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DCI Ryan Mysteries #1
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Win a free print copy of this book!
21 days and 14:46:40
15 copies available
U.S. only
Peainspektor Ryan, kes on sunnitud võtma mõrvauurijatööst puhkuse, on kolinud Pühale saarele lootuses leida seal hingerahu. Paar päeva enne jõule kistakse ta aga taas hämarasse mõrvamaailma, sest lähedalasuvatest kloostrivaremetest leitakse noore naise surnukeha.
Kui endine kohalik tüdruk dr Anna Taylor naaseb saarele politsei nõustajana, kerkivad pinnale vanad mälestused, mis sunnivad teda oma probleemse minevikuga silmitsi seisma. Tema ja Ryan pingutavad ühiselt, et jahtida tapjat, kes peidab end otse nende nina all, sellal kui paganlikud rituaalid ja väikelinna mentaliteet muudavad uurimise üksnes keerulisemaks.
Kui endine kohalik tüdruk dr Anna Taylor naaseb saarele politsei nõustajana, kerkivad pinnale vanad mälestused, mis sunnivad teda oma probleemse minevikuga silmitsi seisma. Tema ja Ryan pingutavad ühiselt, et jahtida tapjat, kes peidab end otse nende nina all, sellal kui paganlikud rituaalid ja väikelinna mentaliteet muudavad uurimise üksnes keerulisemaks.
411 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
12137 people are currently reading
23049 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Ross
58 books3,304 followersLJ Ross is an internationally bestselling author, whose books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Her debut, Holy Island, was released in 2015 and became an instant, international bestseller. Since then, a further eighteen of her novels have gone on to take the coveted #1 spot, some even before general release and whilst only available to ‘pre-order’. The Bookseller magazine has reported on Louise having topped the ‘Most Read’ and ‘Most Sold’ fiction charts, and she has garnered an army of loyal fans who love her atmospheric and addictive storytelling.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
If you would like to connect with LJ Ross, she would be very happy to hear from you:
https://www.facebook.com/LJRossAuthor
https://twitter.com/ljross_author
www.lovesuspense.com
lj_ross@outlook.com
Her debut, Holy Island, was released in 2015 and became an instant, international bestseller. Since then, a further eighteen of her novels have gone on to take the coveted #1 spot, some even before general release and whilst only available to ‘pre-order’. The Bookseller magazine has reported on Louise having topped the ‘Most Read’ and ‘Most Sold’ fiction charts, and she has garnered an army of loyal fans who love her atmospheric and addictive storytelling.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
If you would like to connect with LJ Ross, she would be very happy to hear from you:
https://www.facebook.com/LJRossAuthor
https://twitter.com/ljross_author
www.lovesuspense.com
lj_ross@outlook.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,242 reviews
February 2, 2016
There's a half decent book struggling to get out of this but it's so riddled with faults, of so many different varieties, and with a story that is just entirely implausible.
It's so very bad that you feel sort of obliged to say something positive about it. Well, it has a clear beginning, middle and end, and is written in a prose style that is grammatically correct, syntactically reasonable and is easily readable without being over-simplified. And don't take those comments as facetious, because they are clear signs that the author is talented and has the potential to write a good book. But this isn't it.
Numerous examples of stylistic clumsiness. I picked one fraction of a chapter and noted - unnecessary mundane detail; use of cliché; sentences that made no sense "He stalked around Cuthbert's saintly effigy" (later we're told that Cuthbert wasn't made a saint until after he'd died); wordiness- restating something that had also been (actually quite stylishly) explained in the previous sentence; hair described as a 'black waterfall'; someone observing their estranged sister 'dispassionately'; someone entering the pub instantly; overuse of 'supplied' as a synonym for 'said' and repeated use of 'pertaining'. Not to mention the incongruous Americanisms elsewhere - people's weight expressed in pounds, not either stones or kilogrammes; a 'high school graduation' photograph. The explaining that Teesside is a county to the South. (Actually, it isn't; it was a county borough prior to 1974. Police forces lying south of Northumbria are Durham and Cleveland). This passage ended with Ryan utterly refusing to accept that an academic with the title Dr could possibly be an almost 30yo attractive woman. This was greater than just a stylistic irritant but something that made me wonder what century this book was set in.
It was one of a few things that made me assume it was set in the 90s. Ryan's rented cottage had a fax machines, the crime scene photos were processed by the only photo lab on the island (yeah, you'd definitely send pictures of a bloodied corpse to Snappy Snaps, wouldn't you!). But the victim had an iphone and it later turned out that 15 years had elapsed since 1999.
The general sense of time was all wrong. Whether it was sunlight streaming into the church soon after 6 am on 22 December or a school party in the Heritage Centre on 23 December, composed of pupils from the island's secondary school. This island has a total resident population of 180. And a village First School of 4 pupils who travel to their mother school on the Mainland when tides permit. http://www.lowickholyislandschools.or...
There's very easy travel for police officers between the island and Morpeth. Google maps puts that as an hour's drive without traffic. Personal experience suggests longer. I'm surprised they didn't use officers from Berwick or Alnwick, although I concede there may be administrative reasons why. Anna appeared from Durham in the blink of an eye, which is quite impressive, bypassing the Newcastle rush hour and the pre-Christmas Metro Centre crowds just like that! In fact, she was called with indecent haste (sort of explained in the epilogue).
Oh Anna. We get a lot of insight into Anna. Her thoughts, emotions and reactions. Except, we don't. She offers a few bland explanations, which a first year undergraduate or keen amateur historian would know. We know she has had a troubled - violent - childhood but we are left assuming that she is psychologically balanced and totally unaffected. We are given the impression she has a glittering academic career (established in just 8 years since leaving school) but we know absolutely nothing about her everyday life - does she have a flat, a pet, friends, hobbies. Nada.
I'm not even going to mention the romance aspect. The fact that it was inappropriate and unprofessional doesn't make it impossible, but given the various circumstances, it simply didn't ring true, and happened way too fast, at a time when both of them would be pre-occupied with the murders. The sex scenes seemed out of place, adding nothing to the storyline and being devoid of anything erotic. Some sane reviewers have referred to it negatively as 'Mills and Boon'!
You have ridiculous scenarios, not least Ryan's boat journey. I just don't have words for how unlikely this is, and how insulting it is to the reader. It is unlikely he could have navigated the journey in calm daylight. And why get a boat from Budle, when Seahouses would be the logical place (fishing vessels, trips to the Farnes...I think there might be cruises to Lindisfarne as well)?
But all of this would be forgivable if the basic premise of the story held any water at all. It didn't.
Not only do we do get the frankly preposterous main story, but we then get the Epilogue. My most charitable thought is 'oh, you're over egging this now' but most of my thoughts were about laughing, or calling it hogwash, or something.
I suppose it could be seen as using the stuff we know about paedophile rings, official inertia and cover up, and corruption in high places, and transplanting that into a different form of abuse, and I can see the potential in that for a more strategic writer than this one. I think in order to sustain the storyline there needs to be a greater insight into the culprits - the main players and the hangers on. Their motivations, their ways of thinking, their values (or lack of), how they interact in everyday life, past experiences (typically childhood trauma), and allow those characters to push the plot. Otherwise, it's a ridiculous plot with cardboard cut out baddies plonked into it.
It's not the worst book I've read, and perhaps I wouldn't have been so harsh in my criticism if it didn't have so many 5 star reviews on here or on Amazon. If those people had been a bit more honest, I wouldn't have bothered adding this to my TBR, and would have just skimmed past it as yet another self-published vanity work in need of an editor. I don't know the motives for the 5 star brigade. I think it's partly the lure of free copies of future books (by other authors) if they big this one up. Maybe they want to suck up to an author for some sort of reflected glory.
Look, people are entitled to enjoy any sort of rubbish with no regard to my opinion. In any case tastes vary, and I'm sure there is stuff I enjoy (or have done) that other people could rightly say is rubbish. I could understand a review that said 'I enjoyed it but noticed flaws and it's probably a 3.5 but as it's a debut novel I'll round it up to 4'.
But when people award 5 stars and glowing superlatives unqualified by any critical thinking, my reaction is to think:
a) you're conning me into buying this under false pretences (albeit only 99p in the Kindle New Year sale) and
b) you're exactly the sort of person who votes Tory and then bleats when they take away your tax credits because you're too stupid to realise that an attack on poor people's benefits is aimed exactly at you, being that you're on a form of benefit and thus poor (relatively speaking).
So to conclude, it's an achievement to assemble a novel that has a beginning, middle and end, and a coherent narrative and dramatic arc. However, when I buy a book, albeit at 99p, I expect something more than that, and I don't think I got my money's worth. I think the writer clearly has a talent that would benefit from nurturing and an editor. If a proper publisher spots this talent, I would probably try reading her again, but that editor has to be able to challenge several ridiculous premises.
It's so very bad that you feel sort of obliged to say something positive about it. Well, it has a clear beginning, middle and end, and is written in a prose style that is grammatically correct, syntactically reasonable and is easily readable without being over-simplified. And don't take those comments as facetious, because they are clear signs that the author is talented and has the potential to write a good book. But this isn't it.
Numerous examples of stylistic clumsiness. I picked one fraction of a chapter and noted - unnecessary mundane detail; use of cliché; sentences that made no sense "He stalked around Cuthbert's saintly effigy" (later we're told that Cuthbert wasn't made a saint until after he'd died); wordiness- restating something that had also been (actually quite stylishly) explained in the previous sentence; hair described as a 'black waterfall'; someone observing their estranged sister 'dispassionately'; someone entering the pub instantly; overuse of 'supplied' as a synonym for 'said' and repeated use of 'pertaining'. Not to mention the incongruous Americanisms elsewhere - people's weight expressed in pounds, not either stones or kilogrammes; a 'high school graduation' photograph. The explaining that Teesside is a county to the South. (Actually, it isn't; it was a county borough prior to 1974. Police forces lying south of Northumbria are Durham and Cleveland). This passage ended with Ryan utterly refusing to accept that an academic with the title Dr could possibly be an almost 30yo attractive woman. This was greater than just a stylistic irritant but something that made me wonder what century this book was set in.
It was one of a few things that made me assume it was set in the 90s. Ryan's rented cottage had a fax machines, the crime scene photos were processed by the only photo lab on the island (yeah, you'd definitely send pictures of a bloodied corpse to Snappy Snaps, wouldn't you!). But the victim had an iphone and it later turned out that 15 years had elapsed since 1999.
The general sense of time was all wrong. Whether it was sunlight streaming into the church soon after 6 am on 22 December or a school party in the Heritage Centre on 23 December, composed of pupils from the island's secondary school. This island has a total resident population of 180. And a village First School of 4 pupils who travel to their mother school on the Mainland when tides permit. http://www.lowickholyislandschools.or...
There's very easy travel for police officers between the island and Morpeth. Google maps puts that as an hour's drive without traffic. Personal experience suggests longer. I'm surprised they didn't use officers from Berwick or Alnwick, although I concede there may be administrative reasons why. Anna appeared from Durham in the blink of an eye, which is quite impressive, bypassing the Newcastle rush hour and the pre-Christmas Metro Centre crowds just like that! In fact, she was called with indecent haste (sort of explained in the epilogue).
Oh Anna. We get a lot of insight into Anna. Her thoughts, emotions and reactions. Except, we don't. She offers a few bland explanations, which a first year undergraduate or keen amateur historian would know. We know she has had a troubled - violent - childhood but we are left assuming that she is psychologically balanced and totally unaffected. We are given the impression she has a glittering academic career (established in just 8 years since leaving school) but we know absolutely nothing about her everyday life - does she have a flat, a pet, friends, hobbies. Nada.
I'm not even going to mention the romance aspect. The fact that it was inappropriate and unprofessional doesn't make it impossible, but given the various circumstances, it simply didn't ring true, and happened way too fast, at a time when both of them would be pre-occupied with the murders. The sex scenes seemed out of place, adding nothing to the storyline and being devoid of anything erotic. Some sane reviewers have referred to it negatively as 'Mills and Boon'!
You have ridiculous scenarios, not least Ryan's boat journey. I just don't have words for how unlikely this is, and how insulting it is to the reader. It is unlikely he could have navigated the journey in calm daylight. And why get a boat from Budle, when Seahouses would be the logical place (fishing vessels, trips to the Farnes...I think there might be cruises to Lindisfarne as well)?
But all of this would be forgivable if the basic premise of the story held any water at all. It didn't.
Not only do we do get the frankly preposterous main story, but we then get the Epilogue. My most charitable thought is 'oh, you're over egging this now' but most of my thoughts were about laughing, or calling it hogwash, or something.
I suppose it could be seen as using the stuff we know about paedophile rings, official inertia and cover up, and corruption in high places, and transplanting that into a different form of abuse, and I can see the potential in that for a more strategic writer than this one. I think in order to sustain the storyline there needs to be a greater insight into the culprits - the main players and the hangers on. Their motivations, their ways of thinking, their values (or lack of), how they interact in everyday life, past experiences (typically childhood trauma), and allow those characters to push the plot. Otherwise, it's a ridiculous plot with cardboard cut out baddies plonked into it.
It's not the worst book I've read, and perhaps I wouldn't have been so harsh in my criticism if it didn't have so many 5 star reviews on here or on Amazon. If those people had been a bit more honest, I wouldn't have bothered adding this to my TBR, and would have just skimmed past it as yet another self-published vanity work in need of an editor. I don't know the motives for the 5 star brigade. I think it's partly the lure of free copies of future books (by other authors) if they big this one up. Maybe they want to suck up to an author for some sort of reflected glory.
Look, people are entitled to enjoy any sort of rubbish with no regard to my opinion. In any case tastes vary, and I'm sure there is stuff I enjoy (or have done) that other people could rightly say is rubbish. I could understand a review that said 'I enjoyed it but noticed flaws and it's probably a 3.5 but as it's a debut novel I'll round it up to 4'.
But when people award 5 stars and glowing superlatives unqualified by any critical thinking, my reaction is to think:
a) you're conning me into buying this under false pretences (albeit only 99p in the Kindle New Year sale) and
b) you're exactly the sort of person who votes Tory and then bleats when they take away your tax credits because you're too stupid to realise that an attack on poor people's benefits is aimed exactly at you, being that you're on a form of benefit and thus poor (relatively speaking).
So to conclude, it's an achievement to assemble a novel that has a beginning, middle and end, and a coherent narrative and dramatic arc. However, when I buy a book, albeit at 99p, I expect something more than that, and I don't think I got my money's worth. I think the writer clearly has a talent that would benefit from nurturing and an editor. If a proper publisher spots this talent, I would probably try reading her again, but that editor has to be able to challenge several ridiculous premises.
July 18, 2019
There are so many wonderful detective series that are well-written and rewarding but this is not one of them. Please spare me the impossibly good looking detective who immediately falls in love with the impossibly good looking potential victim in the middle of ridiculous melodrama and kinky rituals. So sorry I purchased this.
July 3, 2018
HOLY ISLAND by L.J. Ross is a debut murder mystery that is set on the U.K.’s Holy Island of Lindisfarne in the North Sea, an island which really exists.
Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is staying on Holy Island, taking a leave from his duties as a homicide detective, after the death of his sister. And then a few days before Christmas, his leave is suddenly cancelled when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins.
Former local girl Dr. Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant. Here she must come to terms with her old memories and confront her difficult past. She and Ryan work together to hunt a killer, while fighting their attraction to one another. When Anna’s sister is murdered, it appears to be a ritual killing.
The characters of Ryan and Anna each come with their own flaws, but come together and complement each other providing the reader with some humor along the way.
It is quite apparent the extensive research that went into the preparation of this novel. This was a well-developed book, with characters that come alive as you read each small detail unfolding. The imagery is vivid and enables you to sense the atmosphere of the setting. I was unable to figure out the “Who”, a tribute to the spectacular writing skills of the author.
I wish to thank the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity for furnishing the digital copy of Holy Island, and look forward to reading the next book in the series; SYCAMORE GAP.
Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is staying on Holy Island, taking a leave from his duties as a homicide detective, after the death of his sister. And then a few days before Christmas, his leave is suddenly cancelled when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins.
Former local girl Dr. Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant. Here she must come to terms with her old memories and confront her difficult past. She and Ryan work together to hunt a killer, while fighting their attraction to one another. When Anna’s sister is murdered, it appears to be a ritual killing.
The characters of Ryan and Anna each come with their own flaws, but come together and complement each other providing the reader with some humor along the way.
It is quite apparent the extensive research that went into the preparation of this novel. This was a well-developed book, with characters that come alive as you read each small detail unfolding. The imagery is vivid and enables you to sense the atmosphere of the setting. I was unable to figure out the “Who”, a tribute to the spectacular writing skills of the author.
I wish to thank the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity for furnishing the digital copy of Holy Island, and look forward to reading the next book in the series; SYCAMORE GAP.
March 7, 2016
I very rarely give one star reviews as I try to see the positive in the books I read but really... A 70's era sexist main character, so many unrealistic events, geographical inaccuracies, other general inaccuracies, female characters that came from central casting, character stereotypes (troubled back stories etc), REALLY BAD ROMANTIC SCENES (actually laughed out loud). I realise that being a first novel hopefully in future there will be some improvement in some of the above areas. I think the author has to decide -romance or detective , or maybe both but not in the same book.
I did actually think I was going to enjoy it when I started reading it. Based near where I live, & the first chapters were ok, not brilliant, but enough to keep me reading after the sample. After that it was more of a chore. I think my mouth actually dropped open when the lead charater 'snarled' & then became so sexist & arrogant I did think it was maybe done intentionally as a joke & then as I kept reading I realised the author was serious.
It has been a grim task ploughing on to the end & I only kept reading because so many of the reviewers had mentioned the epilogue that I wanted to see if it magically sent the book soaring up my ratings . However ... the epilogue while adding slightly to the story read like a bad horror film, after the hero has escaped the house of horror, the camera pans back for the coup de grace.
Maybe the author is in expectation of this novel being made into a film/series but I wouldn't be watching it if that's the case.
I cannot believe all the 5 star reviews. That was one of the reasons I read it in the first place. I wish I had read more of the not so positive reviews. Luckily I got it on Kindle Unlimited so I didnt waste any money & I could delete it quickly. It has taken me slightly longer to forget the awful cliched 'romance' but I have managed to stop laughing about it now.
I did actually think I was going to enjoy it when I started reading it. Based near where I live, & the first chapters were ok, not brilliant, but enough to keep me reading after the sample. After that it was more of a chore. I think my mouth actually dropped open when the lead charater 'snarled' & then became so sexist & arrogant I did think it was maybe done intentionally as a joke & then as I kept reading I realised the author was serious.
It has been a grim task ploughing on to the end & I only kept reading because so many of the reviewers had mentioned the epilogue that I wanted to see if it magically sent the book soaring up my ratings . However ... the epilogue while adding slightly to the story read like a bad horror film, after the hero has escaped the house of horror, the camera pans back for the coup de grace.
Maybe the author is in expectation of this novel being made into a film/series but I wouldn't be watching it if that's the case.
I cannot believe all the 5 star reviews. That was one of the reasons I read it in the first place. I wish I had read more of the not so positive reviews. Luckily I got it on Kindle Unlimited so I didnt waste any money & I could delete it quickly. It has taken me slightly longer to forget the awful cliched 'romance' but I have managed to stop laughing about it now.
May 28, 2015
This book tries to be both a murder Mystery novel and a Mills and Boon bodice ripper and sadly it falls between the two stools. The characters are well used stereotypes. To find The Holy Island that I know and love peopled only by beautiful people came as a surprise to me. I thought i'd stumbled into Brookside takes a holiday. The author tried to write a story using proper police procedures and this causes some problems as it vastly increases the number of characters.This can make things confusing for the reader. The glaring mistake for me was when the author referred to a detectives "badge Number." This is a US term UK police would refer to a warrant Number, ID number, or even a collar number but detectives don't carry badges and don't have badge numbers. The ending was somewhat predictable where the plot got a little thin you could feel the structure showing through. The end was well written and did provide the required peak of excitement but once more the hackneyed old cliche's were rolled out. We didn't get miss marple bringing everyone together in the library instead we had the boasting perpetrator.
As a first attempt it's not bad, I've read a lot worse. I hope in the next book the author does away with the "he loved the way her eyes flared out her anger" and settles for a detective novel.
As a first attempt it's not bad, I've read a lot worse. I hope in the next book the author does away with the "he loved the way her eyes flared out her anger" and settles for a detective novel.
April 18, 2019
5 Words: Murder, ritual, family, isolation, religion.
What. A. Read.
It was inevitable that I would pick this book one day. It's exactly my cup of tea. It's set locally, has a sizzling hint of romance, there's some nasty goings-on and it's completely unpredictable... Prefect formula.
This book definitely made me smile, and it got my heart racing in more ways than one. The chemistry between Ryan and Anna is almost explosive.
There were so many twists and turns that I just couldn't guess who did it, and I got a surprise at the end when it was revealed.
I think it's safe to say I'm addicted. Gimme more!
A copy of this was provided by Booklover Catlady Publicity for review.
ETA: Three months on and I already want to reread it!
What. A. Read.
It was inevitable that I would pick this book one day. It's exactly my cup of tea. It's set locally, has a sizzling hint of romance, there's some nasty goings-on and it's completely unpredictable... Prefect formula.
This book definitely made me smile, and it got my heart racing in more ways than one. The chemistry between Ryan and Anna is almost explosive.
There were so many twists and turns that I just couldn't guess who did it, and I got a surprise at the end when it was revealed.
I think it's safe to say I'm addicted. Gimme more!
A copy of this was provided by Booklover Catlady Publicity for review.
ETA: Three months on and I already want to reread it!
February 1, 2025
Holy, What?
DCI Ryan has been in trouble before, but he is not now. He’s able to do his best to get the job done. The job being, to solve a murder.
There is a murderer on Holy Island. A young lady who is only twenty years old has been found dead on a religious site. What does it mean?
The Detective Chief Inspector is working hard to round up suspects and interview them for the murder. He is thorough.
He’s looking everywhere for the answer, but it seems like the answer is not going to be coming to him.
Will his inability to solve this mystery be the cause of someone’s death? Open the book and read it to find out!
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
DCI Ryan has been in trouble before, but he is not now. He’s able to do his best to get the job done. The job being, to solve a murder.
There is a murderer on Holy Island. A young lady who is only twenty years old has been found dead on a religious site. What does it mean?
The Detective Chief Inspector is working hard to round up suspects and interview them for the murder. He is thorough.
He’s looking everywhere for the answer, but it seems like the answer is not going to be coming to him.
Will his inability to solve this mystery be the cause of someone’s death? Open the book and read it to find out!
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
November 8, 2021
The short answer is, don't bother. If you want the long answer, buckle up, kids. I have a lot to say.
The story got off to a rocky start at the introduction of the main cast. DCI Ryan is, of course, an adonis of physical perfection. His trusty sidekick DS Philips (who is, in fact, the most enjoyable character in the book) had a great deal of description. When we got to the other female police officer introduced by name, we discover that she has red hair and DS Philips would like to ask her out. But fear not, later on we also learn that she's Irish and that both Ryan and Philips agree that she "has a nice arse". No further characterisation is needed for a woman.
So my hackles were already raised when our alpha male main character met Anna, the female lead, and proceeded to be extremely rude and condescending (because no woman of 28 can possibly be a doctor and an expert in her field). But fear not, it's all okay because when she became angry at such treatment, Ryan realised how hot she was. She, naturally, was likewise smitten by his perfection and quickly forgave all deficiencies in character and manners. He continued perpetuating his alpha male instincts and despite token protests, Anna naturally quite liked being claimed as someone's own.
Of Anna we discover that she's beautiful (of course), intelligent (of course), and damaged by past trauma (of course). And that's it. That's all the character she needs, being a woman and all. Her main purpose, apart from imparting a few bits of historic lore that a simple Google search would reveal, was to be the romantic counterpart to Mr Perfect. Their whirlwind romance was trite and utterly unconvincing.
Case in point: there's a killer on the loose on Lindesfarne and Ryan is concerned for Anna's safety. So like any good knight in shining armour, he marches off to her cottage, gets no response to his knocking (what with there being music playing and all), so proceeds to knock down the door. Not simply break lock, but actually rip the door off its hinges. Hulk smashes and all that. Anna, being a sensible sort of woman and acting on instinct when someone has just removed the door off her cottage reacts like any sensible woman would: she jumps into bed with Ryan. I found it fascinating that neither the inevitable victim or the DCI thought about the killer on the loose on the island while they were going at it like rabbits in a cottage without a door. Also, FYI, the story takes place in the days leading up to Christmas, but surely being in luurve is all you need to keep yourself warm when exposed to the bracing North Sea air.
A further point that irritated me a great deal was that Ryan had suffered previous trauma and had been prescribed medication to manage anxiety and PTSD. But like any good alpha male, he refuses to take the pills and resolves to push through without therapy or any kind of help. Of course, once this trauma had been mentioned and Ryan had a few obligatory moments of staring into space, it played no role whatsoever in the story. So maybe he wasn't all that traumatised after all. In this day and age, it would be nice to see a little more realistic and sensible portrayal of mental health issues.
As for the main plot, it's unconvincing, flawed, and frankly a little boring. Even the twist at the end wasn't really a twist at all. This book fails as a crime novel as well as a steamy romance novel.
Having been annoyed by various parts of this story which seemed to belong in the group of male authors writing about depressed breasts, imagine my surprise when I discovered that L.J. Ross is, in fact, a woman. While male authors have been increasingly called out on such sexist writing as was portrayed in this novel, it made me wonder whether female authors are subjected to the same scrutiny. Or is it forgiven because the sexism is wrapped up in a cutesy romance with a HEA?
All in all, I'll reiterate my short verdict of don't bother. I'm going to further say that I'm shocked this is a best seller.
The story got off to a rocky start at the introduction of the main cast. DCI Ryan is, of course, an adonis of physical perfection. His trusty sidekick DS Philips (who is, in fact, the most enjoyable character in the book) had a great deal of description. When we got to the other female police officer introduced by name, we discover that she has red hair and DS Philips would like to ask her out. But fear not, later on we also learn that she's Irish and that both Ryan and Philips agree that she "has a nice arse". No further characterisation is needed for a woman.
So my hackles were already raised when our alpha male main character met Anna, the female lead, and proceeded to be extremely rude and condescending (because no woman of 28 can possibly be a doctor and an expert in her field). But fear not, it's all okay because when she became angry at such treatment, Ryan realised how hot she was. She, naturally, was likewise smitten by his perfection and quickly forgave all deficiencies in character and manners. He continued perpetuating his alpha male instincts and despite token protests, Anna naturally quite liked being claimed as someone's own.
Of Anna we discover that she's beautiful (of course), intelligent (of course), and damaged by past trauma (of course). And that's it. That's all the character she needs, being a woman and all. Her main purpose, apart from imparting a few bits of historic lore that a simple Google search would reveal, was to be the romantic counterpart to Mr Perfect. Their whirlwind romance was trite and utterly unconvincing.
Case in point: there's a killer on the loose on Lindesfarne and Ryan is concerned for Anna's safety. So like any good knight in shining armour, he marches off to her cottage, gets no response to his knocking (what with there being music playing and all), so proceeds to knock down the door. Not simply break lock, but actually rip the door off its hinges. Hulk smashes and all that. Anna, being a sensible sort of woman and acting on instinct when someone has just removed the door off her cottage reacts like any sensible woman would: she jumps into bed with Ryan. I found it fascinating that neither the inevitable victim or the DCI thought about the killer on the loose on the island while they were going at it like rabbits in a cottage without a door. Also, FYI, the story takes place in the days leading up to Christmas, but surely being in luurve is all you need to keep yourself warm when exposed to the bracing North Sea air.
A further point that irritated me a great deal was that Ryan had suffered previous trauma and had been prescribed medication to manage anxiety and PTSD. But like any good alpha male, he refuses to take the pills and resolves to push through without therapy or any kind of help. Of course, once this trauma had been mentioned and Ryan had a few obligatory moments of staring into space, it played no role whatsoever in the story. So maybe he wasn't all that traumatised after all. In this day and age, it would be nice to see a little more realistic and sensible portrayal of mental health issues.
As for the main plot, it's unconvincing, flawed, and frankly a little boring. Even the twist at the end wasn't really a twist at all. This book fails as a crime novel as well as a steamy romance novel.
Having been annoyed by various parts of this story which seemed to belong in the group of male authors writing about depressed breasts, imagine my surprise when I discovered that L.J. Ross is, in fact, a woman. While male authors have been increasingly called out on such sexist writing as was portrayed in this novel, it made me wonder whether female authors are subjected to the same scrutiny. Or is it forgiven because the sexism is wrapped up in a cutesy romance with a HEA?
All in all, I'll reiterate my short verdict of don't bother. I'm going to further say that I'm shocked this is a best seller.
November 21, 2015
Was interested because this book is top of the kindle bestsellers but battled to finish. Thought it was a police procedural but it seems to be a mills and boon with a detective main character. points of view change rather oddly, characters have far too much emotion being conveyed through their eyes and are also constantly thinking about how hot the main detective is, and less about the deaths on their tiny rather scary sounding island.
January 31, 2020
4★
“She thought that her eyes were open, but couldn’t be sure. It was so dark.”
This is book 1 of a series, and I will definitely be reading book 2. I could stop there, but. . . I’ll give you the opening scene:
“Winter was an unforgiving time on Holy Island. Harsh winds from the North Sea whipped through the cobbled streets and wove through the squat, stone cottages which huddled together as if for warmth. Above the village the Priory loomed, crippled but still standing after a thousand years.
Inside it, Lucy lay shivering, her skin exposed and helpless to temperatures which had fallen well below zero. Now and then her body jerked, a spasm of pain which racked her slim form as she rested beneath a sky that was littered with stars.”
Everyone knows who everyone is on the island, so when a lady walking her dog stumbles on a dead girl, apparently sacrificed on some garish altar, she goes immediately to the best person she can think of for help – our TDH hero (tall, dark, and handsome, as one of the character refers to him).
On leave and recovering on the island after a personal tragedy (case gone wrong), DCI Ryan is living alone and disconnected. But this is a community where everyone is connected whether they like it or not.
Access to the island is dependent on the tides, as the causeway is covered much of the time. Early in the piece, time of death is determined to have taken place while the island was cut off from the mainland, so in true Agatha Christie fashion, we have a limited pool of potential murderers.
His boss puts Ryan back on active duty and insists on sending a specialist in ancient beliefs and practices to consult. Dr Taylor turns out to be a gorgeous young woman who grew up on the island and has an equally gorgeous, flirtatious sister, so we know there will be sparks somewhere (and there are). And more mysterious ‘sacrifices’ to investigate.
It’s an interesting page-turner with a unique setting and plenty of historic background on the area and the rituals to fill it out satisfyingly. The ending certainly left plenty of material for more stories.
I didn’t give it a full 5 stars because I had a few niggles about some of the chick-lit references (“plundering her mouth” and Anna’s description of Ryan as having “slashed cheekbones”), but what the heck. It was fun!
Thanks to BookLover CatLady Publicity and the author for my review copy. I’m looking forward to the next one, Sycamore Gap: A DCI Ryan Mystery.
“She thought that her eyes were open, but couldn’t be sure. It was so dark.”
This is book 1 of a series, and I will definitely be reading book 2. I could stop there, but. . . I’ll give you the opening scene:
“Winter was an unforgiving time on Holy Island. Harsh winds from the North Sea whipped through the cobbled streets and wove through the squat, stone cottages which huddled together as if for warmth. Above the village the Priory loomed, crippled but still standing after a thousand years.
Inside it, Lucy lay shivering, her skin exposed and helpless to temperatures which had fallen well below zero. Now and then her body jerked, a spasm of pain which racked her slim form as she rested beneath a sky that was littered with stars.”
Everyone knows who everyone is on the island, so when a lady walking her dog stumbles on a dead girl, apparently sacrificed on some garish altar, she goes immediately to the best person she can think of for help – our TDH hero (tall, dark, and handsome, as one of the character refers to him).
On leave and recovering on the island after a personal tragedy (case gone wrong), DCI Ryan is living alone and disconnected. But this is a community where everyone is connected whether they like it or not.
Access to the island is dependent on the tides, as the causeway is covered much of the time. Early in the piece, time of death is determined to have taken place while the island was cut off from the mainland, so in true Agatha Christie fashion, we have a limited pool of potential murderers.
His boss puts Ryan back on active duty and insists on sending a specialist in ancient beliefs and practices to consult. Dr Taylor turns out to be a gorgeous young woman who grew up on the island and has an equally gorgeous, flirtatious sister, so we know there will be sparks somewhere (and there are). And more mysterious ‘sacrifices’ to investigate.
It’s an interesting page-turner with a unique setting and plenty of historic background on the area and the rituals to fill it out satisfyingly. The ending certainly left plenty of material for more stories.
I didn’t give it a full 5 stars because I had a few niggles about some of the chick-lit references (“plundering her mouth” and Anna’s description of Ryan as having “slashed cheekbones”), but what the heck. It was fun!
Thanks to BookLover CatLady Publicity and the author for my review copy. I’m looking forward to the next one, Sycamore Gap: A DCI Ryan Mystery.
July 26, 2017
I've been eager to read this series for a long time. Eventually, I've made a start with the first encounter with DCI Ryan - Holy Island.
This is a classicly written piece of crime fiction/mystery. Set in Northumberland, the setting itself gives a perfect backdrop to a fantastic story. The author creates a great atmosphere which drew me in. The book grabbed me from the beginning and had me hooked all the way through.
Holy Island manages to keep a nice balance between gruesome and cosy crime. It's very easy to read as the writing is brilliant. The characters are interesting and believable and I'll be looking forward to the next encounter in this promising series.
Highly recommended.
This is a classicly written piece of crime fiction/mystery. Set in Northumberland, the setting itself gives a perfect backdrop to a fantastic story. The author creates a great atmosphere which drew me in. The book grabbed me from the beginning and had me hooked all the way through.
Holy Island manages to keep a nice balance between gruesome and cosy crime. It's very easy to read as the writing is brilliant. The characters are interesting and believable and I'll be looking forward to the next encounter in this promising series.
Highly recommended.
January 12, 2025
I would like to start by telling you all that this book has been my very first reading experience with this author, and it certainly won't be the last.
This very engaging novel is the 1st volume of the "DCI Ryan Mystery" series, its not only filled with crime but mixed with historical elements and surroundings, and beside that it contains great storytelling and wonderful lifelike characters, all superbly supplied by the author.
The story is situated on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and island with loads of history, whether its the Castle, Priory, Scholars and Clergy throughout the centuries.
It all starts off with the ritual death of Lucy Mathieson, and while DCI Ryan is on a sabbatical on the island of Lindisfarne, he's asked by a local woman to come and see the corpse of Lucy, and so begins DCI Ryan's journey of investigating this tragic death.
Dr Anna Taylor, a local girl from Lindisfarne, arrives back on the island as a police consultant, and although soon enough personal tragedy will get her officially of the case, she and DCI Ryan will come into conflict with each other that will eventually turn into a nice romantic episode between the two, but in the meantime DCI Ryan and his staff's time are taken up with more hideous murders to investigate, while high ranking individuals are conspiring in the background to keep the pagan rituals alive and kicking.
What is to follow as a whole is a captivating police mystery with some historical elements and knowledge interwoven within the story, its a story that has a great build-up towards some interesting twists and ending with an excellent executed plot, but with also an open sub-plot to consider at the end, and all this is brought to us in a most entertaining fashion by the author.
Very much recommended, for this is a wonderful start of this, for me, new series, and that's why I like to call this first episode: "DCI Ryan Impressive Begin"!
This very engaging novel is the 1st volume of the "DCI Ryan Mystery" series, its not only filled with crime but mixed with historical elements and surroundings, and beside that it contains great storytelling and wonderful lifelike characters, all superbly supplied by the author.
The story is situated on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and island with loads of history, whether its the Castle, Priory, Scholars and Clergy throughout the centuries.
It all starts off with the ritual death of Lucy Mathieson, and while DCI Ryan is on a sabbatical on the island of Lindisfarne, he's asked by a local woman to come and see the corpse of Lucy, and so begins DCI Ryan's journey of investigating this tragic death.
Dr Anna Taylor, a local girl from Lindisfarne, arrives back on the island as a police consultant, and although soon enough personal tragedy will get her officially of the case, she and DCI Ryan will come into conflict with each other that will eventually turn into a nice romantic episode between the two, but in the meantime DCI Ryan and his staff's time are taken up with more hideous murders to investigate, while high ranking individuals are conspiring in the background to keep the pagan rituals alive and kicking.
What is to follow as a whole is a captivating police mystery with some historical elements and knowledge interwoven within the story, its a story that has a great build-up towards some interesting twists and ending with an excellent executed plot, but with also an open sub-plot to consider at the end, and all this is brought to us in a most entertaining fashion by the author.
Very much recommended, for this is a wonderful start of this, for me, new series, and that's why I like to call this first episode: "DCI Ryan Impressive Begin"!
September 28, 2015
A below-average police procedural set in the close-knit community on Lindisfarne. The book for me was marred by several things including a number of randomly used Americanisms; some rather odd inconsistencies in the plot; constant and irritating changes in point-of-view; and most of all the Mills & Boon style romance between two of the lead characters which looked very much like the author writing out her own fantasy world. I’m all in favour of a bit of love interest in a crime novel, but this was not one that was well done. At one point the hero ‘plundered her mouth’, which made me think he was stealing her fillings. Having said all that, it was a fairly entertaining if completely implausible read – I just wondered why it had merited quite so many five-star reviews on Amazon and apparently made it to No.1 slot, but there we are – one of the mysteries of the book world. Unfortunately I’ve bought the next one – perhaps she will have learned from her mistakes.
March 10, 2016
It was as though two people had written this novel. One loved dramatic and stereotyped romance in the style of Mills and Boone and the other wrote a detective novel. The romantic part of the novel was really inappropriate....brooding and troubled dark eyed hero detective comes to tell heroine something bad has happened (don't want to add any spoilers) and ends up kissing her! So many five star ratings for this novel both on Goodreads and Amazon, I just don't understand.
April 28, 2021
Can't believe it has taken me so long to discover this author. This has everything you could want in a story. Beautiful but harsh island, lot of history mixed with modern technology. Very strong characters on both sides. All combined with an ending that I hadn't seen coming. Can't wait to read book 2.
June 19, 2019
I loved this book. I didn't see that end coming (I admit I hardly ever do), it had a nice twist.
December 1, 2017
Kept reading because I wanted to give DCI Ryan some time, but this "Holy" Island is more like Hell Island....will not continue the string of pagan ritual murders that had somehow not been noticed over the years that will be picked up in the next book I shall return unread. And then there's the sleazy romance(?) factor to stay away from as well. Not for me.
-available on Kindle Unlimited -
-available on Kindle Unlimited -
November 13, 2015
Holy Island by L.J. Ross is a 3-D delight: devilishly dark and dangerous. Set on the U.K.’s Holy Island of Lindisfarne in the North Sea, the events that occur in this sparsely populated isle are definitely unholy.
When the body of 21-year-old Lucy Mathieson is discovered laid out in ritualistic fashion, Detective Chief Inspector Maxwell Ryan is suddenly reinstated from his leave-of-absence following the case of a brutal serial murderer in which his own sister was a victim. Now he is about to find out if he is ready to take on a similar challenge. A beautiful young woman has been sadistically slain. Not long after Lucy’s body is found, Ryan’s boss calls in an expert in “pagan” traditions and rites, Dr. Taylor. Expecting a middle-aged man, Ryan complains, but he is in for a pleasant surprise. Dr. Taylor turns out to be a female named Anna, and she happens to be both intelligent and gorgeous. A native of the island, she left to pursue her education and to attempt to leave her ghosts behind her. When she returns, she finds trouble. She also finds DCI Ryan, himself a single man who is easy on the eyes. Their relationship adds romance and humor to an otherwise sinister, foreboding mood that envelops the book. Is it unprofessional? Certainly. Like any relationship, it is not perfect, and I did find it enjoyable, and even believable, to a certain extent.
There are numerous characters, many of them suspects. Is there anyone who is trustworthy? Ross provides shadowy figures, and I never knew for certain who was speaking, since this was deliberately concealed. Just when I thought I might be onto something, there would be a new wrinkle.
The pagan theme was often confusing. At some points, the group seemed to be practicing paganism, which is not the same as devil worship. However, the High Priest has definitely changed the game into something much more malevolent. Not only that, but who is in his secret circle? It could be anyone. I was able to suspend belief, somewhat, to accept the motive for the killings; Holy Island has a population of around 200 people in 2011, so it is unfathomable to me that so many of its inhabitants could be involved in a cult and get away with murder. I will say this: I was quite surprised by the twist at the end. Well – partially surprised. I actually suspected one of them.
All in all, Holy Island kept me entertained. The island setting, with the ancient priory, the contrast of the old Christian legends of St. Cuthbert against the gloom of impending peril and death, and a touch of romance made for a satisfying debut tale, I feel. Ms. Ross already has a second DCI Ryan novel published, and I look forward to digging into that as well.
I wish to sincerely thank the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity for furnishing the digital copy of Holy Island in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
4 stars
When the body of 21-year-old Lucy Mathieson is discovered laid out in ritualistic fashion, Detective Chief Inspector Maxwell Ryan is suddenly reinstated from his leave-of-absence following the case of a brutal serial murderer in which his own sister was a victim. Now he is about to find out if he is ready to take on a similar challenge. A beautiful young woman has been sadistically slain. Not long after Lucy’s body is found, Ryan’s boss calls in an expert in “pagan” traditions and rites, Dr. Taylor. Expecting a middle-aged man, Ryan complains, but he is in for a pleasant surprise. Dr. Taylor turns out to be a female named Anna, and she happens to be both intelligent and gorgeous. A native of the island, she left to pursue her education and to attempt to leave her ghosts behind her. When she returns, she finds trouble. She also finds DCI Ryan, himself a single man who is easy on the eyes. Their relationship adds romance and humor to an otherwise sinister, foreboding mood that envelops the book. Is it unprofessional? Certainly. Like any relationship, it is not perfect, and I did find it enjoyable, and even believable, to a certain extent.
There are numerous characters, many of them suspects. Is there anyone who is trustworthy? Ross provides shadowy figures, and I never knew for certain who was speaking, since this was deliberately concealed. Just when I thought I might be onto something, there would be a new wrinkle.
The pagan theme was often confusing. At some points, the group seemed to be practicing paganism, which is not the same as devil worship. However, the High Priest has definitely changed the game into something much more malevolent. Not only that, but who is in his secret circle? It could be anyone. I was able to suspend belief, somewhat, to accept the motive for the killings; Holy Island has a population of around 200 people in 2011, so it is unfathomable to me that so many of its inhabitants could be involved in a cult and get away with murder. I will say this: I was quite surprised by the twist at the end. Well – partially surprised. I actually suspected one of them.
All in all, Holy Island kept me entertained. The island setting, with the ancient priory, the contrast of the old Christian legends of St. Cuthbert against the gloom of impending peril and death, and a touch of romance made for a satisfying debut tale, I feel. Ms. Ross already has a second DCI Ryan novel published, and I look forward to digging into that as well.
I wish to sincerely thank the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity for furnishing the digital copy of Holy Island in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
4 stars
January 10, 2016
I thought that this book was rather far fetched! I'm not sure what the good people of Lindisfarne think of how they were portrayed! Three gruesome murders in as many days - I think there would have been a greater police presence than the story had, I'm sure police would have been drafted in from the whole area, (despite the twist in the tale at the end of the book - which again was a bit far fetched for me!!) ~
Another oddity, one character was described as having her hair coloured every week, I'm surprised she had any hair left to colour, sloppy editing? Lots of holes in the plot.
The detective in charge getting up close and personal with the sister of one of the victims, who also happened to be the expert called in to advise??? I sometimes think that authors have a bit of a panic and think that they must put some sex in somewhere! Possibly to hide the rather poor plot.
Another oddity, one character was described as having her hair coloured every week, I'm surprised she had any hair left to colour, sloppy editing? Lots of holes in the plot.
The detective in charge getting up close and personal with the sister of one of the victims, who also happened to be the expert called in to advise??? I sometimes think that authors have a bit of a panic and think that they must put some sex in somewhere! Possibly to hide the rather poor plot.
January 2, 2017
I have arrived late in finding the work of L.J. Ross. Not for want of great reviews has my interest wavered just the space and time to slot in a new series into my growing list of books to read.
Having spent a brief holiday in Northumberland last year and seen Holy Island and walked to Sycamore Gap the meeting of books to reader almost seemed inevitable.
Add to the mix that Holy Island is set just before Christmas, it was opportune that I should read this book during this holiday period.
Holy Island is a perfect setting for a murder mystery; cut off from the main land twice a day when the tidal waters cover the causeway. When a murder at high tide happens it has to have been committed by someone still on the island. Fortunately although there is no standing police presence there a detective is on hand to handle the case. DCI Ryan has been recuperating in a local cottage for the past 3 months following a particularly difficult end to a murder investigation. So he feels both obligated and ideally placed knowing the island and many of its inhabitants already.
I like police procedurals and this one has a unique feel as DCI Ryan sets up his base in the front room of his holiday let.
The other aspect of Lindisfarne as a setting is its historical significance in the spread of Christianity to the British Isles and this novel introduces ritualistic and ceremonial aspects to it that mean an expert from Durham university is seconded to the team as a civillian consultant, knowledgable in all things religious and pagan.
Dr Taylor has the other advantage of having grown up on Lindisfarne but has some personal issues there having left to go to university and not returned in over 8 years.
A stunning debut that is relentless in its mystery and mayhem; indeed the early body count would do little to encourage tourism other than the rubberneckers and lovers of the macabre.
The pressure grows on Ryan as senior investigating officer as he still has nightmares over his last case and the death he couldn't prevent.
There is more going on in this idyllic setting that no B&B visitor would wish to know. The writing draws the reader in and leaves one breathless as the police seem unable to break the closing ranks of the communiuty.
A book that is difficult to put down and more difficult to set aside without searching for book 2 in this series. Marvellous in its conception and impressive as it hurries to its dreadful conclusion with the dark drama as gravity and the lack of brakes when all hope seems lost.
If you feel all will be well once Christmas Day arrives don't read the epilogue as this terrific author has more ideas than the average fan can manage in one sitting.
Having spent a brief holiday in Northumberland last year and seen Holy Island and walked to Sycamore Gap the meeting of books to reader almost seemed inevitable.
Add to the mix that Holy Island is set just before Christmas, it was opportune that I should read this book during this holiday period.
Holy Island is a perfect setting for a murder mystery; cut off from the main land twice a day when the tidal waters cover the causeway. When a murder at high tide happens it has to have been committed by someone still on the island. Fortunately although there is no standing police presence there a detective is on hand to handle the case. DCI Ryan has been recuperating in a local cottage for the past 3 months following a particularly difficult end to a murder investigation. So he feels both obligated and ideally placed knowing the island and many of its inhabitants already.
I like police procedurals and this one has a unique feel as DCI Ryan sets up his base in the front room of his holiday let.
The other aspect of Lindisfarne as a setting is its historical significance in the spread of Christianity to the British Isles and this novel introduces ritualistic and ceremonial aspects to it that mean an expert from Durham university is seconded to the team as a civillian consultant, knowledgable in all things religious and pagan.
Dr Taylor has the other advantage of having grown up on Lindisfarne but has some personal issues there having left to go to university and not returned in over 8 years.
A stunning debut that is relentless in its mystery and mayhem; indeed the early body count would do little to encourage tourism other than the rubberneckers and lovers of the macabre.
The pressure grows on Ryan as senior investigating officer as he still has nightmares over his last case and the death he couldn't prevent.
There is more going on in this idyllic setting that no B&B visitor would wish to know. The writing draws the reader in and leaves one breathless as the police seem unable to break the closing ranks of the communiuty.
A book that is difficult to put down and more difficult to set aside without searching for book 2 in this series. Marvellous in its conception and impressive as it hurries to its dreadful conclusion with the dark drama as gravity and the lack of brakes when all hope seems lost.
If you feel all will be well once Christmas Day arrives don't read the epilogue as this terrific author has more ideas than the average fan can manage in one sitting.
September 20, 2015
Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is staying on Holy Island seeking when he is forced to take leave from his duties as a homicide detective, following his last case, when his sister was murdered. When a young woman is found dead among the ancient ruins, his leave is officially over.
Former local girl Dr Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant on the local customs . She and Ryan work together to hunt a killer while fighting their attraction to each other. And when Anna's sister is murdered, it looks like a ritual killing.
This is a great murder mystery, made so believable in that Holy Island actually does exist.
https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/ The Holy Island of Lindisfarne Website
I loved how Ryan and Anna interact with each other. They both carry some baggage and have some issues but there is still a lot of humor between them. He has the need to be protective and she has a need for independence. It's fun watching them meet in the middle.
There are lots of secondary characters who all are suspects at one time or another, so although I had an idea of the why... I couldn't figure out the who. And the ending really surprised me.
I gave it 5 stars ... the book is very well written and I liked learning about Holy Island. The author definitely did extensive research. The mystery held my attention from the first page and i look forward to reading the second book in this series : SYCAMORE GAP.
My thanks to the author / Booklover Catlady Publicity who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Former local girl Dr Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant on the local customs . She and Ryan work together to hunt a killer while fighting their attraction to each other. And when Anna's sister is murdered, it looks like a ritual killing.
This is a great murder mystery, made so believable in that Holy Island actually does exist.
https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/ The Holy Island of Lindisfarne Website
I loved how Ryan and Anna interact with each other. They both carry some baggage and have some issues but there is still a lot of humor between them. He has the need to be protective and she has a need for independence. It's fun watching them meet in the middle.
There are lots of secondary characters who all are suspects at one time or another, so although I had an idea of the why... I couldn't figure out the who. And the ending really surprised me.
I gave it 5 stars ... the book is very well written and I liked learning about Holy Island. The author definitely did extensive research. The mystery held my attention from the first page and i look forward to reading the second book in this series : SYCAMORE GAP.
My thanks to the author / Booklover Catlady Publicity who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
dnf
March 30, 2021(DNF at 10%)
i was so excited to get my teeth into this series, especially as it has a metric fuckton of 5 star reviews on amazon. interestingly though, the top 6 or so reviews are all 1 star, which should have tipped me off.
i know i tapped out embarrassingly early but the writing and i were just not vibing at all. third-person omniscient is very hard to pull off; in an unskilled writer's hands it feels choppy, amateur and sometimes even childish, which is unfortunately what happened here.
also, i always get the skeeves (is that a phrase? like when something's skeevy, so it gives you the skeeves? well, i've coined it) when people highlight how pretty the dead girl is; there's an implication it's supposed to be an even bigger tragedy because she was pretty.
i was so excited to get my teeth into this series, especially as it has a metric fuckton of 5 star reviews on amazon. interestingly though, the top 6 or so reviews are all 1 star, which should have tipped me off.
i know i tapped out embarrassingly early but the writing and i were just not vibing at all. third-person omniscient is very hard to pull off; in an unskilled writer's hands it feels choppy, amateur and sometimes even childish, which is unfortunately what happened here.
also, i always get the skeeves (is that a phrase? like when something's skeevy, so it gives you the skeeves? well, i've coined it) when people highlight how pretty the dead girl is; there's an implication it's supposed to be an even bigger tragedy because she was pretty.
July 1, 2021
3,5/4 ⭐️
December 16, 2015
Alright
Not much character development. Hard to keep so many people straight. Had to keep flipping back to figure out who was who. Weird amount of "love at first sight" going on. All in all, I'd have usually quit reading about five chapters in, but boredom kept me going back to just finish it. So many tropes...Had fun identifying them more than anything else.
Not much character development. Hard to keep so many people straight. Had to keep flipping back to figure out who was who. Weird amount of "love at first sight" going on. All in all, I'd have usually quit reading about five chapters in, but boredom kept me going back to just finish it. So many tropes...Had fun identifying them more than anything else.
August 23, 2025
Not so hot anymore but I'm too tired to write proper reviews right now.
So, this one? A complete, utter turd. A highly questionable detective who physically forces his "love" interest into submission. Said love interest, in turn, gets understandably angry, but not-so-secretly swoons at his manliness. (Yes, both.)
A troupe of pagans and satanists, pedophiles, drugs, corruption, the catholic church; all of these (often combined!) get thrown in. For good measure a bit of prostitution, homophobia, and incest complete this unholy mess.
For more details on all that's wrong with this laughably bad novel, read Geraldine's brilliant review.
So, this one? A complete, utter turd. A highly questionable detective who physically forces his "love" interest into submission. Said love interest, in turn, gets understandably angry, but not-so-secretly swoons at his manliness. (Yes, both.)
A troupe of pagans and satanists, pedophiles, drugs, corruption, the catholic church; all of these (often combined!) get thrown in. For good measure a bit of prostitution, homophobia, and incest complete this unholy mess.
For more details on all that's wrong with this laughably bad novel, read Geraldine's brilliant review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2016
What a fabulous setting for a crime novel! I have to say I totally fell in love with Holy Island, although dead bodies turning up probably doesn’t make it the most sought after area to live. It actually reminded me slightly of Midsomer Murders as they both have idyllic settings and have that small community feel to them.
DCI Ryan, I was drawn to straight away. I was intrigued as to why he had been on a sabbatical and was worried whether he would be up to the job of taking on a case like this one. I didn’t need to fear though as he didn’t let any personal issues get in the way of tracking down the culprits. His head does slightly get turned by the lovely Anna though and I enjoyed the growing relationship between the two of them.
Anna seems to have had just as much go off in her past which she has tried to put behind her and move on by leaving the island. Obviously coming back to the island brings a lot of stuff that she had pushed far back in her mind back again, but I think that the murders and Ryan are a good distraction for her until it suddenly gets a bit to close for comfort.
This was a very steady read and kept me guessing throughout. I have to say the ending was pretty spectacular. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be so tense and exhilarating and it left me on a total high after finishing it.
Holy Island without a doubt has everything that you would expect from a crime novel. It is full of mystery and suspense and overall a gripping read. With a strong start and finish, the author has left me desperate for more.
DCI Ryan, I was drawn to straight away. I was intrigued as to why he had been on a sabbatical and was worried whether he would be up to the job of taking on a case like this one. I didn’t need to fear though as he didn’t let any personal issues get in the way of tracking down the culprits. His head does slightly get turned by the lovely Anna though and I enjoyed the growing relationship between the two of them.
Anna seems to have had just as much go off in her past which she has tried to put behind her and move on by leaving the island. Obviously coming back to the island brings a lot of stuff that she had pushed far back in her mind back again, but I think that the murders and Ryan are a good distraction for her until it suddenly gets a bit to close for comfort.
This was a very steady read and kept me guessing throughout. I have to say the ending was pretty spectacular. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be so tense and exhilarating and it left me on a total high after finishing it.
Holy Island without a doubt has everything that you would expect from a crime novel. It is full of mystery and suspense and overall a gripping read. With a strong start and finish, the author has left me desperate for more.
November 8, 2021
I gave this a good go but just couldn’t get through it. DCI Ryan is a horrible character with no redeeming features. If I had to hear again about his eyes and dark hair another time I’d scream. In fact the author seems to have a thing for people’s eyes. He also seems to arrest one character through pure jealousy.
Terrible plot, hateful characters, unbelievable love interest. I mean Anna, what were you thinking? Sometimes I think her own characters can’t believe what she’s making them say or do and they have to justify it to the reader.
I couldn’t finish it and will not be reading more.
Sorry LJ Ross
Terrible plot, hateful characters, unbelievable love interest. I mean Anna, what were you thinking? Sometimes I think her own characters can’t believe what she’s making them say or do and they have to justify it to the reader.
I couldn’t finish it and will not be reading more.
Sorry LJ Ross
December 23, 2025
This was an enjoyable murder mystery that kept me interested for most of the book with a good plot and characters.
The love interest was a little obvious and likely stretching reality in how the police operate, but hey this is fiction.
The final 50 pages or so did however descend into the rather obvious chase-cum-jeopardy-impending doom scenario, but the book was somewhat redeemed by the very final twist in the last few pages that point to new challenges for DCI Ryan in the future.
I will definitely read more from L.J Ross as her style and storytelling keep one wanting to read, and who doesn't love Northumberland.
The love interest was a little obvious and likely stretching reality in how the police operate, but hey this is fiction.
The final 50 pages or so did however descend into the rather obvious chase-cum-jeopardy-impending doom scenario, but the book was somewhat redeemed by the very final twist in the last few pages that point to new challenges for DCI Ryan in the future.
I will definitely read more from L.J Ross as her style and storytelling keep one wanting to read, and who doesn't love Northumberland.
February 1, 2020
I was looking for a new series and all 15 books have four or more stars in GR...so away I went and maybe I was overly optimistic?
The setting was unique and interesting, the plot was different but at times a little implausible and from a police POV unprofessional, which isn’t necessarily a bad aspect given the sacrificial nature of the crimes, and some literary leeway. On those fronts, a good read.
Issues for me were the condescending, chauvinistic demeanour of DCI Ryan. He patronises co-workers, denigrates female characters, all of the while stating how fair he is. Hi m no fundamentalist on these issues but they were blatant and endless.
I’ll give book #2 a try...hopefully the writing style changes a little (and I know I’m in the minority on this view...thank goodness for GR reviews) and see how it goes.
The setting was unique and interesting, the plot was different but at times a little implausible and from a police POV unprofessional, which isn’t necessarily a bad aspect given the sacrificial nature of the crimes, and some literary leeway. On those fronts, a good read.
Issues for me were the condescending, chauvinistic demeanour of DCI Ryan. He patronises co-workers, denigrates female characters, all of the while stating how fair he is. Hi m no fundamentalist on these issues but they were blatant and endless.
I’ll give book #2 a try...hopefully the writing style changes a little (and I know I’m in the minority on this view...thank goodness for GR reviews) and see how it goes.
November 10, 2020
Oh, I'm so happy!!! I found another excellent crime series!!! And there's a touch of romance too!
It reminds me of a lot of great similar series I've read and I appreciated the fact very much!
The mystery is interesting, the MCs are solid and likable, the pace is right, the secondary characters great, a touch of humor!
What more could you want?
I must read the next immediately! I must discover how Ryan and Anna and Phillips (Ryan's sergeant and friend) will disband the truly sick cult...
As an afterthought: i see that this book has or 1/2 stars or 4/5 stars reviews, so I suppose that people or hate it or love it - well I loved it! :)
It reminds me of a lot of great similar series I've read and I appreciated the fact very much!
The mystery is interesting, the MCs are solid and likable, the pace is right, the secondary characters great, a touch of humor!
What more could you want?
I must read the next immediately! I must discover how Ryan and Anna and Phillips (Ryan's sergeant and friend) will disband the truly sick cult...
As an afterthought: i see that this book has or 1/2 stars or 4/5 stars reviews, so I suppose that people or hate it or love it - well I loved it! :)
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