Leanne Hatman has gone missing and soon after the man her father accuses of stalking her returns from Sicily her father is found dead. But Wesley Peterson has a more personal issue to deal with.

As usual, an interesting blend of past and present, though I did think one issue was wrapped up rather perfunctorily. ( )

After reading The Death Season, last year was I pleasantly surprised to receive The House of Eyes a while back from Piatkus. This was a book I really looked forward to reading, I just needed to get some other books done first. The story seemed interesting; A young girl goes missing and her father goes to the police to file a missing person report. But, is she really missing or did she just ditch her job at Eyecliffe Castle to go to London to become a model that she dreamed of and just not tell her parents about it? Or, has something bad happened to her? Could there be some truth in what the father says that a photographer has been stalking her before she disappeared? That's what DI Wesley Peterson has to find out.

Everything sounds interesting, and yet, I just couldn't get into the story. The intro chapter was interesting and hooked me right away with a baby being kidnapped, and then the story just fell flat for me. I couldn't for me life get pulled into the case with the missing girl. I put the book down several times reading other things instead until I finally just sat down to finish the book. And, still, the case just didn't work for me. Oh, there were things here and there that worked, but that mostly was related to the past with the missing girls from the 50s and the kidnapped baby. The last 60 pages or so were where I felt the book truly become a bit better for me and I started to enjoy reading the book a bit more. The conclusion of the book was good, and I loved that the ending felt open for a future book. But, still, I'm really sad that this book just didn't work out for me since the previous book was so good.

One thing that I had a problem with that definitely didn't do this book any favors was the diary notes at the beginning of each chapter. I don't like cursive fonts in books, ever! It's hard to read and frankly, I tend to just browse through the text just to get on with it.

So, despite my love for the previous book, was this just not for me. The story isn't bad, I just felt disconnected with it and the characters. Wesley's wife Pam has some personal problem for instance and I just couldn't muster any concern for her. I do think that readers will like this book, it's not badly written, it just wasn't for me.

2.5 stars

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede ( )

In my eyes (no pun intended), these books just get better and better, Kate Ellis writes crime stories that have a twist but, never cheat. The information is always there for the reader to 'pick the lock' and get to the solution ahead of our inestimable detective. Needless to say, I never do!

It's a bit like watching a magician: he/she performs the deception in front of one's eyes and yet, I always fail to spot it!

Thank you Kate for an EXCELLENT series of books. ( )

I have been a fan of Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson mysteries since the very first book, The Merchant's House. The series now spans twenty-two books, and as long as she writes them, I'll be reading them and urging you to do the same. Ellis is superb at blending present-day and historical mysteries as well as creating a cast of characters that become your friends as you read through the investigations.

Speaking of those characters, Wesley wonders about DC Rob Carter's ambition-- how far will it get him, and at what cost? We also experience more of Rachel's world's longest lead-in to a wedding (and longtime fans will know the reason why she's in no great hurry to get married). Wesley and Pam also have a scare that is beautifully handled, and Wesley's boss may be his old irascible self, but shouldn't he really start thinking about retirement? A wonderful cast of characters and we get first-rate mysteries to solve, too!

Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, tends to get short shrift in the series, so I was happy to see that he not only had a larger role in the proceedings, he actually got to go to Sicily for a dig at the Temple of the Gods. (It was nice to see him out of the Devon mud.) Watson uncovers information about the creepy House of Eyes on Sicily as well as background on the D'Arles family and the Grand Tour that the son and heir went on in the 1780s. If you are a mystery lover who also loves a bit of history, this Grand Tour element should be right down your alley. It is also the perfect conduit for the chill factor that pervades the book all the way to the ending.

The House of Eyes is another strong mystery with excellent misdirection. This has always been a superb series, but somewhere along...say...book eighteen (The Shroud Maker), Kate Ellis seems to have raised her game into an even higher gear. I always try to stay a book or two behind in this series-- a safety margin of sorts so that I know I will always have something good to read-- but the way Ellis is writing now, this is harder and harder for me to do. Should all my reading dilemmas be so pleasant! ( )

Alison