Having been blown away by the first book in the Alexander Gregory series, I couldn’t wait to jump into this one.

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. 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. 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. 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. Having read and loved Imposter I was SO excited to read Hysteria and I don’t know how LJ Ross does it, but each book is as awesome as, if not better, than the last!

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan

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. LJ Ross is an internationally bestselling author, whose books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide. 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. 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. While she will always be a northerner at heart, she currently lives with her husband and their son in Bath on the outskirts of London where she spends her days writing her detective mysteries. Ross loved books from a very early age when she would find old books from her mother’s chest that she would staple and illustrate during her middle school years. Even as she has a varied taste in the types of novels that she reads, and will not mind reading the odd women’s fiction or a romance.

L.J. Ross peels our skins to reveal the vulnerable and fragile parts of ourselves. Gregory doesn’t escape this. Throughout the book, everyone is scrutinized, and truths appear. Again, we saw another, more vulnerable, side to Alex in his relationship with a certain lady, who is another brilliant character. Whenever I recommend books, one author springs to mind time and time again: LJ Ross. As much as I love the DCI Ryan series, I'm really enjoying the Alexander Gregory books and Hysteria is the second instalment of that series. Don't worry if you haven't read Imposter though; Hysteria works very well as a standalone.In May 2021, Louise was shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association ‘Dagger in the Library’ award, which recognises an author’s entire body of work having been consistently enjoyed by library borrowers around the United Kingdom, and an author’s longstanding support of libraries.

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!

Struggling to find a killer that is hiding in plain sight, while navigating small town politics and pagan rituals that muddy the waters, romance is blossoming between the two tortured souls, threatening to slow down the investigation. “Sycamore Gap”, the second novel in the DCI Ryan series of novels is an excellent novel about the adventures of the handsome and troubled Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. As soon as I finished reading the brilliant 'Impostor', the first book in the Dr Alexander Gregory series by LJ Ross, I couldn't wait to start reading book 2, 'Hysteria'. This time the author took me to beautiful Paris. 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. 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. To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’.