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Kai šalia klastingų Šiaurės jūros krantų sudūžta žvejybinis laivas ir prie žymiosios Marsdeno uolos į paplūdimį išplaunamas moters kūnas, detektyvas vyresnysis inspektorius Rajenas negali nepaisyti pareigos jausmo.
Viena moteris jau mirusi, dar daugiau gyvo krovinio iš laivo išgabenta. Kol ne per vėlu, kol byla netapo žmogžudysčių tyrimu, Rajenas su savo komanda skuba ieškoti pradingusių moterų.
Jiems stengiantis atskleisti tamsius darbelius, Taino upės apylinkėse šaltas ir apskaičiuotas oportunizmas susiduria su tvirta įstatymo ranka, tačiau vienas dalykas šiame pasaulyje pasirodo esąs stipresnis net už akmenį...
Viena moteris jau mirusi, dar daugiau gyvo krovinio iš laivo išgabenta. Kol ne per vėlu, kol byla netapo žmogžudysčių tyrimu, Rajenas su savo komanda skuba ieškoti pradingusių moterų.
Jiems stengiantis atskleisti tamsius darbelius, Taino upės apylinkėse šaltas ir apskaičiuotas oportunizmas susiduria su tvirta įstatymo ranka, tačiau vienas dalykas šiame pasaulyje pasirodo esąs stipresnis net už akmenį...
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2021
2073 people are currently reading
2027 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Ross
58 books3,241 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 484 reviews
May 10, 2021
This it getting very upsetting, having read the complete series of DCI Ryan books I find myself questioning if I should continue. This is a good story and well written as far as it goes. However, yet again the main six characters are like something from a child's fairy tale and you expect it to end, and they lived happily ever after.
Too much love interest and adulation of Ryan which is boarding on hero worship. Now McKenzie and Phillips (my favourite character) have started along a similar line. It is only Frank's humorous antics that lets him get away with it. Whilst the junior officers Lowerson and Mel have their own love story going on. It's all too much.
Part way through a very serious criminal investigation we have three chapters (short ones) each one dedicated to one of the couples and their morning routing on Valentines Day. How wonderful these characters are and so perfect. I needed to sick my fingers down my throat.
Happily the actual story plot is good and well thought through. I just wish that the plot could be followed more closely. More crime and investigation and less love story. PLEASE....
Too much love interest and adulation of Ryan which is boarding on hero worship. Now McKenzie and Phillips (my favourite character) have started along a similar line. It is only Frank's humorous antics that lets him get away with it. Whilst the junior officers Lowerson and Mel have their own love story going on. It's all too much.
Part way through a very serious criminal investigation we have three chapters (short ones) each one dedicated to one of the couples and their morning routing on Valentines Day. How wonderful these characters are and so perfect. I needed to sick my fingers down my throat.
Happily the actual story plot is good and well thought through. I just wish that the plot could be followed more closely. More crime and investigation and less love story. PLEASE....
October 28, 2025
This sublime crime mystery is the 18th volume of the wonderful "DCI Ryan" series.
At the beginning of the book you'll notice a quote by Leo Tolstoy that's very appropriate concerning this story, and at the end of the book an Author's Note will show you sensitive subject matters.
Storytelling is excellent, all characters come vividly to life in this tale about women/sex trafficking, drug-dealing, corrupt police-officials, criminal gang, and all these subjects are brilliantly mixed within this great crime mystery.
The book starts off with the wrecking of a boat off the treacherous North Sea coast, near a place called Marsden Rock, and this boat was carrying human cargo, Thai women, for the sex business.
When one of these women is found dead, DCI Ryan and his team are called in to investigate, while shortly after another woman is missing from that same boat and disappears somehow from the beach, and what DCI Ryan and his team will encounter is a hard gang of criminals holding those women, ready to be deported somewhere else, but this gang is controlled by a devious and evil man called, The Dragon.
For DCI Ryan and his team the tasks to find the missing woman of the beach, to locate the missing and soon to be deported women and spare them anymore harm, but most of all to find and capture the person acting as The Dragon and all his criminal associates and turn them in, and all this is brought to us in a most brilliant fashion by the author.
Very much recommended, for this is the author at her very best again and so this book is an excellent addition to this splendid series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Superb Rock Solid Crime Mystery"!
At the beginning of the book you'll notice a quote by Leo Tolstoy that's very appropriate concerning this story, and at the end of the book an Author's Note will show you sensitive subject matters.
Storytelling is excellent, all characters come vividly to life in this tale about women/sex trafficking, drug-dealing, corrupt police-officials, criminal gang, and all these subjects are brilliantly mixed within this great crime mystery.
The book starts off with the wrecking of a boat off the treacherous North Sea coast, near a place called Marsden Rock, and this boat was carrying human cargo, Thai women, for the sex business.
When one of these women is found dead, DCI Ryan and his team are called in to investigate, while shortly after another woman is missing from that same boat and disappears somehow from the beach, and what DCI Ryan and his team will encounter is a hard gang of criminals holding those women, ready to be deported somewhere else, but this gang is controlled by a devious and evil man called, The Dragon.
For DCI Ryan and his team the tasks to find the missing woman of the beach, to locate the missing and soon to be deported women and spare them anymore harm, but most of all to find and capture the person acting as The Dragon and all his criminal associates and turn them in, and all this is brought to us in a most brilliant fashion by the author.
Very much recommended, for this is the author at her very best again and so this book is an excellent addition to this splendid series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Superb Rock Solid Crime Mystery"!
May 7, 2021
Going down hill, this will be my last one!
I have loved the series up to the last few books, I have be known on numerous occasions to do an all nighter to finish them in one sitting. However, the last few books have been going down hill towards romance with a little policing thrown in. I'm pleased for the team that are are able to have happy and fulfilling relationships but that it not what I want to read about in a police drama novel. This book got to 51% before any police work was mentioned then it didn't actually start until 69%. Surely so a subject matter such as this deserves more than 30% of the book. It was all too lovey dovey for me, no grit whatsoever. It took me 4 days to read and even then I had to force myself, if I hadn't paid for it I would have put it aside after a couple of chapters. After the last couple I kept saying just one more, it might improve but they are getting worse, so as a dragon would say 'I'm out'.
I have loved the series up to the last few books, I have be known on numerous occasions to do an all nighter to finish them in one sitting. However, the last few books have been going down hill towards romance with a little policing thrown in. I'm pleased for the team that are are able to have happy and fulfilling relationships but that it not what I want to read about in a police drama novel. This book got to 51% before any police work was mentioned then it didn't actually start until 69%. Surely so a subject matter such as this deserves more than 30% of the book. It was all too lovey dovey for me, no grit whatsoever. It took me 4 days to read and even then I had to force myself, if I hadn't paid for it I would have put it aside after a couple of chapters. After the last couple I kept saying just one more, it might improve but they are getting worse, so as a dragon would say 'I'm out'.
November 3, 2021
Thanks God nothing happened to Anna this time! LOL
Very good! Even if the crime is really awful! At the end I wished something much more terrible could have happened to the villain!!!!
I loved how the investigation was proceding. It was how I like them! Logical and straithrough!
And the poor victims... that was really heartbraking!!
Very good! Even if the crime is really awful! At the end I wished something much more terrible could have happened to the villain!!!!
I loved how the investigation was proceding. It was how I like them! Logical and straithrough!
And the poor victims... that was really heartbraking!!
August 12, 2025
Eina sau kokia gera buvo ši serijos dalis, atrodo jau net 18, bet sugebėjo taip įtraukti ir nepaleisti iki galo, buvo stipru. O knygos pabaiga paliko intriguojantį kabliuką, kuomet jau imi laukti ir kitos dalies. 👌☺️👏
June 29, 2021
“There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail; there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out; no matter how dark the world becomes.” Leo Tolstoy. Marsdon Bay, Northumberland. Sunrise, Saturday 13th February. L J Ross’ The Rock (DCI Ryan Mysteries #18) has the above stated quotation by Leo Tolstoy at the beginning of this book, and the human spirit plays a major role in this story which it does in many situations. The author express at the start of this novel that “This book contains some hard, but important, themes....”,and it does. One particular theme made this reader extremely uncomfortable, but the author’s writing and the continuing characters especially one character kept this reader reading right to the end. DCI Ryan’s team is in excellent form. The story though unsettling at times, is unbelievably current. Throw in a bit of romance plus the humorist quips for which these characters are known, and the reader has a winner! Well done, Ms.
Ross! 4.5 stars.
Ross! 4.5 stars.
July 28, 2025
#perskaičiau
L.J.Ross "Uola"
Nauja diena, nauja knyga – ir ne bet kokia, o dar vienas susitikimas su mylimu inspektoriumi Rajenu! Grįžti į Nortumberlandą, skaityti L.J. Ross istoriją – tai kaip įsijungti puikų serialą, kurio herojai jau seniai tapę artimi.
„Uola“ – jau 18-oji serijos dalis pasiekusi skaitytojus Lietuvoje, ir tai buvo absoliutus malonumas, ši serija yra visiška mano komforto zona. Kaip visada – gamta, istorija, britiška nuotaika, intriga, ir tas jausmas, kai nenori, kad baigtųsi.
Šįkart tema ypač sunki – prekyba žmonėmis. Nors skaityti skaudu, autorė labai jautriai ir prasmingai perteikė situacijos rimtumą. Toliau gvildeno Rajeno šeimyninį gyvenimą, pasikeitusius gyvenimo prioritetus bei viduje atsiradusias abejones. Siužetas įtraukiantis, apgalvotas, o užvertus paskutinį puslapį norėjau čiupti kitą dalį tuoj pat, bet deja teks palaukti 🙈 Nors žinau, kad serijoje dar liko 5 knygos, bet slapta tikiuosi, kad ši serija niekada nesibaigs.
Su milžinišku nekantrumu laukiu tęsinio! 📖
Nėra net ką pridurti - 5.0⭐/5 👌👏
L.J.Ross "Uola"
Nauja diena, nauja knyga – ir ne bet kokia, o dar vienas susitikimas su mylimu inspektoriumi Rajenu! Grįžti į Nortumberlandą, skaityti L.J. Ross istoriją – tai kaip įsijungti puikų serialą, kurio herojai jau seniai tapę artimi.
„Uola“ – jau 18-oji serijos dalis pasiekusi skaitytojus Lietuvoje, ir tai buvo absoliutus malonumas, ši serija yra visiška mano komforto zona. Kaip visada – gamta, istorija, britiška nuotaika, intriga, ir tas jausmas, kai nenori, kad baigtųsi.
Šįkart tema ypač sunki – prekyba žmonėmis. Nors skaityti skaudu, autorė labai jautriai ir prasmingai perteikė situacijos rimtumą. Toliau gvildeno Rajeno šeimyninį gyvenimą, pasikeitusius gyvenimo prioritetus bei viduje atsiradusias abejones. Siužetas įtraukiantis, apgalvotas, o užvertus paskutinį puslapį norėjau čiupti kitą dalį tuoj pat, bet deja teks palaukti 🙈 Nors žinau, kad serijoje dar liko 5 knygos, bet slapta tikiuosi, kad ši serija niekada nesibaigs.
Su milžinišku nekantrumu laukiu tęsinio! 📖
Nėra net ką pridurti - 5.0⭐/5 👌👏
July 9, 2021
I did like this book, the 18th in the series I think. The story was good, about human trafficking, quite brutal in places and didn't gloss over the reality. But was wound up far too quickly, leaving gaps which I guess will be covered in the next book.
May 12, 2021
Having read through so many 5 star reviews I am sorry to disagree but I feel that the emphasis is far too much on the love story angle of their personal lives. This seems to increase with each book?
Nevertheless I still enjoyed it but just found the individuals a bit too good to be true
Nevertheless I still enjoyed it but just found the individuals a bit too good to be true
May 8, 2021
Disappointed, at times more like a Mills and Boon. Not as good as normal.
September 7, 2021
Barbara’s Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: DCI Ryan Mysteries #18
Publication Date: 5/5/21
Period: Contemporary Northumberland, UK
Number of Pages: 368
Goodness! I am definitely enamored of this series! The mystery is excellently plotted and perfectly paced. You’ll have a feeling of knowing all of the characters – good and bad. You’ll love the good ones and hate the bad ones – and you’ll know why in each case. We are eighteen books into the series and I still look forward to each new book with as much enthusiasm as I did in the beginning. I love that the author deals with some very gritty social issues – in this case human trafficking – and she presents the subject in such a way that you learn something at the same time you are trying to puzzle out the mystery along with Ryan’s team. BTW – in case it matters to you – there is a lot about personal relationships within the book. It takes place around Valentine's Day. For me, those personal tidbits and relationships are what make reading the dark, gritty subject matter tolerable. If it was just a police procedural with no personal information on the investigators, I would have stopped reading the series long ago.
Twenty very scared young women are drugged and handcuffed in the hold of an old, beat-up fishing trawler bound for Scotland. Storm Edith is raging outside and the vessel is creaking and popping and the water is coming in so fast the ship cannot be saved. The four men who are their captors free the women and force them into the freezing water. They are ordered to swim for shore and stay together. Eighteen of the women and all four of their captors make it to the shore together. Two of the women are either dead or separated. The captors search the beaches and caves, but they find no sign of the two missing women.
The broken, bloated body of a young woman is found the next morning – in/near the wreckage of a fishing trawler. DCI Ryan and his team get the call to come to the scene and when they see the body – and notice the bruising on the wrists, they are sure they have more than just a drowning victim.
While Ryan’s team doesn’t know about the woman who is still missing, we do – and so do the kidnappers. What happens to that missing woman – and separately to the other eighteen women is our story. And – it is a doozie of a story. We meet some of the most despicable characters you’ll ever read. They are cruel, unfeeling, selfish, and … well, you name it and if it is bad, they fit. With delight, we watch Ryan and his team methodically follow the leads and dismantle this human trafficking organization. We also witness horrible abuse – and a sad death for a boy I’d hope could be rescued and redeemed.
I definitely recommend this book – and this series. It is an exciting, fast-paced read that will keep you interested from the first page to the last. I read it straight through in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down – I had to know what happened next. I hope you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did.
Series: DCI Ryan Mysteries #18
Publication Date: 5/5/21
Period: Contemporary Northumberland, UK
Number of Pages: 368
Goodness! I am definitely enamored of this series! The mystery is excellently plotted and perfectly paced. You’ll have a feeling of knowing all of the characters – good and bad. You’ll love the good ones and hate the bad ones – and you’ll know why in each case. We are eighteen books into the series and I still look forward to each new book with as much enthusiasm as I did in the beginning. I love that the author deals with some very gritty social issues – in this case human trafficking – and she presents the subject in such a way that you learn something at the same time you are trying to puzzle out the mystery along with Ryan’s team. BTW – in case it matters to you – there is a lot about personal relationships within the book. It takes place around Valentine's Day. For me, those personal tidbits and relationships are what make reading the dark, gritty subject matter tolerable. If it was just a police procedural with no personal information on the investigators, I would have stopped reading the series long ago.
Twenty very scared young women are drugged and handcuffed in the hold of an old, beat-up fishing trawler bound for Scotland. Storm Edith is raging outside and the vessel is creaking and popping and the water is coming in so fast the ship cannot be saved. The four men who are their captors free the women and force them into the freezing water. They are ordered to swim for shore and stay together. Eighteen of the women and all four of their captors make it to the shore together. Two of the women are either dead or separated. The captors search the beaches and caves, but they find no sign of the two missing women.
The broken, bloated body of a young woman is found the next morning – in/near the wreckage of a fishing trawler. DCI Ryan and his team get the call to come to the scene and when they see the body – and notice the bruising on the wrists, they are sure they have more than just a drowning victim.
While Ryan’s team doesn’t know about the woman who is still missing, we do – and so do the kidnappers. What happens to that missing woman – and separately to the other eighteen women is our story. And – it is a doozie of a story. We meet some of the most despicable characters you’ll ever read. They are cruel, unfeeling, selfish, and … well, you name it and if it is bad, they fit. With delight, we watch Ryan and his team methodically follow the leads and dismantle this human trafficking organization. We also witness horrible abuse – and a sad death for a boy I’d hope could be rescued and redeemed.
I definitely recommend this book – and this series. It is an exciting, fast-paced read that will keep you interested from the first page to the last. I read it straight through in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down – I had to know what happened next. I hope you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did.
June 21, 2021
It was all so normal and wholesome, he thought, but under that same sky, there were people suffering all manner of degradations, behind closed doors.
August 5, 2021
Mystery set off MARSDEN ROCK, North East England
The Rock is no.18 in the DCI Ryan series and it’s time to catch up with the regular, familiar characters in Ryan’s team, and with developments, both on personal and professional fronts.
A fishing boat has capsized just off South Shields. It was carrying a consignment of people, destined for a life of sleaze and servitude but the gang in charge realises that not all the women are accounted for on dry land. Could there have been death, or, more worrying for them, an escapee, leaving their people trafficking enterprise vulnerable to discovery?
Ryan and his fellow investigators are soon hot on the trail of perpetrators and start to narrow down which gang is responsible.
The action takes place all over the North East of England and at the heart is the discovery of the shipwreck just beyond Marsden Rock, a stunning and enormous sea stack off South Shields, accessed from the Marsden Grotto. The author always makes setting a component of her stories, which adds local colour to the narrative.
This mystery can be read as a standalone but it is a richer experience if the novels are read in sequence.
The Rock is no.18 in the DCI Ryan series and it’s time to catch up with the regular, familiar characters in Ryan’s team, and with developments, both on personal and professional fronts.
A fishing boat has capsized just off South Shields. It was carrying a consignment of people, destined for a life of sleaze and servitude but the gang in charge realises that not all the women are accounted for on dry land. Could there have been death, or, more worrying for them, an escapee, leaving their people trafficking enterprise vulnerable to discovery?
Ryan and his fellow investigators are soon hot on the trail of perpetrators and start to narrow down which gang is responsible.
The action takes place all over the North East of England and at the heart is the discovery of the shipwreck just beyond Marsden Rock, a stunning and enormous sea stack off South Shields, accessed from the Marsden Grotto. The author always makes setting a component of her stories, which adds local colour to the narrative.
This mystery can be read as a standalone but it is a richer experience if the novels are read in sequence.
June 22, 2021
The latest LJ Ross novel explores the ugly world of human trafficking. Ryan and his colleagues have to solve several murders and take down a local trafficking gang.
Ryan is now a new father and adores his daughter like all new dads should. The addition of a beloved child to his family shows a different side to his character - less grim and threatening. However, he is becoming very "preachy" when he talks about his commitment to right the many wrongs he sees in Northumberland. When he's not preaching, the author has him silhouetted like a romantic hero against the landscape as she describes his luxurious black hair, tall frame and piercing stare. No wonder a member of his team has developed a crush on him!
The author describes the trafficking world in menacing detail - working long hours in nail salons, evading the immigration authorities, treated like a profit making machine. This is a direct quote from one of the traffickers as he advises a colleague on how he should treat their victims “Always think of your bottom line. She’s fresh meat, but she’ll be worth nowt to him, and nowt to us, if you go helping yourself. That eats away at our margin, and I’d have to dock your pay. Understand?” The only member of the gang who showed a modicum of sympathy to an injured victim ended up dead.
This review was written by Shawn Callon, author of The Diplomatic Spy.
Ryan is now a new father and adores his daughter like all new dads should. The addition of a beloved child to his family shows a different side to his character - less grim and threatening. However, he is becoming very "preachy" when he talks about his commitment to right the many wrongs he sees in Northumberland. When he's not preaching, the author has him silhouetted like a romantic hero against the landscape as she describes his luxurious black hair, tall frame and piercing stare. No wonder a member of his team has developed a crush on him!
The author describes the trafficking world in menacing detail - working long hours in nail salons, evading the immigration authorities, treated like a profit making machine. This is a direct quote from one of the traffickers as he advises a colleague on how he should treat their victims “Always think of your bottom line. She’s fresh meat, but she’ll be worth nowt to him, and nowt to us, if you go helping yourself. That eats away at our margin, and I’d have to dock your pay. Understand?” The only member of the gang who showed a modicum of sympathy to an injured victim ended up dead.
This review was written by Shawn Callon, author of The Diplomatic Spy.
May 8, 2021
Another suspenseful winner!
The only disappointing thing about LJ Ross’s new book “The Rock” is that I’ve already finished it! The DCI Ryan mysteries are among my favorite books! I love the integrity and concern for fairness, for what is uppermost in the minds and hearts of Ryan and his team as they go after evil. Sex-trafficking is evil and unforgivable and Ryan and company fight it as only they can!
The only disappointing thing about LJ Ross’s new book “The Rock” is that I’ve already finished it! The DCI Ryan mysteries are among my favorite books! I love the integrity and concern for fairness, for what is uppermost in the minds and hearts of Ryan and his team as they go after evil. Sex-trafficking is evil and unforgivable and Ryan and company fight it as only they can!
September 4, 2021
I normally don’t write reviews and just submit a star rating but felt that on this occasion I just had to say something. I am so sorry to say I am very disappointed with this book. It is well written but if I had wanted a Mills and Boon that is what I would have bought. I’ve struggled with the last couple of books but persevered as the crime aspect of the books is well thought out, but I can’t take anymore of the holier than though, perfect Ryan and co. I think our author must be a little in love with him. He has become so unrealistic and all the relationships are just too much to bear any longer, so I give up and won’t be rushing to buy again. I ask the author to listen to the reviews and ditch the romance. This book shouldn’t be classed as a crime procedural or thriller but a fairy tale and the earlier books were so much better than this.
June 23, 2021
2.5 stars really and most of the missing stars are due to the fact that this feels unfinished and a little contrived in places. The ending was quite rushed and I’m not sure why we had the random bit at the very end … if that’s for the next story it could have waited. We weren’t told what happened to the criminals, they were just arrested or possibly caught. Who was the evil git in the barn? Who was Henderson? Why were Achara and her mum mixed up at one point - surely a decent proof reader would spot inconsistencies like this.
It’s a shame, I’ve enjoyed most of this series, but apart from Ryan’s Christmas, the later ones are veering towards cosy crime - because of all the relationships taking up much of the word count the actual crime seems secondary at times.
It’s a shame, I’ve enjoyed most of this series, but apart from Ryan’s Christmas, the later ones are veering towards cosy crime - because of all the relationships taking up much of the word count the actual crime seems secondary at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2021
Been a fan since the start
I've read all the previous book, the early ones multiple times but this is the first I didn't finish.
The layers and layers of cheesey emotional drivel has reached the point that for me, its no more, surely rolling one's eyes so much is as also unhealthy.
I wish the author well however I won't be reading anymore of her Ryan books, I'm a crime fan not Mills & Boon. I've reached my peak of the pages of gushing on about gorgeous he is, how beautiful his wife is and how in awe the couple with an adopted child are - in my opinion, it took away from the story being told.
I've read all the previous book, the early ones multiple times but this is the first I didn't finish.
The layers and layers of cheesey emotional drivel has reached the point that for me, its no more, surely rolling one's eyes so much is as also unhealthy.
I wish the author well however I won't be reading anymore of her Ryan books, I'm a crime fan not Mills & Boon. I've reached my peak of the pages of gushing on about gorgeous he is, how beautiful his wife is and how in awe the couple with an adopted child are - in my opinion, it took away from the story being told.
June 14, 2021
Love, love, love the DC Ryan Mysteries. I've read them all except Cuthbert's Way, that one would never download for me. Not even the people at Audible could help me. So, hopefully I didn't miss another great book because I finally gave up on it.
This one was about human trafficking and, I swear, Lawana was one of the bravest women I've ever read about AND I'm going to assume the last guy who took her will be in the next book, cuz he sure got away in this one.
No sex or swearing at all.
As for the narration: Jonathan Keeble is awesome in this book. You don't even have to be told who's talking, if you've read all the Ryan books, because his voices for all the main characters are always so exact, so perfect.
This one was about human trafficking and, I swear, Lawana was one of the bravest women I've ever read about AND I'm going to assume the last guy who took her will be in the next book, cuz he sure got away in this one.
No sex or swearing at all.
As for the narration: Jonathan Keeble is awesome in this book. You don't even have to be told who's talking, if you've read all the Ryan books, because his voices for all the main characters are always so exact, so perfect.
March 7, 2025
Unputdownable. Read in one sitting.
January 28, 2024
I loved this! Horrible but so exciting too! A good ending as well.
May 18, 2021
Although I’ve given this book a four star rating, this is based in the ‘crime fiction’ aspect of the book. Overall I’m sick to death of the hearts and flowers crap regarding super-hero Ryan and goodie two shoes Anna. Frank is a caricature of a Geordie. Only Mackenzie is a true to life character. Ms Ross is good at writing crime, less good at writing romantic fiction. The other two lovey dovey characters are bland as a couple, more gritty as two detectives. By and large people like flawed characters who remind them a bit of themselves, people to whom they can relate, not super heroes - unless they’re read fantasy novels.
I don’t want to do L J Ross down. I look forward to her books. I like the setting in the North East, the stories and even the characters, apart from the aspects mentioned above.
I don’t want to do L J Ross down. I look forward to her books. I like the setting in the North East, the stories and even the characters, apart from the aspects mentioned above.
May 24, 2021
Compellingly written, this was a nice visit with Ryan and the gang. Frank and Denise are probably my favourite couple (with Melanie and Jack a distant third- Mel especially annoyed me in this installment...poor Jack). Aside from the continued character and relationship development, the crime and mystery aspects of this story were very dark and sad. If you're looking to avoid that kind of thing right now but enjoy this genre, keep this on your TBR shelf for a later date. I found that the dark was stronger than the light in this book, so I'm going to go on and read something completely light and fluffy. :) Overall, this was a solid installment by LJ Ross.
June 26, 2021
Ryan is no Superman
I have read & enjoyed the Ryan series of books and thoroughly enjoyed them! However the last couple of books have made Ryan into a cross between Clark Kent & Mother Theresa and the sycophantic diatribe I find unsettling.
I like my heroes flawed and relatively ordinary with problems and faults like the rest of us, not on the verge of cannonisation .
I will probably read the next book & just hope he becomes more human & less saint.
Good story though and sensitively written.
I have read & enjoyed the Ryan series of books and thoroughly enjoyed them! However the last couple of books have made Ryan into a cross between Clark Kent & Mother Theresa and the sycophantic diatribe I find unsettling.
I like my heroes flawed and relatively ordinary with problems and faults like the rest of us, not on the verge of cannonisation .
I will probably read the next book & just hope he becomes more human & less saint.
Good story though and sensitively written.
June 15, 2021
Brilliant as always
June 24, 2021
The Rock: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 18)
by LJ Ross
The Rock is another awesome addition to this excellent series! I have LOVED it! I can’t recommend it highly enough. Honestly, if you haven’t read these books yet you are seriously missing out.
This book is set in a beautiful location. I have been lucky enough to visit once whilst visiting friends in Sunderland and I’m looking forward to being back in that neck of the woods again soon. I have my map ready! 😉
I love catching up with Ryan and the team. I love how their personal stories and relationships have developed throughout the series. I love Ryan’s adoration of Anna and their daughter. I can understand him being concerned about the danger to his family because of his high-profile job and I love that Anna understands this but supports him fully and encourages him to continue doing what he seems to have been born to do.
The case the team are faced with this time is nothing short of horrifying. People trafficking is just horrendous and it’s terrifying to think how common a problem it probably is in the real world. I can’t even begin to imagine what these women must go through at the hands of these ba*tards. There are some sick people in this world!
There is a lot going on throughout this story. It is fast paced, intense, and features some quite inspirational characters. So full of suspense, emotion, and uncertainty. Heart-breaking but also heart-warming at times. It just ticks all the boxes. I was practically glued to my kindle.
Frank made me giggle a lot too, as he always does. He’s a ray of sunshine in their all too often dark world.
Another easy five stars for me!
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2021/06/2...
by LJ Ross
The Rock is another awesome addition to this excellent series! I have LOVED it! I can’t recommend it highly enough. Honestly, if you haven’t read these books yet you are seriously missing out.
This book is set in a beautiful location. I have been lucky enough to visit once whilst visiting friends in Sunderland and I’m looking forward to being back in that neck of the woods again soon. I have my map ready! 😉
I love catching up with Ryan and the team. I love how their personal stories and relationships have developed throughout the series. I love Ryan’s adoration of Anna and their daughter. I can understand him being concerned about the danger to his family because of his high-profile job and I love that Anna understands this but supports him fully and encourages him to continue doing what he seems to have been born to do.
The case the team are faced with this time is nothing short of horrifying. People trafficking is just horrendous and it’s terrifying to think how common a problem it probably is in the real world. I can’t even begin to imagine what these women must go through at the hands of these ba*tards. There are some sick people in this world!
There is a lot going on throughout this story. It is fast paced, intense, and features some quite inspirational characters. So full of suspense, emotion, and uncertainty. Heart-breaking but also heart-warming at times. It just ticks all the boxes. I was practically glued to my kindle.
Frank made me giggle a lot too, as he always does. He’s a ray of sunshine in their all too often dark world.
Another easy five stars for me!
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2021/06/2...
May 11, 2021
I don't think I've ever tried to hide how much I enjoy the DCI Ryan series by LJ Ross. Well, both series to be honest, and I look forward to each book as I know it will be a real treat stepping back into the world of Ryan, Frank and the gang and that I am going to be served up a story that is equal parts mystery, humour and good old fashioned romance. Yes, folks - romance. I don't do the mushy stuff often, but for this series I will always make an exception.
Now there is nothing to be said about the plot that cannot be surmised from the blurb. In fact the less that is said, the better. As always, Ryan and the team find themselves caught up in a complex and often disturbing case which will push all of them in a variety of ways. I love the way in which the author has approached this subject, with a lot of compassion, but with a real sense of what the victims of this kind of crime go through and the lack of morality of those who engage in it. Nothing is told for unnecessarily gratuitous effect. This is a cozy crime series, sure, but in this book it has also developed a bit of an edge. It is a very emotive topic, exploring some of the worst qualities of human nature, much of which has happened for centuries, society just gave it a different name.
As much as this is a crime thriller, the book is filled with the usual blend of humour and great characters who make it a wonderful series to read. There are some classic scenes between the men of the group, ones which made me laugh out loud when I read them and that still make me chuckle now. But it's not all just about the blokes. There are a lot of family moments, ones which again will make you laugh, make you emotional and, for just a moment, make you sit up and have a mini panic attack (soon over thankfully). To counter the fun side, we have some really heinous antagonists as well as other characters who show how important the strength of the human spirit can be.
Tense, emotional, funny, gritty, romantic and all the shades in between. As always I tore through the book, possibly one of my favourites to date, and I am very much looking forward to the next one. Definitely recommended.
Now there is nothing to be said about the plot that cannot be surmised from the blurb. In fact the less that is said, the better. As always, Ryan and the team find themselves caught up in a complex and often disturbing case which will push all of them in a variety of ways. I love the way in which the author has approached this subject, with a lot of compassion, but with a real sense of what the victims of this kind of crime go through and the lack of morality of those who engage in it. Nothing is told for unnecessarily gratuitous effect. This is a cozy crime series, sure, but in this book it has also developed a bit of an edge. It is a very emotive topic, exploring some of the worst qualities of human nature, much of which has happened for centuries, society just gave it a different name.
As much as this is a crime thriller, the book is filled with the usual blend of humour and great characters who make it a wonderful series to read. There are some classic scenes between the men of the group, ones which made me laugh out loud when I read them and that still make me chuckle now. But it's not all just about the blokes. There are a lot of family moments, ones which again will make you laugh, make you emotional and, for just a moment, make you sit up and have a mini panic attack (soon over thankfully). To counter the fun side, we have some really heinous antagonists as well as other characters who show how important the strength of the human spirit can be.
Tense, emotional, funny, gritty, romantic and all the shades in between. As always I tore through the book, possibly one of my favourites to date, and I am very much looking forward to the next one. Definitely recommended.
July 11, 2021
Yet another masterpiece by my absolute favourite author. I’m pretty sure this is the fastest I’ve ever read one of her books, I simply could not put it down.
There Rock is the 18th instalment of the DCI Ryan series and I hope to God she continues writing his story because I don’t think I could cope with it ending! I think this story is up there with my favourites. It deals with some pretty heavy topics e.g. human trafficking, abuse, murder to name a few - but the way LJ lays out these stories is done so magnificently… you’re right there with the team, feeing all of the emotion written on each page, eager and impatient to keep going. Simply un-put-down-able.
Also: my love for Frank blooms with every instalment - how I adore him! Thank you LJ Ross AGAIN! As always, looking forward to the next.
There Rock is the 18th instalment of the DCI Ryan series and I hope to God she continues writing his story because I don’t think I could cope with it ending! I think this story is up there with my favourites. It deals with some pretty heavy topics e.g. human trafficking, abuse, murder to name a few - but the way LJ lays out these stories is done so magnificently… you’re right there with the team, feeing all of the emotion written on each page, eager and impatient to keep going. Simply un-put-down-able.
Also: my love for Frank blooms with every instalment - how I adore him! Thank you LJ Ross AGAIN! As always, looking forward to the next.
November 29, 2021
*Another Thrilling Read/Listen*
This instalment sees Ryan and his team dealing with a horrendous and horrific case of women being trafficked. To the traffickers the women mean nothing but a meal ticket. But to Ryan and his team every life means something.
Ryan is closing in on them and as usual everything is time sensitive will they catch up with them on time…
Two female detectives have decisions to make
DI Denise Mackenzie has a decision to make re her career
DC Mel Yates has a personal decision to make and there is a shock in store for her at the end of the book
I do hope there are more books in the pipeline because Ryan delivers a glimmer of a lead for Mel that maybe a future storyline…..
This instalment sees Ryan and his team dealing with a horrendous and horrific case of women being trafficked. To the traffickers the women mean nothing but a meal ticket. But to Ryan and his team every life means something.
Ryan is closing in on them and as usual everything is time sensitive will they catch up with them on time…
Two female detectives have decisions to make
DI Denise Mackenzie has a decision to make re her career
DC Mel Yates has a personal decision to make and there is a shock in store for her at the end of the book
I do hope there are more books in the pipeline because Ryan delivers a glimmer of a lead for Mel that maybe a future storyline…..
November 15, 2021
Another great read!!
Just finished reading this latest in the DCI Ryan series and it did not disappoint!! I love this author and this series, as it is well researched and with enough detail of real places to make the whole story vivid and relatable. The theme this time was highly topical, if somewhat painful to read about, but it's so necessary to bring out this topic right now. As always the characters were well developed and I feel by now as though they are good friends! Keep them coming, LJ Ross!!😊😊😊
Just finished reading this latest in the DCI Ryan series and it did not disappoint!! I love this author and this series, as it is well researched and with enough detail of real places to make the whole story vivid and relatable. The theme this time was highly topical, if somewhat painful to read about, but it's so necessary to bring out this topic right now. As always the characters were well developed and I feel by now as though they are good friends! Keep them coming, LJ Ross!!😊😊😊
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