WATCHING THE GHOSTS

Boothgate House, in the historic North Yorkshire city of Eborby, is a recently converted apartment building with a sinister past. Once an asylum for the insane known as Havenby Hall, it was where serial killer Peter Brockmeister was sent on his release from prison in 1978. But three years later, Havenby Hall closed and Brockmeister died in mysterious circumstances.

Solicitor Melanie Hawkes is investigating suspicious events at Havenby Hall when her young daughter is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Boothgate House resident Lydia Brookes is burgled. In both cases, DI Joe Plantagenet believes there may be a connection to the house's disturbing past. And why is a paranormal researcher so fascinated by the building's basement?

As Joe uncovers the appalling truth, he is forced to face an evil that threatens those closest to him - and puts his own life in jeopardy.

Kate Ellis is the creator of the Wesley Peterson series of murder mysteries, in which a contemporary crime parallels an archaeological mystery. She has also written four novels in the Joe Plantagenet series. She was born and brought up in Liverpool and studied drama in Manchester. She has worked in teaching, marketing and accountancy and first enjoyed literary success as a winner of the North West Playwrights' competition. Keenly interested in medieval history and 'armchair' archaeology, Kate lives in north Cheshire with her engineer husband, Roger, and their two sons. In 2003 she was nominated for the CWA Short Story Dagger for her story, Les Inconnus.