A High Mortality of Doves cover art

A High Mortality of Doves

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

A High Mortality of Doves

By: Kate Ellis
Narrated by: Peter Noble
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

It's 1919. The Derbyshire village of Wenfield is still coming to terms with the loss of so many of its sons when the brutal murder of a young girl shatters its hard-won tranquility. Myrtle Bligh is found stabbed, her mouth slit to accommodate a dead dove. During the war Myrtle volunteered as a nurse, working at the nearby big house, Tarnhey Court. When two more women are found murdered, Inspector Albert Lincoln is sent up from London. Albert begins to investigate, and the Cartwright family of Tarnhey Court and their staff fall under suspicion. With rumours of a ghostly soldier, the village is thrown into a state of panic - and with the killer still on the loose, who will be next?

©2016 Kate Ellis (P)2017 Story Sound Crime Fiction Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Scary War Village

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Murderer's Son cover art
Detective Tom Janssen Hidden Norfolk, Books 1-3 cover art
Akin to Murder cover art
A Long Time Dead cover art
Silent Tide cover art
The Engine House: A Black Beacons Murder Mystery cover art
The Body in the Marsh cover art
Secrets in Blood cover art
The Holiday Murders cover art
The Body Under the Sands, Book 1 cover art
The Cornish Wedding Murder cover art
The Thames Path Killer cover art
See Them Run cover art
The Dentist cover art
Summary Justice cover art
Broadland cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
I have been a fan of Miss Ellis for several years having read all her Wesley Peterson novels so was looking forward to her new venture. This time I decided to go for the Audible version, unfortunately this was a mistake. The story line is very good but I find the narrator has a habit of over emphasising the last syllabal of the vast majority of the words which is so very annoying. This has spoilt the novel for me but because I have started I will listen to the end but very much doubt that I will go Audible again in this series which is a pity as in many respects Audible is a really enjoyable way of relaxing. I congratulate Miss Ellis on another excellent story and very much look forward to "reading" the next Albert Lincoln novel.

Another rewarding read from Miss Ellis

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Is a hero an antihero just because he’s unlikeable? The detective here is weak, adulterous, lying and, in the end, pretty rubbish at identifying the killer who was pretty obviously mad from the start.
Having said all that, I didn’t not enjoy the book but I can’t really decide why 🤷🏼‍♀️

Interesting take on a hero

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Clever story with a surprising end. An excellent novel not just a murder story. Effective performance with excellent pace - really added to the experience.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I don't know why this novel has been so overlooked by readers as it's cracking! Set in a small English village just after the First World War we follow the lives of the inhabitants in the wake of a series of murders. The description the author gives of aftermath of the war on the daily lives of the people is stunning and had me running to Google on more than one occasion to find out more. I'm not saying it's an edge of the seat gruesome who dun it because it's not rather it's a slow burner which pulls you in and gently reveals the clues and the red herrings at it goes along. It does have some twists but these were incidental as I was totally invested in the characters.

The only slight hiccup I found with the book was every so often within the narration the narrator would really emphasise the last word of a sentence when it wasn't needed but that aside I'm so glad I picked this gem up in the sale - BOGOF. I preferred this book to the one I paid for!

Excellent post war crime novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the story, the intricacy of the plot and surprises. Well written and entertaining. The accentuated end words became irritating unfortunately and spoiled an otherwise good story telling. For example the exaggerated 'T's 'at the end of a sentence. Sounds trivial but became annoying by the end of the book.

Pronounciation

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to A High Mortality of Doves the most enjoyable?

The story is a slow-burn style that unfolds steadily and creepily! Kate Ellis is known for a couple of crime series that are well-loved yet this reveals her strengths in a new arena. The story is set after 'WW1 and we follow a small community where there are repeated murders of women.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A High Mortality of Doves?

The twist at the end I did not see coming!

Have you listened to any of Peter Noble’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes I was totally caught up in the characters and who would be killed next. I was sure I had guessed right who the killer was -- wrong!!

Any additional comments?

I feel that this book is a credit to Kate Ellis and if you enjoy her other series, try this. It reveals a deeper use of psychological depth to her characters. Her creating of an atmosphere and ability to slowly reveal a small community with all its murky underside was also a strength.More please Ms Ellis!

historical stand alone crime

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this prequel to the Boy who Live with the Dead which I had already listened to. The narration was good and kept me interested. I hopefully will listen to more by this author in the future.

I enjoyed this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is the first book I have read by Kate Ellis and I am delighted to have discovered her as an author. The pace of the book was excellent and how it subtly unfold, kept me wanting to return to the book to hear more. The characters were well developed and kept my interest, as did the plot. I loved the period detail which gave one a real insight into life immediately post World War I.

I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys crime thrillers that are well written in every aspect, historically, psychologically, with literary skill.

My slight disappointment was the twist at the end. Given how well the characters and plot with crafted and written, the exposure of the murderer seemed out character for that individual and slightly at odds with some of the information as to how that person had been portrayed That having been said, the ending of the book was true to itself and left one with a real sense of the story and the people that hung around for awhile, which is always a good sign of a good book well written. I’m looking forward to reading more of Kate Ellis’s books.

A well crafted and written crime thriller World War one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I always read reviews and listen to the brief sample before I buy. The reviews of this book were pretty accurate with reference to the narration and the irritating stress of the final consonant. Nevertheless the narration was pretty good. The detective, as one reviewer put it, was a lying adulterer and an unlikable character. The book p!ods on only to be relieved by another murder or two or four. Just at the point where I nearly lost the will to live the book ends as if the author felt the same. Whenever a reviewer praises 'twists and turns ' in the plot I generally assume that
the author has come unstuck and has to invent something implausible to get back on track. With regard to being a best-seller, you can fool some people some of the time............... I would not recommend and am heartily glad that I did not pay full price as I am a pensioner and have to watch the pennies.

dull, dull, dull.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.