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The Merchant's House

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The Merchant's House

By: Kate Ellis
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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About this listen

DS Wesley Peterson, newly arrived in the West Country town of Tradmouth, has his hands full when a child goes missing and a young woman is brutally murdered on a lonely cliff path.

Then his old friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, unearths the skeletons of a strangled woman and a newborn baby in the cellar of an ancient merchant's house nearby. As the investigation continues, Wesley begins to suspect that these deaths, centuries apart, may be linked by age-old motives of jealousy, a sexual obsession and desperate longing. And the pressure is on if he is going to prevent a further tragedy....

©1998 Kate Ellis (P)2017 Soundings Crime Thrillers Fiction Historical Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Crime

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I didn’t find this book unputdownable. It missed the wow factor of a really good read. The two crimes centuries apart was interesting. I like Gordon Griffiths narration. I would probably read the next book in the series.

Pretty average thriller

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First of her books I’ve listened to and loved everything about it .
Voice was just so appropriate and the unfolding ‘ double layered story ‘ was mesmerising.
Loved the characters and got totally involved with them , so went through anxiety, sorrow ,
puzzlement , relief and compassion at the various stages .
Downloaded the next in series .

Enthralling

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In the end it was quite a good story but it was a bit of an ordeal to listen to because of Gordon Griffin's very odd delivery. He is a competent narrator but he sounds the same in every book he reads and somehow he makes the book feel more dated than it should. The characters in this book were not as well developed as I would have liked which made it hard to follow the plot or to care about what had happened.

Feels very dated

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I love the Wesley Peterson books but this narrator is just not right. His very correct pronunciation would be better suited to an Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayer. The lack of a scouse accent for Gerry Heffernan is unforgivable given the frequent references to it in the text. All the characters sound old regardless of their age in the text. I’d love to listen to all the books, please get a different narrator.

The wrong narrator for the book

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This is an engrossing story with links in the storyline from the past to the present action.
The underlying themes of love, lust and compassion were well presented.

Thoroughly engrossing

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Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has been a while since I’ve read any of Kate Ellis’s books I now remember why I like them so much. Loved the mediaeval story running in parallel to the main story. Such sympathetic handling of all characters, good and bad.

The Merchants House

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Really enjoyed the story but wish there where comments from the journal from the 1600, as I found that side of the book really interesting

Great Story

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Kate Ellis is new me and I believe she is a good find to my list of crime writers. This is good old fashioned storytelling with a strong story line and coppers who for once have ordinary concerns, not overly complicated back stories or maverick tendencies but nevertheless tenacious. It is sad tale which makes us all questions how far we would go to fulfil our dreams. I am not usually fussed by stories with a historical bent, however, Ellis manages deftly with her interwoven stories to bring relevance to the present from the past. Gordon Griffin, narrator, captured both the story in the current day and the past beautifully. He took me along even when I needed to be getting on with other thing!

Be careful of our wants and needs

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I am always looking for recommendations, and none more so than from people who know what I like to read. My friend has the entire series of these books and she told me I’d love them. I do. I am hooked on learning more about Wesley and his family, loved the setting and could clearly see the remote farmhouses, the river, the flats. It progressed rapidly, never letting you lose interest and I loved the dual story which tied the theme together. I am so glad there are many more for me to read after this first one and am about to rush off and download the next in the series. I love historical mysteries, and I also love police procedural sun modern day. This had both and I loved it. The author writes in a easy fashion, never talking at you, yet still able to get the ‘explainy’ bits across. Genuinely enjoyable read.

Definitely glad I read this on a friend’s recommendation

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I loved the plot and the characters very much. A mix of both investigative historical and modern murder. I can’t wait to read more.

Incredible performance by the narrator

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