The Skeleton Room

Finished August 3

The Skelton Room by Kate Ellis

This is the seventh book in the Wesley Peterson series. This time the historical timeline that accompanies the contemporary timeline is from the late 18th century with the narrative by a local vicar at the time. Wesley and his team are called to a local estate called Chadleigh Hall that is being converted into a hotel. Workmen there broke through a wall and discovered a hidden, sealed chamber with a skeleton in it. The police and coroner can see that the body has been there for some time, but look for clues as to when the room might have been sealed. With the information that the building was once used as a private girls' school their investigation includes that time period, the 1960s. 

The same day as the discovery of the sealed room, a woman's body is discovered off the coast. As they work to identify her, they need to also determine where she might have entered the water, and whether it was an accident or a deliberate act. 

The historical timeline deals with an unfortunate time when coastal communities lured ships near to shore, where they would founder, and the local people would take the cargo. The motivations for this type of act, and some of the violence that accompanied it are complex, yet related to poverty and survival in many instances. 

There is also a mystery man who keeps to himself and seems to have something to hide. 

The plot of the novel in the contemporary time reveals an interesting loophole that was taken advantage of. I like this series, both learning about history as well as contemporary information. I like how Ellis relates the two time periods through plot elements.

It's also interesting to see how the various characters develop over the course of the series, in both good ways and bad, and how some characters that have been talked about make an appearance that relates to the plot.