Judgement on the Peaks (DI Jessica Ryan Crime Thriller Prequel)

DI Jessica Ryan

by J.F. Burgess

In the brooding alleys of Leek, Detective Jessica Ryan unearths the towns dark past when a homeless man is discovered brutally stoned to death in a ritualistic style murder; the crime scene adorned with biblical messages, thrusting Jess into a gritty investigation.

The echoes of his murder reverberate through the derelict St. John the Evangelist church, revealing a tapestry of revenge, betrayal, and fanaticism that transcends time.

As Jess delves into shadows, she stumbles upon a relentless present-day killer with a chilling connection to and abandoned children’s home.

Haunted by a Priests chilling confession diary, the uncooperative homeless community, and a drop-in centre run by the secretive Catholic Church, Jess races against time to uncover the truth about three decades of child abuse - can she find the killer before another victim is sacrificed in God’s name.

Dive into the heart of darkness where ritualistic murders, biblical messages, and a relentless killer converge in a prequel with unexpected twists. Every revelation peels back layers, opening new chapters of suspense and danger.

Judgement on the Peaks is the latest crime thriller from J.F. Burgess, the British author of the top-selling Detective Tom Blake murder mystery series, and is perfect for fans of Priscilla Masters, Mel Sherratt, LJ Ross, Joy Ellis, Rachel McClean, and Simon McCleave.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE GRIPPING DI JESSICA RYAN

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Compelling read! Intense and well-written narrative, with great characters! This book will stay with you for a long time, don't miss it!' Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A powerful story of murder and revenge... a real page-turner!' Reader Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Please tell me you have finished the next one! Loved it!' Lisa Morris Horton. Facebook Reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'An utterly gripping psychological thriller.' Reader Review


OUT
DETECTIVE JESSICA RYAN MURDER MYSTERY SERIES
JUDGEMENT ON THE PEAKS
Book 2: KILLER ON THE PEAKS
Book 3: TAKEN ON THE PEAKS
Book 4: 'TBA'

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Ebooks, Fiction

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2024

About the author

About the author

J.F. Burgess writes addictive, twist-filled crime thrillers that keep readers up all night.

If you love gritty police procedurals packed with shocking reveals, morally complex detectives, and villains you’ll never forget — you’ve just found your next favourite author.

His bestselling DI Tom Blake series is set in the raw, industrial heart of Stoke-on-Trent, where dark secrets hide in plain sight. The DI Jessica Ryan books transport readers to the stunning but deadly beauty of the Peak District, where danger lurks behind every stone wall and misty ridge.

The first Blake novel, The Killer Shadow Thieves, has been downloaded over 10,000 times and smashed into the Amazon UK Crime Top 100.

Both series have grown to twelve novels, accumulating over 1.8 million Kindle Unlimited page reads and a loyal fan base on both sides of the Atlantic.

What readers are saying:

“Page-turning, tense crime mysteries with shocking twists that take you deep inside the criminal mind.”

Jonathan lives in Stoke-on-Trent, England, with his wife and grown-up daughter.

Start reading today — and discover why crime fans can’t put these books down.

Join his *VIP Reader's Club* to ensure you get all the special offers and forthcoming gripping crime stories, only available to VIP Club members. Pop your name on the list here...

https://jfburgess.com/

Facebook — Join him and other crime fans for a chat on his Facebook readers group here: https://www.facebook.com/JonBurgessWr...

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A shortish read at 168 pages and part of the Jessica Ryan Series ( labelled as a prequel ) but 100% can be read as a stand alone
The book deals with past horrors that occurred in a children’s home and worth mentioning that as a trigger although the atrocities committed are only broadly mentioned and not gone into in specifics re each victim
Murders are happening and D.I. Ryan needs the help of the homeless population in her area to try and solve who is committing them, meanwhile old scores are being settled and some people are running scared, very scared
Another well written story from this top author who never fails to engage with his police procedural thrillers

[Dee Groocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the prequel in the DI Ryan series and we find out a bit more about the disappearance of her husband.

Ryan and the team have a killer on the loose and their actions have religious connotations. How many people will die before they are caught?

I enjoyed reading a bit more on the back story regarding DI Ryan and her family.

Although the main subject of the story involves child abuse, the author covered the subject sensitively and handled it well.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Ellen Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read.

I liked the suspense in this novel. It is well written to keep you spell bound . I strongly recommend this to all readers that enjoy easy to read and comprehend
reading for enjoyment.

[t d savage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jumbled and confusing


Confused and jumbled account of this serious subject. The author appears to have taken a series of random and clichied accounts of child abuse, put them in a mixer and came out with a storyline that lacks creditability. For example one of the characters is described as both Catholic and a Born Again Christian, Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Catholic church will know that this is not possible. County Armagh is n Northern Ireland the Garda is the police force of the Irish Republic and have no jurisdiction in Northern Ireland. These basic errors and the obvious lack of proof reading rigour detract from what otherwise might have been a reasonable read

These basic errors and the obvious lack of proof reading rigour

[Cidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the prequel book "A house of lies" by the same author and I also enjoyed this. Jessica Ryan is married to Darren who is also a police officer but of the undercover kind. A homeless man is found tied to a large wooden wheel with his head and body parts battered by a house brick. On the wall in red paint is a biblical quotation. There follows more dead amongst the homeless over the next few weeks with similar quotations in red paint. Jess by now, with the body count rising, feels that this is the work of a deranged person from a children's home looking for revenge on his tormentors.

Not as fast paced as the first book I read but still a good book.

[John Thys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Past sins

Another great book written by J.F.Burgess. we start off with a retired priest being murdered, and what I can only describe as the gruesome murder of a homeless person that's just two at the start to wet your appetite. Anyway no more about the storyline,no spoilers here I'll just say I really enjoyed the book and it gave me food for thought. You never know what's happening behind closed doors, so if you want some food buy the book

[Linda Heard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should have been proof read before releasing on Kindle, too many spelling mistakes and using wrong character names, making a confusing read. The constant Tory bashing annoyed me, supposed to be a crime/thriller/mystery novel, not a platform to bash the Tory Party. Very nearly deleted without reading!

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable taster of the Jessica Ryan series and packs a lot into it's short form. A series of horrific murders has links to historical abuse with someone clearly out for revenge many years later. There is also an insight to Jessica's home life and the disappearance of her husband Darren. This prequel sets things up nicely for the first book in the series.

[Govno Nichevo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought that this was a disappointing read. This definitely needed another round of proof reading / editing. Some of the issues seemed quite jarring, for example convicted is not the same thing as charged. The story seemed disjointed to me, and the protagonist seemed unconvincing in the role of a senior police officer.

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book. So real. So upsetting. Superbly written characters in a powerfully authored novel. Mr. Burgess has his his target with an arrow that pierces the heart.
Highly Recommended.

[James Facey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book from Mr. Burgess

What a fantastic book from Jonathon. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. It has the hallmarks of his usual twists and turns. I thoroughly recommend this book.

[Mrs K F Trigwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me guessing

The story moved swiftly and I quite enjoyed the colloquial language used. Unfortunately some facts could have been checked before releasing the book online. EG. Algiers is the capital of Algeria, not a country!

[Paul Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storyline, but spoiled, for me, by the grammatical and punctuation errors and the constant missing of the definite article in dialogue. It almost seemed like a "first book" that hadn't been properly proofread.

[Carole Balding · Rating 3 out of 5]

proof reading

The kindle version of this book would be greatly improved if the author had taken the time to proof read before publishing it.

[JOHN B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly good read.

Although the book started a little slow, it was worth persevering. The twists and turns kept me intrigued to the last. A cracking read.

[Bernadette Mcgoldrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storylines

Great book, good story lines that keep you reading. Only negative is the punctuation, which would be an editing problem.

[Jo Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't care much for this one; I found the writing to be stilted and not too convincing

[lizzard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull

It start out slow and is very disjointed in places. I hate to say it but once I start a book, even a bad one, I have to finish it. Ending is good.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good idea for a novel gone wrong. The police procedures are unbelievable and the Kindle version needs a lot of editing.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author needs to employ a proofreader - “a peace of evidence” is just one example that springs to mind. The grammar/punctuation was poor (which would/should have been picked up by a proofreader).

The attempted “sex”scenes were excruciatingly cringy.

Overdone attempts at artistic writing when straight forward storytelling would have worked just as well.

Apart from that, I quite enjoyed it!🤣

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. I will read the other books I already purchased but doubt I will continue with the series beyond that unless they are a big improvement from this one