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. Paris’ Fashion Week. The usual frenzy that accompanies it. L.J. Ross depicts a dreamy Paris, with its crows, its wealth, but she doesn’t sell postcard cities. She takes your hand and shows you the other Paris. The everyday not-so-glamorous side of France’s capital. And dead bodies with mutilated faces. The contrasts between the city’s different sides associated by the differences between the French police and the UK system played a part in this story, at times reinforcing the parallels, at times widening the gaps. In Hysteria Alex finds himself assisting on a case involving the murder of a fashion model and the attempted murder of another. Set in Paris during fashion week, Alex is called in as a profiler initially, but soon finds himself working with the surviving victim as her psychologist. Her story is absolutely fascinating. I was totally captivated and couldn’t wait to find out where her story might lead. What transpires is so sad, but also heart-warming and quite inspirational. The human mind is so complicated and totally fascinating! (I know I’ve used that word three times already, but I can’t think of a better one.) That ending!! I totally did not see that coming! Genius writing, once again, by one of my most favourite authors ever. I SO wish I had your talent for storytelling, Louise.

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. Again, we saw another, more vulnerable, side to Alex in his relationship with a certain lady, who is another brilliant character. Having been blown away by the first book in the Alexander Gregory series, I couldn’t wait to jump into this one.

Lady’s Well

Thinking of a creative venture that would take her away from her job, she fell pregnant with her son. Motherhood was a very exciting prospect for L.J. Ross, though she was still unsatisfied with her career that would not give her the flexibility she desired to have as a mother. Apart from the editing, which her husband proudly did, she did not have to pay anything, and was pleasantly surprised when the novel took off. She has been publishing as an Indie ever since. The DCI Ryan Mysteries are set in Northumberland, which is a region of England that the author is particularly familiar with, given that she grew up there. These are fast-paced mystery and murder novels peppered with a bit of romance and humor.

Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write. Now, she writes full time and lives with her husband and son in Northumberland and Edinburgh. She enjoys reading all manner of books, painting, travelling and spending time with family and friends. This series differs in that the storyline isn’t just written as a straight forward police procedural, but also through Alex’s perspective—so we are privy to the profiler/pyscologist insights into the impact on the victim and the lasting effects of trauma. The story also encompasses relevant issues concerning women in the working environment where men are in positions of power. Judging by revelations over the last few years and beyond, it’s an entirely plausible scenario. Hysteria is well named as it felt like my brain was being put through the wringer whilst I was reading. I was struggling to see how some parts of the story fit and couldn't for the life of me work out where the story was heading. It's not my first LJ Ross book though, so I knew that everything was there for a reason. All I'll say is well played, LJ Ross. Very well played indeed.

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan

This series is rendered even more captivating as results of previous events and how they affect Dr Gregory spice up the stories. I can’t wait to know where we’ll be heading next! To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’.

Eva Bisset’s life was a world away from the glitz and glamour of those involved in the world of fashion. Eva’s father had run a successful restaurant, and since his death her husband had taken over. Eva was never sure what kind of mood he would be in and if she would be sporting more bruises. Alex is still dealing with events from the previous book through the nightmares he suffers. Although there’s a barrier around his emotions, he is opening himself up a little more and showing his vulnerability. It’s not a natural inclination however, he is still challenged by internal struggles and his self control is still very much in evidence. It was good to get to know more of the man as well as the professional. L.J. Ross is an English author made popular by her bestselling DCI Ryan mystery series of novels. Ross was born in Ponteland, Northumberland and attended the Darras Hall First School, Central Newcastle High and Dame Allans, before she proceeded to Kings College at the University of London to undertake a degree course in law. She wrote her first novel “Holy Island”, the first novel in her DCI Ryan Mysteries in 2015. Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story to the DCI Ryan series and is available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong. Gregory is a careful, perceptive and methodical man when he is working on his investigations. In his personal life, however, he is a tormented soul and he can often find himself distracted by issues from his childhood that can overwhelm him – invariably in his dreams. His early years’ experiences have conditioned him to believe that he cannot rely on others, his work is his be-all and end-all. His head and his heart are often in conflict and he really struggles with the split nature of his emotional personality.Hysteria is an enthralling read filled full of mystery and suspense. I’m enjoying the different settings that the author takes her readers to as well as the tangled web she weaves, ensuring we are kept on our toes, not knowing how things are going to conclude. Overall, I don't regret reading this second installment but felt the author missed an opportunity by not including more substance and engaging storyline depth to this book. I needed to learn more about the primary character to motivate my interest in the next installment.