Police procedural mystery/romantic suspense series set in Northumbria, England following Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. Set on the historic Holy Island otherwise known as Lindisfarne, “Holy Island” is a gripping novel that introduces Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. Ryan has retreated to Holy Island to recover from a tragic case that had a particularly bad effect on his psyche. A few days into his sabbatical, the tranquility is broken when the body of a young woman is discovered abandoned on the ruins of the nearby monastery buildings. With a passion for writing and reading, a writing career seemed the most plausible way to express her creativity. The idea for the first novel in the series came while she was traveling to Edinburgh with her husband. As of 2018, Ross lives with her husband and two children in Northumberland. [17] Philanthropy [ edit ] Thank goodness for Ryan and Frank, two of my favourite crime fighting duos. There were snorts galore here, I love the banter and camaraderie between these two.

Ross has also written one DCI Ryan short story for the Durham Book Festival “Big Read” and it is currently exclusively available through that endeavor. However, Ross has said that following the festival she will make the short story more widely available to all readers. It is “The Mystery of the Vanishing Mayor.” The first novel in her Alexander Gregory Thrillers series, Impostor, was shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2020: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year. The audiobook of Impostor, narrated by Hugh Dancy, was also selected as a finalist in the New York Festivals Radio Awards, Best Fiction Audiobook of the Year Category. It's the latest in a line of books which showcase popular North East beauty spots, with the detective already having investigated crimes at Holy Island, Sycamore Gap and Penshaw Monument, among others. The next DCI Ryan novel is set in Bamburgh.LJ Ross has yet again threaded a gorgeously atmospheric mystery, where the strings of tension are tightened as we journey throughout the story. We meet an eclectic range of characters who you can't help but enjoy sharing the fictional world with. They'll grasp you and tug you further into the storyline! I loved the coastal location, the beautiful Cove that could also be deathly. The contrast between London and Cornwall felt like a reflection between Gabi's traumatic states as she tries to heal.

It is Christmas and Gabrielle Adams is on top of the world. She has the job she has always wanted in a field she is passionate about, and she is engaged to a man she loves. That world falls out from under her when she becomes a victim of the ‘Underground Killer’ who pushes people off the underground train platforms in front of oncoming trains. Though her broken, battered, and bruised body survives, her mind is in a much more delicate state. The doctors assure her the nightmares, OCD, PTSD, etc. will get better over time, but it has been six months and she is tired of the pity (and impatience) she sees in everyone’s eyes. Her fiancé Mark is having an affair, she can’t handle working – and – well – she’s just got to walk away from it all. So, she does. A good 90% of the story is seen from Gabrielle's POV, with the odd sentence in the middle of a chapter suddenly clearly being from someone else's POV. You don't have to be Virginia Woolf, but if you do head-hopping within chapters, you have to be good and you have to be consistent. That just wasn't the case here. Towards the end there's a few chapters consistently told from someone else's POV which I have no problem with, it's just this wishy-washy nonsense that makes me irrationally annoyed. The banter he had with Philips was occasionally amusing but more often a bit overworked, and seem to fall flat. Also, there were a few times where the author seemed to be complementing herself on her own humour, or deliberately setting up a joke only for it to be a bit crap. Meh. I found Ross's writing irritating at times, and I'm not sure if it's because I am unfamiliar with the series and its idiosyncrasies, but there were a few things that grated on me, personally.For the latest Northumberland news direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter Read More Related Articles The series begins with him being the only member of an elite criminal profiling unit to escape from a storm of scandal and mismanagement. He is adamant he will begin a quiet life, but a murderer loose in the beautiful hills of County Mayo, Ireland draws him into the murder investigation to aid the Garda. The second book in the series follows Kate Irving, who arrives in Frenchman’s Creek with a small suitcase and her young son. She is escaping her past and wary of accepting new friendships, but soon finds herself embracing their kindness. Until tragedy strikes and her new friends are looking to her for answers.