Watching the Ghosts

Watching the Ghosts by Kate Ellis is the fourth book in her police procedural series featuring DI Joe Plantagenet. This series is set in the fictional Northern England city of Eborby which is the thinly disguised historic city of York. A common thread that runs through all the Plantagenet books is a touch of the supernatural. In this outing Joe is involved in the investigation of a former mental asylum that has now been converted into apartment units. When a series of murders occurs, all the victims appear to have some sort of connection to Havenby Hall.

This asylum was also home to the notorious serial killer Peter Brockmeister and many of the victims are killed in his signature style but Brockmeister has been dead for a number of years show more – or has he? It isn’t long before Joe and his colleagues realize that what is happening now is strongly influenced by the past.

I found Watching the Ghosts a fun combination of police procedural and horror story. The author combines serial murders, kidnapping and a mysterious haunted building and delivered a story that kept the pages turning and me reading long into the night. show less

From Amazon:
DI Joe Plantagenet investigates a house with a disturbing past in the fourth of this popular police procedural series. - Boothgate House has a sinister past. Once an asylum for the insane, serial killer Peter Brockmeister was sent there on his release from prison in 1978. Three years later, it closed, and Brockmeister died in mysterious circumstances. Solicitor Melanie Hawkes is investigating the suspicious events when her young daughter is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Boothgate House resident Lydia Brookes is burgled. And why is a paranormal researcher fascinated by the building’s basement? As Joe uncovers the appalling truth, he faces an evil that threatens those closest to him – and puts his own life in jeopardy.

My show more Thoughts:
Kate Ellis writes two excellent police series, the Wesley Peterson series and this one, the Joe Plantagenet series. I like the police characters in this series - Joe, with his troubled past and his current loneliness, Emily trying to juggle a hectic job and family life; and George Merryweather, the clergyman with the job of dealing with supernatural happenings. The background of the ancient city with its narrow streets and checkered past gives added atmosphere to this series which mixes ghostly happenings with crime. I am looking forward to continuing with both of these excellent offerings. show less

I enjoy this series for its lovely, atmospheric portrayal of Eborby (York). Ellis describes it so well that I get the shivers and believe that all sorts of spooky things could happen there. I love rich, textured settings like this, although you would never ever catch me moving into a former insane asylum.

The mystery is convoluted but not confusing. There are plenty of viable suspects on hand besides the actual responsible parties, but once those responsible parties begin to be uncovered, the denouement is practically incestuous. (I mean that figuratively, by the way.) There's plenty to like about Watching the Ghosts, but it isn't quite up to Kate Ellis's usual high standards. That's not about to keep me away from the next Joe show more Plantagenet mystery though-- she's one of my favorite writers. show less

Gripping murder mystery with a spooky setting. The supernatural element is more atmospheric than the literal translation I was hoping for, but I still enjoyed the story. And Joe Plantagenet is one of those moody, inscrutable detectives, nursing a tortured past beneath a handsome face and a charming personality, who never really rise above their unusual moniker for me, but he helps the reader to connect the dots.

Joe and his partner Emily are called to investigate the abduction of a young child, a copycat killing, and the sinister secrets of a converted mental hospital in Eborby (or York, thinly disguised). Ellis certainly knows how to keep her readers hooked, dropping baited clues and lines like 'Nor were they aware of the corpse caught show more up in the overhanging branches of a large willow tree until one of the rowers hit it with his oar'. The 'red herrings' are also cleverly used, casting suspicion on a host of dodgy characters. Only, after weaving together all the separate strands of the case, the denouement proved inevitably disappointing and more like the climax to a bad horror film than the satisfying psychological solution I was waiting for. I really enjoyed the historical mystery of the old hospital, even when the ghosts were made real, so felt rather let down by the neat ending. Still, the fast-paced plotting and building tension meant that I remained engrossed until the very last chapter, so I can't fault Kate Ellis for missing the mark.

The perfect library book - a quick, entertaining read to pass a few hours and then return to the shelves. show less

A former hospital for the criminally insane has been converted into flats. In one of them Lydia has repeated nightmares. There are spooky goings-on in the basement. And somebody is reviving the MO of a deceased serial killer inmate. Does Lydia need the help of a policeman or an exorcist?

Exciting despite the use of a technique I think is cheating:
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sometimes giving the killer's thoughts and feelings without letting on that they are the killer rather than relying on outward observation of the characters by the sleuths

[Watching the Ghosts] by Kate Ellis
Joe Plantagenet series Book #4
4.5 Stars

From The Book:

DI Joe Plantagenet investigates a house with a disturbing past in the fourth of this popular police procedural series. - Boothgate House has a sinister past. Once an asylum for the insane, serial killer Peter Brockmeister was sent there on his release from prison in 1978. Three years later, it closed, and Brockmeister died in mysterious circumstances. Solicitor Melanie Hawkes is investigating the suspicious events when her young daughter is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Boothgate House resident Lydia Brookes is burgled. And why is a paranormal researcher fascinated by the building’s basement? As Joe uncovers the appalling truth, he faces an evil that show more threatens those closest to him – and puts his own life

My Thoughts:

This book seems to have every plot imaginable. Beginning with an 8 year old girl being kidnapped right under her mother's nose. Add a burglar that is going around piling up furniture against his victims' front doors so that he can make a quick getaway through the back door if the owners of the property suddenly returns home. There is also a historical element thrown in with Lydia having just moved into a newly converted flat located in what was a mental hospital in the historic city of Eborby. She is troubled by nightmares which feature a malevolent clock. With the description of the clock I didn't wonder that she was having nightmares. Enter DI Joe Plantagenet and his boss, DCI Emily Thwaite who are working to lower the rising crime rate in the area.

If you add into the mix a university researcher who has found something evil in the basement and a man with an obsession with a serial killer the result is spine chilling and a frightening read. The perfect story line for suckers for a ghost story like myself. I found it to be a fast paced, well written story with more than a hint of supernatural happenings. show less

Another exciting Joe Plantagenet mystery with paranormal occurrences, again in a building with an apparently criminally-disturbed history. As in the previous book, there is a lively characterisation of the main protagonists. Although the reader can easily determine some of the mystery, there are a few clever twists that reveal a complex plot and unexpected developments.

A few developments were rather clunky, such as the kidnapping plot and those who were the participants. The final episodes of danger seemed to lack finesse, but as a whole, the story had a fairly good pacing with moderate suspense coming and going in waves.

My biggest niggle is this romance and sadness aspect to Joe's private life. It comes across as a contrived plot show more trope and the main effect is bleak. This is a very weak plot point to try and perpetuate through the whole series (if Joe's love life is going to continue being blighted). Despite his unresolved relationships, the mystery is intriguing and the next book begs to be read. show less