An engaging and enjoyable UK police procedural that manages a smart narrative structure with confidence and skill. A murder victim, a musician who had been famous, is found in a farmer’s field. They had not killed there him. Finding the crime scene is the first problem that Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson must solve. A second narrative thread follows the disappearance of the teenager who found the body. A disappearance that may be related to the discovery of a painted doom in a barn. The investigations are set up vey well and the narrative threads are smartly tied together. The conclusion is satisfying and unexpected.
The cast is engaging. Wesley Peterson is competent. He steadily follows the evidence and manages a concern with his senior office with thoughtful care. Kate Ellis develops a narrative around the painted doom and the local family who commissioned it with skill and care. Using family letters to give some depth and context to the events of the time work well.
The plot mechanics are excellent. All the reveals, both contemporary and historical, are very well set up. The move the story forward and create an acceptable level of tension about what exactly is going on.
Kate Ellis has managed a hard task and made it look easy. The narrative has several moving parts and shifts among them. They set situations up and they leave the reader wondering how that will come together. The thread about the missing teenager is most enjoyable. It manoeuvres to create tension and is cleverly resolved.
The murder narrative has an engaging subplot regarding a suspect who clearly has some involvement in the event. Kate Ellis appears to be using a tired trope of police procedurals regarding superior officers. Instead, she delivers a fresh and plausible take on the process.
A Painted Doom is a fun read, smart crime fiction and a pleasure to read.
