The Knocker on Death's Door

November 18, 1999
The Knocker on Death’s Door
Ellis Peters

Never read anything by Peters before, but I believe I soon will again. This was one of the books I bought at the library sale, I think. I believe Peters writes the Cadfael medieval series, but this was not one of those.

The story takes place in Wales, which attracted me right away. A centuries-old, inches-thick medieval era door - a great, huge thing – has been re-discovered in the family mansion of an old Welsh family, and has been restored to its original home, a local church that was once an abbey. It seems, however, that people keep dropping dead right at the foot of the old door, and stories begin to spread of a malignant spirit – an evil monk who’d sold his soul to show more Satan – who haunts the door and all who come near it. The detective on hand is a fellow named George Felse, but the story doesn’t’ center on him. Rather, it jumps from character to character, and mostly, the story is told by a local car mechanic, Dave, his sister Dinah, and his partner Hugh, who is Dinah’s boyfriend.

One thing leads to another and a body is found buried in the old mansion, and the evidence seems about to do in the brother in the wealthy family, Robert, until Dinah figures it out and almost gets herself killed in the midst of it.

A very satisfying read. I’ll look for more Ellis Peters as soon as I get through some of these other unread books I have piled up! show less

The mystery begins with a door. What is it about the door which causes people to die? Is it supernatural, or completely natural? Inspector Felse believes the latter and sets out with his competent subordinates to find the answer.

I enjoyed this book. The secondary characters were so interesting I would enjoy reading more about them. The mystery was simple for me to solve, but the story and the events were compelling and kept me reading late into the night when I should have been in bed.

An allegedly cursed door which once belonged to an abbey and then for hundreds after the Dissolution of the monasteries hung in the cellar of a minor stately home is returned to the church which was once part of the abbey. A photographer who had seen it in the cellar attends its rededication at the church and is reminded of something --but is killed in front of the door before he can share his discovery. Inspector Felse investigates a very close-knit village community on the Welsh border, but not exactly cosy. The knocker of the title turns out to be a very neatly planted clue.

A very good traditional police procedural which uses Ellis Peters' knowledge of medieval history and art in a contemporary crime.

a very solid and enjoyable mystery

"Did you know what sort of monastery we had up here at the finish?" he asked mildly. "There were only four of the brothers left to take to the roads, and a beggarly sort of place they kept here. Hospitality for the stranger, my eye! There were strangers slept here overnight that never got where they were going. It was a long way for any bishop to come, to see for himself what was going on. And then, bishops are as fond of sleeping safe as the next man. No, I wouldn't say Mottisham Abbey had a particularly holy reputation in its last days. Even the church, they say, saw some very odd goings on before the finish." "Are you saying, " demanded the photographer bluntly, "that there's something uncanny about that door?"