Kate Ellis, The Bone Garden (2001)

(Mid-exam review – I am away from home for a couple of days and may not approve comments immediately)

This British police procedural is the fifth in the Wesley Peterson series. I bought the book myself and enjoyed it even more because it was such a pleasure to speak to Kate Ellis in Bristol (I had the privilege of sitting next to her during the CrimeFest gala dinner).

“The lost gardens of Earlsacre had been stripped of the weeds and briars that had choked them and hidden their form. The work had begun two months before, and over the long midsummer weeks rude mechanical diggers and buzzing strimmers had intruded into the gardens´ secret places and laid bare the walls and the gatehouse that had guarded them from the eyes of the world for so many years.”

As usual, we get both a new and an old mystery. During the excavation of the 17th century garden of Earlsacre, the archaeologists find a skeleton hand, once again allowing Wesley Peterson´s friend Neil Watson to play amateur sleuth. There is even a link to the West Indies and a family called Lantrist which means that Wesley´s own ancestors may be involved in the mystery.

The present-day mystery begins when a man is found murdered in a camper. As he has left no clues to his identity the first, important question for functioning inspector Peterson is to find out who the victim is. It seems that he may also have a connection to Earlsacre. At the same time the local solicitor Brian Willerby is very eager to speak to Wesley, but unfortunately they are not able to arrange a meeting until the day of a local cricket match. No spoilers; if I have made you curious, you will have to read the book to find out why.