The Marriage Hearse

Wesley Peterson #10

by Kate Ellis

Wesley Peterson looks to classic literature for clues to a contemporary murder When Kirsten Harbourn is found strangled and naked on her wedding day, DI Wesley Peterson makes some alarming discoveries. Kirsten was being pursued by an obsessed stalker and she had dark secrets her doting fiance knew nothing about. But Kirsten's wasn't the only wedding planned to take place that day. At Morbay register office a terrified young girl made her wedding vows, and a few days later her bridegroom was found dead in a seedy seaside hotel. As Wesley investigates he suspects that the groom's death and his bride's subsequent disappearance might be linked to Kirsten's murder. Meanwhile the skeleton of a young female is found buried in a farmer's field, a field that once belonged to the family of Ralph Strong, the Elizabethan playwright whose "The Fair Wife of Padua "is to be performed for the first time in 400 years. Is this bloodthirsty play a confession to a murder committed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I? Or does it tell another story, one that might cast light on recent mysteries?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Procedural, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Archaeology

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 2006

About the author

Kate Ellis was born and brought up 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 was awarded the CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY award in 2019

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This makes ten for me. Not sure I wish to continue series, but may do. I don't think much of Wesley's wife Pam and if she continues on as she did in this and preceding episodes I don't want to be around for the end of it all. So...this one features a young bride-to-be murdered before her wedding, along with many unsavory candidates to be investigated as possible perps. As usual, there is the historical theme mixed with present-day crime. A skeleton is found in a farmyard by a treasure hunter and Neil participates in the recovery of it and the gold jewelry that went with it. It is connected with Elizabethan play that just happens to be under production with interesting consequences. Wesley ties the murder motivation from play with the case he is investigating. Another note: Heffernan begins his dating life adding a touch of humour.

Loan from Friend - thank You!

[Ram Kaushik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read from Kate Ellis - nicely plotted and executed. But for God's sake, can we please lose Pam, the wife of Wesley, the main detective? It is possible that some kind-hearted readers might just find some redeeming qualities in her, but I confess I am not one of them. Her ceaseless whining and her even more annoying mom are a hugely annoying distraction in this otherwise enjoyable series. Ms. Ellis - please do the needful.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked on these books, just ordered 4 more.

DI Wesley Peterson has marriage problems! However,he is totally unaware of them. It is really time for counseling, but for being a good policeman and a detective, he has no clue what is going on in his own household, he is too busy with work and neglecting his wife and children.

Pam on the other hand has a new love interest and has started an affair, before it gets totally out of hand, Neil, her prior boyfriend and husbands best friend, finds out about it, and Pam decides to end the relationship before Wesley finds out. In the mean time, just to keep Neil busy, a body is discovered in a field, it is ancient and tied into a play that is being performed in the village. Neil being an archeologist is called in to help when the body is discovered. Of course, police women Rachel is in the play, and she still fancy's Wesley.

In the mean time, there is a murder, a young bride is murdered before her wedding, and also a young groom from a different wedding, but somehow, they are also tied together to a language school. So who did em in! Why has a young French girl gone missing?

There is a new love interest for the Stations boss, and she becomes very helpful in the grooms murder.

At last we get to meet Wesley's sister, yeh, she is nice! Marrying a C of E Parish priest, and will live in the parish close by.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to the end, but I wasn't really gripped by this one.

[Melanie O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good enough detective/mystery. An interesting storyline which kept me guessing and I’d probably pick another by this author as I feel that they are a cosy easy read for when I’m
In that mood.

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to read the Wesley Peterson series in sequence. In this one Wesley and Gerry investigate the murder of a bride on her wedding day in their Devon village of Tradmouth. At first fearing that a mad strangler is on the loose, the murder becomes more complicated as a second murder turns up, this time not of a pretty young bride but of an older man in a flea-bitten guest house. Are these murders linked, perhaps to the slightly shady foreign language college where the young bride-to-be worked? If so, how?

As always, there is also medieval murder discovery by Neil Watson in a local field: the skeleton of a young woman, strangled, wearing a medieval ring and locket. And, finally, the medieval storyline, an Elizabethan-era play written by a young man who came from Tradmouth, that begins every chapter.

Although life intervened and I would put the book aside for days, I did ultimately enjoy it. Ellis writes a good mystery, more than a bare bones "whodunnit" and I like how she always includes interesting medieval tidbits. There is a clue about three quarters of the way through the book that led me to correctly guess why the bride-to-be was killed, although I vacillated back and forth as to who the murderer was. There is the usual tension between Wesley and his wife Pam and Gerry has a new love interest; like old friends I have actually come to enjoy these side glimpses into the detectives' lives. And Rachel annoys me less in this book than she usually does; she is developing into a good investigator.

On to #11.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment of the series featuring West Country detective Wesley Peterson he is tasked with finding the killer of a young bride on the morning of her wedding day. The more he investigates the more suspects appear and it seems the innocent young bride was not quite a demure as first thought. Meanwhile Neil is busy finding out about the 17th century remains found at a local farmhouse. As always there is a parallel with the two cases separated by centuries.
An another enjoyable story with quite a few plot twists. My only complaint is the character of Pam, Wesley's wife who is a very irritating and negative influence on the stories - I really hope she 'improves' in subsequent books.

[Sophie P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant enough crime story.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very twisty.

[Jan Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never really sure until the end

Ms.Ellis book never fails to deliver. I think my favorite component is the mixing of the old with the new storyline. Great characters ,look forward to meeting them in each new book. At first,I thought that this story was was more rooted in present day ,but it was really about the past.

[Helen Stead · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixture of Midsomer murders and Miss Marple. A very quick read, didn't really hold my attention.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a slog. Could definitely do without the extraneous domestic drama.

[Katie Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this one wasn't quite as good as others in the series. Many of the subthreads were never really explored, and the solution was guessable extremely early on (as were a couple of the major subplots). I knew who the murderer was and why as soon as we met them, which was disappointing.

I'm also just so tired of the continual Wesley/Pam disintegrating marriage. Realistic? Probably. But it's just so depressing and doesn't really have anything to do with the plot. They're both miserable. And Pam is presented so unsympathetically! Even when Wesley gets injured in the line of duty, her response is to cheat on him! Also I could 100% do without Neil's holier-than-thou moralizing. You kissed her last book, dude, betraying your best friend, so you don't get to come all "omg she's a whore, whatever did I ever see in her, all my feelings are dead, I can never be comfortable around her again" when you catch her seeing another dude.

Rachel's character being largely reduced to unrequited love for Wesley is another disappointment.

I'm interested in this series for the mysteries, and for the characters in the CID office. Not for the dull depressing dismal drama that is the Peterson marriage. If this doesn't clear up soon (either by their marriage getting better or by divorce), it's really going to sour my enjoyment.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picking up on this series (I read the earlier ones quite a while ago, think I have got back in in the right place!) It's light reading, the sort of book you can get through very quickly. I like the detective Wesley and his archaeologist friend, afraid I am rapidly losing sympathy with Wesley's silly wife though. I also enjoy the historical parts, the subplots of ancient crimes with a bit of archaeology and a bit of archive work thrown in. (A little niggling voice at the back of my mind does think they are incredibly lucky with the amount of historical information they manage to find, in view of the direct hit which wiped out some of Devon's archives during the war, but that is over-fussy perhaps - this aspect of the story is an archivist's/historian's fantasy/ideal scenario!) I like the Devon setting, though wonder why the author bothered to change the place names as it is obvious what they are (Dartmouth, Totnes, &c.) There are lots of different strands to the plot (a bride murdered on her wedding day, a bogus marriage, and the historical story, as well as the ongoing personal lives of the police and the archaeologist). Oh, and the Elizabethan play is good - there are lots like this which really did exist.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another intriguing murder mystery in this highly addictive series, which blends contemporary crimes with historical ones. The last three in the series have all received 5-stars from me on Goodreads as I felt that Kate Ellis was really hitting her stride with them both in terms of the stories and the ongoing character arcs.

Without giving any overt spoilers in this one a situation that has been bubbling under the surface breaks out leading me to feel real anger at a certain character. It's an ongoing issue and I was glad some consequences came from it though unsure how that will play out in the next books in the series.

My only disappointment was that there was no Author's Note following the story.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot and well written as usual, but I found the marital problems between Wesley and Pam overdone and tedious. On one hand Pam has unrealistic expectations involving Wesley and his job, while on the other hand, Wesley is pretty much mostly narcissisticly concerned mainly with his own needs and expectations, considering them first and foremost ahead of everything, including wife and children...he's sort of clueless when it comes to how to attend to both parts of his life! His maturity level is sadly lacking, like when he was injured and not in fit condition to return to work, but he hobbles back, not by any great sense of duty, but because he was bored at home by himself...pretty juvenile reasoning!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do really like this series. The historical background story in each book is always interesting and informative. One thing I will say about the series is, I CANNOT STAND PAM. What a complaining, selfish and self-centred person. Poor Wesley! At this point, I expected that she would have been off, but we still have to put up with her being constantly mean to Wesley. I have to remind myself that these characters belong in fiction and are not real and that is the sign of a good writer and series. Getting the next in the series ready to go soon.

[Selene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quiet good - mainly because it is set in south Devon and I spent my time working out the places. Well put together, sort of like 'A touch of Frost'.

[Clare McCaffrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive

Story format repetitive. Characters not fleshed out. Mystery telegraphed very early. Done with series- better books to spend my money on.

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Marriage Hearse’ by Kate Ellis
Published by Piatkus, 23 March 2006. ISBN: 978-0-7499-0783-9 (HB)

Number ten in the Wesley Peterson saga is set up exactly as in previous books, a modern mystery set alongside a parallel event hundreds of years ago.

In this case, a local amateur drama group is performing a play by a long dead Tudor playwright whose personal life (and death) mirrors the events taking place in the same village today.

A bride is found strangled in her bedroom as the wedding guests wait at the church for her arrival. The obvious candidate for her murderer is an ex boyfriend who has been stalking her, but can it be that simple?

The true motive, which finally emerges after a series of false trials, has been taken, I suspect, from a real-life case some time ago. However, it is a perfectly plausible explanation and one that is not telegraphed along the way.

For regular readers of the series, the big question is, ‘will Wesley at last succumb to the charms of Rachel, his love struck sergeant, as a relief from his moaning overworked wife’? And will his old chum, archaeologist Neil, step in to provide that same wife with the tender loving care that she isn’t getting from her husband who always seems to be out on the job.

Far be it from me to spill the beans except to say events take an unexpected turn and not, perhaps, for the better.

A new Kate Ellis in the Spring makes the long winters bearable.
--------
Reviewer: Ron Ellis
For Lizzie Hayes (Mystery Women Group)

[Eadie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kirsten Harbourn is found murdered to death on her wedding day. Kirsten was being pursued by an obsessed stalker and she had dark secrets her doting fiancé knew nothing about. At Morbay register office a terrified young girl made her wedding vows, and a few days later her bridegroom was found dead in a seedy seaside hotel. Are these murders linked? Meanwhile the skeleton of a young female is found buried in a farmer's field, a field that once belonged to the family of Ralph Strong. Is this bloodthirsty play a confession to a murder committed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I? Or does it tell another story, one that might cast light on recent mysteries? I loved this story by Kate Ellis. All the murders in this story are somewhat linked. I loved how they are tied together as the story is told. Kate Ellis does this as easily as she tells the story. Wesley's wife, Pam, is unhappy with her marriage as Wesley is busy solving the murders. Pam decides after her fling with Jonathan to move on and straighten up and not tell Wesley what was going on. I'm hoping she can keep her secret but I think there will be a consolation in books to come! Highly recommend this book to those who love books with consequences to come in future books.

[John Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wesley Peterson #10, stock standard model in this series. Current mystery investigated by Wesley, Gerry and the team, including Rachel who has the hots for Wesley. There's also an archaeological dig and mystery, and a developer whose work is interrupted by Neil Watson.
These books are an easy read, not too disgustingly violent or dark, and the characters are mostly likeable. Wesley's wife, Pam, is annoying, although not as much as her own mother, Della, the mother-in-law from hell (another cliche). Wesley hasn't been paying proper attention to his family, and this leads to trouble. In later books, there has been regular mention of an incident between Neil and Pam, and this book is the source.
I'm not trying to be a spoiler, so I'll say no more here.
For me, the series has become a comfy read, when I might need something not too demanding. It's not really worth any more than three stars, though, because it is completely formulaic.

[Pgchuis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a disappointment. The bogus wedding storyline was obvious from the opening pages, but it took the police 60% of the book to work it out. The extracts from the play which began each chapter were confusing and added nothing for me. The solution to Kirsten's murder was a bit ridiculous - surely it would have made far more sense for Dr Creston to tell his son what he had done and get him to break things off, rather than him telling Kirsten about it - how did he know she wouldn't report him?

And then there's Pam and Wesley and their unhappy marriage... They deserve each other, it's beginning to seem to me. And there was Neil being all disapproving, when he and Pam kissed in an earlier book.

[Andrea Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read from Kate Ellis. The death of a bride on her wedding day and the death of a groom after his wedding are the present-day crimes for Wesley Peterson to solve. For Neil Watson, the discovery of skeletal remains of a young woman on farmland leads back through a family tree to an Elizabeth playwright. In the back story, Gerry Hefferman has met someone, and so has Pam, Wesley's wife. Pam is not happy with her life as a mother of 2 with an overworked husband in the police and in general, we are not impressed with her. She is, however, probably a good representation of what marriage is like for partners where one person feels their connection to the investigation precludes all other activities.

[Eugene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tenth in this series. Largely a police procedural, but with a lot of the personal lives of the various police characters involved. I don’t cavil at that, indeed often these sorts of books are largely a spare plot to hang the relatonship expositions upon and not less interesting for that. As well, author Ellis does not do spare plots, they’re thick and knotty, and always in some way involve an interesting archeological angle. Perhaps I’m just getting tired of these particular characters, they seem to exhibit more soap opera personas than I recall, and the book didn’t satisfy as much as others in the series...

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

#10 in Kate Ellis' Wesley Peterson series of great police procedurals. Have been overwhelmed by life recently and needed an 'old friend' to read. Have not dipped into my Kate Ellis TBR pile in a while and now seemed a great time to do it. Opened the book and was in the story immediately. I just love this series.

I am fascinated by how Ellis is able to weave together history and current time, with archaeology, archives, Elizabethan drama, and human affairs ancient and modern to frame and help solve a murder of a bride to be on her wedding day. I did figure out the murderer sooner rather than later, but it did not spoil the read as there were other possibilities that might have been the case.

The best part is that I have two more on my bookshelves to read before I have to branch out to find the rest of the series.

[Gabriella Llewellyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tenth in series and I think my last. The main set of characters have developed very little in ten books. Wesley and Pam have ordered Chinese every night of their marriage. I don’t know why they ever got married, they have never been a compelling couple.

Wesley of course can do no wrong. Yawn.

Apparently he and Rachel are doomed to have the same conversation for eternity— “have you found an apartment?” Non committal shrug.

Would have loved to care about these characters more by now, ten books in, but honestly just so bored.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written murder mystery. There are a couple of murders to be investigated in this book and whilst reading it you have to decide if they are related. There is also a centuries old murder to contend with that is related in a roundabout way too. I liked the main character and as many have stated, his wife Pam is a general nuisance. The story is not one where there is gory detail or forensics aplenty but my interest was held and I read this book in only a few days. I will be liking for this author again. A really good read.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 3 out of 5]

the very end, makes one wonder why the person who committed the crime didn't take other steps before doing something this drastic.

I was less fond of the inserted pieces about ancient remains that were found and that were connected with the play some of the characters have a role in.

The title is a great one, by the way. I wrecked my brain to get a decent translation for it, but in Dutch the literal translation of both worlds would make an impossible combination. Will see if I can find out whether it has been translated and, more interesting, what title the book was given.

[Terri Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A church full of waiting wedding guests, a wedding party waiting for the bride who is running late until her father comes rushing in to the church, yelling about his daughter being dead.

A bride killed on her wedding day throws Wesley Peterson in to a race to find to find her killer before another body turns up, threatening to throw the police force in to chaos. So when bones turn up in a field on a nearby farm, Wesley can only hope that they are old which would mean one less job for him to deal with.