A PERFECT DEATH

TITLE: A PERFECT DEATH
AUTHOR: KATE ELLIS
Pages: 414
Date: 23/02/2011
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 13 Wesley Peterson
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The book starts with a woman meeting someone in Grandal Field in Devon, being knocked unconscious and burned to death.
For a long time the police have no idea about the woman's identity, but Wesley Peterson suspects she might be a woman called Nadia, who an old college friend who Wesley and Pam met in France was concerned about. But there are other possibilities.
And to make the matter more intriguing, the woman was burned in a spot where, according to legend another woman had been burned to death by her husband during the 13th century.
Wesley's friend Neil is conducting an archaeological dig on Grandal Field, and is trying to find the reports from an earlier dig in the 1980's which have disappeared. A dig that ended when the two female archaeologists in charge both mysteriously died, one of them in a fire.
Soon Wesley and his colleagues find themselves caught up in lots of incidents concerning fire and the threat of death by fire, with no idea if all the incidents, past and present, are connected or not. But, with the death-toll through fire increasing, it is vital that the team solve the mysteries quickly, before even more people die.
As always this was a good mystery, and it's always nice to get back to Wesley Peterson and his family, friends and colleagues.
The historical descriptions and archaeological details always add extra interest to the story. They give clues, but don't give the solution away, which is exactly as it should be.
I enjoy this series, although the personal issues between Pam and Wesley get on my nerves a bit at times. I'm glad to know that I have two more books in this series to go before I catch up.