It's the third book in the series but it can very well be read as a standalone. However, something tells me that you'll want to go back to read the others. The atmosphere of the town of Eborby along with a strong story line and believable characters make this one a winner. ( )