City of Gold and Shadows

By Ellis Peters

No case is too strange or too baffling for the policeman George Felse and his son, Dominic. Over 13 instalments and two decades, the Felse Investigations will take them from their home on the Welsh Borders to the southernmost tip of India.

When archaeologist Alan Morris disappears in Turkey, his great-niece, Charlotte, regrets never having got to know him better.

In an attempt to better understand him, Charlotte begins reading the books he wrote. One of them leads her to visit the Roman site of Aurae Phiala, on the Welsh border – the last place her great-uncle worked before leaving for Turkey.

But when Charlotte arrives she finds more than just a few old stones...

First there is a charming young man, coincidentally staying at the same hotel, who is very insistent on being her guide. Then a troublesome schoolboy disappears and a corpse is found. Detective Chief Inspector George Felse is called in to solve a mystery whose roots go back to ancient Roman times...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Aug 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781784972905

Ellis Peters

Ellis Peters (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, 1913–1995) is a writer beloved of millions of readers worldwide and has been widely adapted for radio and television, including her Brother Cadfael crime novels, which were made into a series starring Derek Jacobi. She has been the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Agatha Award for Best Novel, and was awarded an OBE for her services to literature in 1994.

Reviews for City of Gold and Shadows

[turtlesleap · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy Ellis Peters, and particularly when the tale is a mystery that keeps me guessing. This one is all that.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just skimmed it this time - I was looking for where it fit into the Felse series, and I've still no clue. But I couldn't help reading as I went along - I think I got most of the crises (and there were a lot, of one sort and another). As usual, several mysteries overlapping and intertwining. Felse is a major secondary character, but definitely not the (or even a) protagonist. That's left to Charlotte, and to some extent to Gus. Relatively little description - or maybe I just skimmed over it. A good story, and the ordeal underground is very richly conveyed. There's a lot of coincidences coming into play, but nothing that overstretched my suspension of disbelief. Not one of my favorite Peters, but good.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Charlotte is asked to make decisions for her uncle's estate because he has disappeared. She has never met her famous archaeologist uncle and decides to try to find out a bit more about him before making any big decisions. This leads her to the last place he was seen in England and lands her in the middle of intrigue. Things soon become dangerous and Inspector Felse is called in to help.Though Inspector Felse seemed almost a background figure in this mystery, I enjoyed the story because of the other characters and the location in an ancient Roman site near Wales. As for the mystery, I thought I knew the answer, I really wasn't sure until the end, so I call that good.

[twilightlost_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is set on the border between England and Wales but immersed in the Roman history. Charlotte's great-uncle, a famous archaeologist, has gone missing, and she determines to head to his last place of interest, Aurae Phiala. Her first day there finds a persistent guide, a missing schoolboy, and a corpse. Ellis Peters uses her distinctive voice to take this story to its satisfying conclusion.