First Sentence: 20 July - The woman in the red T-shirt lay on the sharp gray rocks far below; distant and tiny, like a small fish caught in the teeth of some gigantic sea creature.
Murder past and present. In renovating Chadleigh Hall, a former girl's boarding school, a secret room has been found holding a secret of its own; the skeletal remains of a woman tied to a chair. Was the murder related to the school or older and associated with the town's history of causing ships to wreck on its coast, murdering survivors and plundering the ships contents? And how, if at all, does this relate to the woman's body dragged from the sea who had been pushed from a nearby cliff?
In a few words, Ellis conveys the horror the victim would have experienced of being walled in a room and left to die. Ellis' descriptions, whether of such terror or of living in a village where most everyone could walk to work, is part of her appeal. She is a wonderfully visual writer, whether it is of places, situations or people.
Regarding people, she has created a diverse and interesting cast of principal characters. Gerry Heffernan, the boss, is somewhat old-fashioned in his views on women and technology while being an experienced cop who leads his team. Wesley Peterson is the intellect, somewhat put down for his education, dealing with racism due to his color, but respected by his boss. In every ointment comes a fly in the shape of DC Steve Carstairs who is bigoted, sexist, lazy and not overly bright. He is offset by Rachael and Trish, the very capable women on the force. It's the wonderful, diverse ensemble cast rounded out with non-police characters which gives a very real feeling to the story.
And what a good story it is. The plot is very well done. There are several threads which intersect, and very effective plot twists which never feel contrived. With each thread, I wanted to know more while being unable to predict where the story was going and certainly didn't predict the resolutions presented. I did enjoy the nod to the movie "Charade."
Ellis has become a favorite author of mine. Her books have never disappointed me, and "The Skeleton Room" stands well among them. They are more than a standard police procedural, blending the personal lives of the characters, archeology, English history and murder.
THE SKELETON ROOM (Pol Proc-Peterson/Heffernan-England-Cont) - VG
Ellis, Kate - 7th in series
Piatkus, ©2003, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 0749906200
