Eighteen years ago, Lilith Benley and her mother - rumoured to be witches - were convicted of the brutal murder of two teenage girls. On Lilith's release from prison, and shortly after she returns to her old home, 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 Benley has killed again.

Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson discovers a gruesome wax doll at a house that once belonged to a woman hanged for witchcraft in the seventeenth century. And when Neil has a near fatal accident, some suspect a supernatural connection.

Even though Wesley has problems closer to home to solve, it is up to him to uncover terrible secrets, banish dark shadows collected in the past and bring a dangerous killer to justice - a killer who will stop at nothing to dispense vengeance and death.

Reviews

The story is complex and has many twists but nothing quite prepared me for the final twist. Absolutely superb writing. Highly recommended. Promoting Crime Fiction

All the different strands of the plot are pulled are pulled together with Kate Ellis's customary expertise... the story as a whole is a marvel of murderous complexity. Tangled Web

Kate Ellis has proven herself to be a master story teller.  Even after all red herrings have been dismissed... Ms Ellis has one more stunning revelation that fairly leaves the reader astounded. 4 trowels for the 17th Wesley Peterson mystery, The Shadow Collector. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center

I can't get enough of these (novels) and look forward to the latest in the series every year. Ms Ellis cooks up the perfect recipe for a mystery novel with just the right balance of convoluted plot, a frisson of eeriness, some lurid history, tangled relationships and a spot on portrait of a part of Britain not often covered in fiction. MyShelf

The tension thrums underneath the action, climbing steadily as the hero tries to separate lies from truth, like an archaeologist of human sins. Recommended to all mystery fans. Story Circle Book Reviews