THE MERCHANT'S HOUSE
By: Kate Ellis
St. Martin’s Press, New York
1999 (hc)
The Merchant’s House is the first in a mystery series authored by
British novelist Kate Ellis. I had read about the series (which now
numbers seven novels) in a New York Times Book Review article
earlier this summer and the premise of the book in question sounded
fascinating. The series features two protagonists, Detective Sergeant
Wesley Peterson, a black policeman recently moved from London to a small
town in South Devon, and Neil Watson, an archaeologist who works for the
County of Devon. (In the US, this would be roughly equivalent to the State
Archaeologist.) The two had been close college friends and both had
pursued degrees in archaeology. While DS Peterson maintained his love of
archaeology, he nevertheless pursued a career in law enforcement, and his
transfer to Tradmouth in Devon has brought him back together with his old
friend and his love of archaeology.
The mystery unfolds in a complex multi-layered fashion as Wesley is
first drawn into the case of a missing, and presumed kidnapped, little
boy, and then the bludgeoned body of a young model. At the same time, Neil
Watson and his crew uncover the skeletons of a new-born infant and an
adult, apparently murdered some 400 years earlier, and buried in the
basement of a 17th Century merchant’s house. These crimes,
separated by more than four centuries, begin to blend together as the two
detectives, one an officer of the law, the other an archaeologist,
carefully follow the strands of evidence.
And this latter gambit, the linking of ancient crime with contemporary
crime, is apparently a recurring theme. This theme is not of the vulgar
"Jack the Ripper Returns to Modern-Day London" variety, but
rather a variation on William Faulkner’s statement that "The past
isn’t over; it’s not even past." Kate Ellis believes that human
nature remains very much the same throughout time and evil remains a
constant in the human condition.
I was mesmerized by the complexity of this mystery, I was captivated by
her description of the West Country (a part of England a dearly love), and
I found myself very much caught up in the characters she introduced and
developed as the mysteries unfolded. What made this all the more
interesting is that she seems to draw her supporting characters with finer
detail and in sharper relief than her two main protagonists. Wesley
Peterson and Neil Watson in sketched in subdued tones; they are somewhat
shadowy and indistinct. We are not always certain what moves and motivates
them other than an indomitable need to find the truth.
What I am certain of is that I relish the thought of reading the next
six books in this wonderful series and I hope Kate Ellis intends to write
many more.
Back to Review Page
|
