Peters, Ellis Books - Page 5

The Detective Omnibus: "City of Gold and Shadows", "Flight of a Witch" and "Funeral of Figaro"

Ellis Peters

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Editorial Review:

This omnibus contains: "City of Gold and Shadows", DCI Felse has to solve a puzzle whose roots are in ancient Rome; "Flight of a Witch", Annet Beck disappears for five days, but swears she's been away two hours; and "Funeral of Figaro", a murder causes DI Musgrave to delve into the past for clues.

The Knocker on Death's Door (An Inspector George Felse Mystery)

Ellis Peters

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The mediaeval church door led only to the grave 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This was the first Inspector Felse mystery I ever read. After I'd finished all of Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries, I finally gave in, despite having groused to myself for years that she'd spent time on these when she could have been spreading mayhem through medieval Shropshire for our fun and her profit.

It's a shame I took so long to give Felse a fair chance. Peters was already an excellent writer when this story was written; the Felse stories are good novels, not just clever puzzles. They carry the bonus that they aren't bound to a formula as tightly as are the chronicles of Brother Cadfael.

Felse's turf is on the Welsh border, but in the last half of the twentieth century, and in "Midshire" (technically not Shropshire). As in the Cadfael stories, time doesn't stand still for the characters. This, as one of George's later appearances, doesn't feature his son Dominic in an active role in the investigation - Dominic is on holiday abroad, having just graduated from university. This particular story is set in Mottisham, one of the villages near Felse's home base of Comerbourne; the area is also the scene of RAINBOW'S END, for anyone who'd like to see how the supporting characters fared in later years.

The Macsen-Martels, as their double-barreled name suggests, are an old family, but their fires are burning out. The valley, as local Sgt. Moon says, is tribal, not feudal - 'squire' is a dirty word around here. The best they ever did was in acquiring Mottisham Abbey out of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. "Count for nothing now. Never will again. Never *did*, for all that much."

Robert senior was a notorious womanizer who sank the family deep in debt before finally breaking his neck in the hunting field. His widow, a cousin whom he married for her money, would never hear a word against him. Robert junior, the elder son, takes after his mother in looks and values, but what in her is aristocratic arrogance has in him been eroded like a medieval carving. He grew up helping her cope with his father's endless debts and paternity suits, and it seems to have taken its toll on more than the family fortunes - he's worn to the bone. Far from being a lord of the manor, he works in a realtor's office. His younger brother Hugh, on the other hand, has his father's energy, but he turns it to a more profitable end as the junior partner of Cressett and Martel, local garage. (The senior partner, Dave Cressett, is only a year younger than Robert, and where Hugh provides flash and dazzle, Dave provides sturdy dependability. Dinah, Dave's younger sister, chips in - a pocket edition, but made of the right stuff; Hugh's got sense enough to be moving toward marriage with her.)

The family can't maintain the Abbey anymore, and they've finally convinced the National Trust to step in. The building must be restored to original condition as much as possible, so they've started by reinstalling the old wine cellar door in the church porch - there's a family story that it belongs there. George Felse, just returning from a holiday after promotion to deputy head of the county CID, passes the time of day with Sgt. Moon while stuck in traffic, caused by the bishop's stately progress of reconsecrating the door. It's a *DOOR* - 7 x 5 mediaeval oak, flanked by carved angels that were outdated when it was carved and have come all the way around to being modern, and weighing a quarter of a ton. It and its knocker come complete with a Macsen-Martel family legend, which we hear when the younger son, Hugh, takes his Dinah to officially meet his family.

Only a local sensation, not even a nine-days'-wonder; Bunty's comfortable statement that there's nothing to fetch them back for a second look, though, goes into the category of Famous Last Words. At first, it only begins with the regulars of the Sitting Duck taking the mickey out of the small gang of pressmen who turned out for the ceremony. (The pub conserves its home-brewed beer for the regulars, and anyhow such strangers are nature's way of providing entertainment.) Nobody expected Gerry Bracewell, the quickest-witted of the pack, to return a few weeks later in pursuit of a potential story - and still less for Dave Cressett to find him dead in the church porch, head beaten in before the door.

Felse opts to hang onto the case rather than passing it to the Yard; something was significant about the door itself, not the man. All that was unusual about him was that he'd seen the door once before, years ago, when photographing the house for a series of articles on obscure country houses. But what could be so deadly about a door that was already on public display?

The only touches of amateur hour in Felse's thoroughly professional investigation are Dave Cressett's inquiries when he returns Bracewell's car to the widow, and a few scenes from Dinah's point of view. They're adequately explained by the closed-shop attitude of Mottisham's people - when there's trouble, they pull together, but right must be done. Although those psychic researchers are fair game when they show up at the pub...

Editorial Review:

When a heavy, oak door with a purportedly mystical knocker is moved to the village church, Detective Chief Inspector George Felse must soon investigate mysterious deaths supposedly linked to the knocker. Reprint. PW.

The Sixth Cadfael Omnibus

Ellis Peters

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Editorial Review:

This sixth omnibus edition of medieval whodunnits featuring Brother Cadfael contains "The Heretic's Apprentice", "The Potter's Field" and "The Summer of the Danes".

City of Gold and Shadows (Detective Chief Inspector Felse)

Ellis; Edith Pargeter Peters

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Another Ellis Peters Wonder! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I can't believe that no one else has reviewed this book yet. My recommendation is for those of you interested in intelligent, well-written British procedurals, do not ignore the entire George Felse series. In this book we have an up-close and personal look at an archeological site of interest on the Welsh border. The site is called "Aurae Phiala" and it is one of a few known old Roman civilisations. We are also treated to a wonderful cast of characters, and a perfectly written mystery that will baffle up until the very end. And we have George Felse himself. He is a Detective Inspector now, but he is still his usual implacable and unperturbable self. What a wonderful series. Don't let your reading of Ms. Peters end with the Brother Cadfael series. Give this one a try too.

The Potter's Field [First Edition]

Ellis Peters

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Black is the Colour of My True Love's Heart

Ellis Peters

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Little, Brown Book Group Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Music For Murder 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Best known for her "Brother Cadfael" series, Ellis Peters (1913-1985) was also the author of thirteen novels featuring Inspector George Felse. Published in 1967, BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE'S HEART is the sixth novel in that series. Like most of Peters' work, it is a lightly written, enjoyable read.

In this novel, Inspector Felse's son Dominic and his girlfriend Tossa are attending a weekend course on folk music at Follymead--but not all the interest involved is of a musical variety. Singing star Lucien Galt draws all eyes; ballad singer Liri Palmer makes it plain from the stage that she loathes him; and television host Dickie Meurice seems determined to fan the flames for the sake of his own ego. It is all in a day's work in the music business... until two men disappear from the college under very mysterious circumstances and Inspector Felse is called in to determine if foul play is afoot.

Peters will never compare to the great masters of the mystery genre, but she can be quite a lot of fun in her own right, and MY TRUE LOVE'S HEART is among the best of her Felse novels. The book has considerable atmosphere, the characters are memorable, and the plot is very tight indeed. Recommended for first timers and old fans alike.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Editorial Review:

Singers and musicians are gathered for a course in folk music that will occupy a weekend in the fantastic country mansion called Follymead. Most come only to sing or to listen, but one or two have non-musical scores to settle. When brilliantly talented Liri Palmer sings “Black, black, black is the color of my true-love’s heart!" she clearly has a message for someone in the audience. Passions run high, and there is murder brewing at Follymead.

Flight of a Witch

Ellis Peters

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Among Peters' Minor Works 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Best known for her "Brother Cadfael" series, Ellis Peters (1913-1985) was also the author of thirteen novels featuring Inspector George Felse. Published in 1964, FLIGHT OF A WITCH is the fifth novel in that series.

Annet Beck is a small town girl with unexpected beauty--and when school teacher Tom Kenyon takes a room in her parents' home he hopes she will be drawn to his manly charms. To his dismay, Annet is not interested; to his shock, she suddenly disappears on a hill of ancient ill-repute named Hallowmount. And to every one's surprise, when she returns five days later, she claims to have been gone only a few hours. Is it witchcraft? Or has Annet fallen back on local legends in an effort to conceal her activities? Fortunately, Inspector Felse is on the scene to separate fact from fiction.

Peters often worked with contrived plots, and in her hands they are often quite amusing. The plot of FLIGHT OF A WITCH is in someways typical of her work--but those expecting a mystery will be disappointed, for the novel is less mysterious than merely so much pulp romance, and while there is a murder to be solved it is less a matter of detection than in forcing the truth from the mysterious central character. Although it has its moments, this is very much one of Peters' lesser works.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Editorial Review:

When beautiful Annet Beck disappears into the remote Welsh Country believed to be the domain of witches and returns five days later, claiming she was only gone for two hours, Detective Inspector George Felse steps in to investigate. Reprint. AB. K. PW.

Dominic Felse Omnibus: "Death to the Landlords","Mourning Raga" and "Piper on the Mountain"

Ellis Peters

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DRACULA LIVES - Book (1) (i) One: Dracula Unborn; Book (2) (ii) Two: The Revenge of Dracula; Book (3) (iii) Three: Dracula, My Love

Peter (pen name used by Peter Berresford Ellis - also writes as Peter MacAlan) (re: Bram Stoker) Tremayne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

An ok read...I guess 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have read this book as part of the trilogy, "Dracula Lives!", which also includes Tremayne's other novels "The Revenge of Dracula" and "Dracula, My Love".

The basis of this story is, that the author obtained a manuscript at a London street market (of which, this novel is a supposed transcript), that turned out to have been written by no-lesser a personality than Prof. Abraham Van Helsing himself (a prominent character in Bram Stoker's novel, "Dracula".).

That manuscript, in turn, is a translation of a memoir by Mircea, the son of Vlad Dracula, and his encounter with his family in what is present-day Romania.

What then follows is basically a retread of Jonathan Harker's journey to Transylvania and other scenes from Bram Stoker's book, but set over four hundred years previous. There is even a Van Helsing substitute, in the form of Brother John; a Cornish monk.

Tremayne includes quite a bit of research into the text, which kind of detracts from the story itself, as these bits of information seems a bit forced.
Despite the amount of work that has clearly gone into the research, there are a couple of errors I have spotted. Take, for example, the term "mesmerise" (more commonly known as "hypnotise" these days) is used. The term was named after Anton Mesmer, renowned for the skill in the EIGHTEENTH century, and, ironically enough, the term "vampire" itself, which also didn't enter popular usuage until the aforementioned era.

On the plus side, the story moved along at a fast pace, and I really liked the scene with Brother John and Mircea (or "Michelino" as he is known to himself and others) are trapped inside a bedroom in Castle Dracula with a vampire woman on the other side of the door, trying to get in.
The origins of Dracula's vampirism is also given an inventive, occultish twist.

In the end, though, I'd only really recommend this book for the die-hard vampire fan, or, just for an entertaining, albeit fairly forgettable, read for others.

Brother Cadfael: Monk's Hook, The Leper of St. Giles, The Sanctuary Sparrow, One Corpse Too Many

Ellis Peters, Derek Jacobi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Cadfael 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

-Derek Jacobi takes the lead in the role of Brother Cadfael. In the Cadfael box set, four television episodes are soundtrack recorded with a narrator. Vocally, these four stories are wonderful pieces of fiction. However, even with a narrator, it sounds as if we are missing something. The production values are excellent, since these are the Brother Cadfael TV series which ran on PBS . . . But on audio, it sounds hollow . . .

BROTHER CADFAEL ....heard but not seen, and heard well! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have always believed that the BBC made the finest adaptations for radio and television, and indeed the BROTHER CADFAEL series is no exception; Bert Coules (who most recently adapted Sherlock Holmes for BBC radio) and the fine actor Philip Madoc brought Cadfael to life in three adaptations which are well worth listening to if you can: MONKS HOOD, THE VIRGIN INN THE ICE and DEAD MAN'S RANSOM. However, Sir Derek Jacobi was an excellent Cadfael for television ... even if some of the teleplays didn't quite follow the plot of the original novels. Acorn Audio did something quite extraordinary when they turned the audio tracks of the four teleplays of the first Cadfael TV series into an audio series, adding a narrator to fill in the gaps and adding some slight commentary on the action which could not be seen on an audiotape; in doing so, they tightened up the narrative to keep the stories moving at a good clip so that the listener would not lose interest, and Stephen Flynn's narrations are well-read and well-written. I am sorry that Acorn Audio hasn't adapted the rest of the televised Cadfael stories into this format, and the only grievance I have is that the cast of characters is not read out at the end of each story (all we get to know is that Sir Derek Jacobi plays Brother Cadfael, when there are some fine actors in each of the stories). This is something entirely new, coming somewhere in between actual radio drama and books-on-tape, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Brother Cadfael series. The listener will not lose anything by not seeing the action on a TV screen, and the acting you will HEAR combined with the narration will definitely provide an ejoyable listening experience.