THE MERMAID'S SCREAM

By Kate Ellis

Synopsis

Promising young author, Zac Wilkinson, is working on the biography of literary legend Wynn Staniland, and hopes to reveal the true story of the recluse to a waiting world. When Wilkinson is found brutally murdered, DI Wesley Peterson finds links to the unexplained poisoning of a middle-aged couple - and Staniland appears to be the connection. The case becomes personal for Wesley, and as he begins to unravel decades of secrets and deception, the shocking truth proves almost too much to bear...

Sample Player

Narrator	Gordon Griffin
Length	11hrs
Catalogue No.	14151
Publisher	Soundings Audio; 2017

Other audiobooks by Kate Ellis

THE ARMADA BOY

When archeaologist Neil Watson stumbles on a recently deceased body he calls on his old friend DS Wesley Peterson for help. As the two men set out to solve the mystery, they come across two strangers who have died violently, four hundred years apart. Could the same motives of hatred, jealousy and revenge be at work? Wes is running out of time to find out ... Book 2 of the series.

THE BLOOD PIT

Charles Marrick has been murdered, his body drained of blood. Described by those who knew him as 'evil', it seems there won't be a shortage of suspects. But when a popular local vet is murdered in an identical fashion, DI Wesley Peterson wonders what the two men could possibly have in common.. Book 12 of the series.

THE BONE GARDEN

Detective Wesley Peterson is called out to investigate the murder of a man stabbed in a holiday caravan. Why was the dead man interested in the excavation of the gardens of Earlsacre Hall by the local archaeology team? Book 5 of the series.

THE BOY WHO LIVED WITH THE DEAD

1920. Scotland Yard detective Albert Lincoln is called away to a case in the North West of England. Before the War he led the investigation into the murder of little Jimmy Rudyard in the village of Mabley Ridge. Now a woman has been murdered there and another child is missing, the sole witness being a traumatised boy who lives in a cemetery lodge. Albert is determined that this time him he will find the truth - and the missing child... Book 2 in the Albert Lincoln series.

THE CADAVER GAME

When the decaying body of a murdered woman is discovered in a suburban house, DI Wesley Peterson has problems establishing her true identity. But as he tries to find out more about the mysterious woman, he finds he has another more disturbing case to investigate. Book 16 of the series.

A CURSED INHERITANCE

The brutal massacre of the Harford family at Potwoolstan Hall in Devon in 1985 shocked the country and passed into local folklore. When a journalist researching the case is murdered twenty years later, the horror is reawakened and DI Wesley Peterson is faced with his most disturbing case yet. Book 9 of the series.

DEAD MAN'S LANE

Strangefields Farm has been notorious for its sinister history ever since artist Jackson Temples lured young women there to model for disturbing works of art.Some of those girls never left the house alive. Now, decades later, Strangefields is to be transformed into a holiday village, but the developers hopes of its dark history being forgotten are dashed when a skull is found on the site. And when a local florist is found murdered in an echo of Temples' crimes,DI Wesley Peterson fears that a copycat killer is at large.As Wesley's friend, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson, uncovers the secrets of Strangefields' grisly past, it appears that an ancient tale of the dead returning to torment the living might not be as fantastical as it seems...

THE DEATH SEASON

When DI Wesley Peterson is summoned to investigate a killing, he assumes that the case is a routine matter. But soon dark secrets and deadly deceptions start to emerge from the victim's past, and Wesley begins to realise that a simple incident of cold-blooded murder is altogether more calculated and complicated that he could ever imagine. Book 19 of the series.

THE FLESH TAILOR

When Dr James Dalcott is shot dead in his cottage it looks very much like an execution. And as DI Wesley Peterson begins piecing together the victim's life, he finds that the well-liked country doctor has been harbouring strange and dramatic family secrets... Book 14 of the series.

THE FUNERAL BOAT

When a Danish tourist disappears DI Wesley Peterson finds disturbing evidence that she has been abducted. Is her disappearance linked to a spate of brutal robberies? Book 4 of the series.

A HIGH MORTALITY OF DOVES

1919. In the tranqil Derbyshire village of Wenfield, a young girl is found stabbed and left in woodland, her mouth slit to accommodate a dead dove - a bird of peace. Inspector Albert Lincoln is sent up from London to crack the terrible case - but with the killer still on the loose, who will be the next to die at the hands of this vicious angel of death? Book 1 in the Albert Lincoln series.

THE HOUSE OF EYES

When Darren Hatman reports his daughter Leanne missing, DI Wesley Peterson isn't too concerned. Leanne works at Eyecliffe Castle, now converted into a luxury hotel. When Darren is found murdered in the grounds, Wesley suspects a connection between the recent crimes, the disappearance of two girls in the 1950s and a mysterious Sicilian ruin called the House of Eyes.

THE HOUSE OF THE HANGED WOMAN

Derbyshire, 1921. When an MP goes missing in a Derbyshire village, Scotland Yard detective Albert Lincoln is sent to investigate. A grim discovery has been made in a cave next to an ancient stone circle: the naked body of a middle-aged man mutilated beyond recognition. The local police assume it is the missing politician but when Albert arrives in Wenfield he begins to have doubts. Two years earlier he conducted another traumatic murder investigation in the same village and he finds reminders of a particularly personal tragedy as he tries to help a vicar's widow who claims her husband was murdered. Then there is another murder in Wenfield. Could there be a link between all of Albert's cases? Book 3 in the Albert Lincoln series.

THE JACKAL MAN

A teenage girl is left for dead but survives. She describes her attacker as having the head of a dog, and DI Wesley Peterson is baffled. But when the body of another young woman is found, archaeologist Neil Watson discovers that Wesley’s strange murder case bears sinister similarities to four murders that took place near Varley Castle in 1903. Book 15 of the series.

KISSING THE DEMONS

Thirteen Torland Place is a house with a disturbing past. When a student living there is found murdered, DI Joe Plantagenet wonders whether her death has anything to do with its grim history. Then other, similar deaths come to light and he fears that a ruthless serial killer is at work. Book 3 of the series.

THE MARRIAGE HEARSE

Kirsten Harbourn is found strangled and naked on her wedding day. On the same day a terrified girl is married in a local register office, but days later her husband is dead. What have these deaths to do with the work of an Elizabethan playwright? As DI Wesley Peterson investigates he suspects that his death and his bride's subsequent disappearance might be linked to Kirsten's murder. Book 10 of the series.

THE MECHANICAL DEVIL

When archaeologist Neil Watson unearths a long-buried mechanical figure in a Dartmoor field, he is determined to discover the truth behind the bizarre find. Then two people are found shot dead in nearby Manor Field and DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate. Is there a link between the double murder and the accidental death of a young history student in Manor Field 20 years ago? And just what is the true identity of the Mechanical Devil?

THE MERCHANT'S HOUSE

While archaeologist Neil Watson discovers two bodies at his excavation, his friend DS Wesley Peterson is investigating a murder. The deaths, centuries apart, appear to have tragic links. First book of the series.

A PAINTED DOOM

Teenager Lewis Hoxworthy discovers a painting in a medieval barn; a discovery which excites archaeologist Neil Watson who is excavating an ancient manor house nearby. But when former rock star Jonny Shellmer is found shot through the head in Lewis's father's field and Lewis himself goes missing, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson and his boss, Gerry Heffernan face one of their most intriguing cases yet. Book 6 of the series.

A PERFECT DEATH

When a woman is burned to death in a field in Devon, it seems like a case of mistaken identity. Until DI Wesley Peterson starts to investigate the possibility of a link between a story of twisted love and obsession from many centuries ago - a truth that someone wants to keep hidden, whatever the cost... Book 13 of the series.

THE PLAGUE MAIDEN

Archaeologist Neil Watson’s excavation of a field takes a dramatic turn when he starts unearthing a large number of skeletons. It soon becomes clear that there are links between his site and the black death of 1348. Meanwhile a locked room in the tower of Belsham’s ancient church might hold the solution to many unanswered questions for DI Wesley Peterson. Book 8 of the series.

PLAYING WITH BONES

Singmass Close has a sinister past. In the 50s it was the hunting ground of the Doll Strangler, a ruthless killer who was never brought to justice. Now DI Joe Plantagenet wonders whether a copycat killer is at work when the strangled body of teenager Natalie Parkes is found in the same close, a mutilated doll lying by her side. Book 2 of the series.

SEEKING THE DEAD

The historic city of Eborby is gripped by fear. A killer is on the prowl who binds and asphyxiates his victims before leaving their bodies in isolated churchyards. DI Joe Plantagenet believes the case may have occult connections and is forced to get into the mind of a cunning - and scarily ruthless - killer. First book in the series.

THE SHADOW COLLECTOR

Eighteen years ago, Lilith Benley and her mother - rumoured to be witches - were convicted of the murder of two teenage girls. On Lilith's release from prison, a young woman is found dead at a neighbouring farm where a celebrity reality TV show is being filmed. When DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate, he has to deal with fragile egos and hidden truths, as well as the possibility that Lilith has killed again. Book 17 of the series.

THE SHINING SKULL

Little Marcus Fallbrook was kidnapped in 1976, never to be found. Then, thirty years later, teenager Leah Wakefield disappears and DI Wesley Peterson has reason to suspect that the same kidnapper is responsible. As he pursues the line of recovered memories, he discovers that the past can be a very dangerous place indeed. Book 11 of the series.

THE SHROUD MAKER

DI Wesley Peterson is called in when the body of a strangled woman is found floating out to sea in a dinghy.The discovery mars the festivities of the Palkin Festival, held each year to celebrate the life of John Palkin, a fourteenth century Mayor of Tradmouth who made his fortune from trade and piracy. And now it seems like death and mystery have returned to haunt the town... Book 18 of the series.

THE SKELETON ROOM

DI Wesley Peterson and his boss are called in to investigate the discovery of a skeleton in a sealed room. Soon a woman's body is dragged from the sea off the Devonshire coast. Unexpectedly a man wanted for a murder in London appears on the scene and may know more than he admits. Book 7 of the series.

AN UNHALLOWED GRAVE

When Pauline Brent is found hanging from a yew in a local graveyard, Wesley Peterson suspects murder. Historical evidence shows that the tree was once used for a public hanging so Wesley has to consider whether Pauline has been 'executed'. Book 3 of the series.

WALKING BY NIGHT

Taking a short cut home beneath the ruined abbey, a teenage girl reports stumbling across a body. But during the subsequent search, no body is found. The police are sceptical, but Detective Inspector Joe Plantagenet is inclined to believe her. Then a woman is reported missing, and Joe finds himself caught up in a complex investigation involving a production of 'The Devils' at the local Playhouse. Could the play have something to do with the woman’s disappearance? Nothing is as it first appears...

WATCHING THE GHOSTS

Boothgate House is a recently converted apartment building which was once an asylum for the insane known as Havenby Hall. Solicitor Melanie Hawkes is investigating Havenby Hall when her young daughter is kidnapped. DI Joe Plantagenet believes there may be a connection to the house's disturbing past. Book 4 of the series.