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DCI Ryan Mysteries #19
Bamburgh
When a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it—except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body. Then another body turns up amongst the sand dunes at the base of the mighty castle fortress, and he decides it can’t be a coincidence…
Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession—much to the concern of those around her. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely. But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home…
Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.
Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession—much to the concern of those around her. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely. But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home…
Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2022
2043 people are currently reading
2308 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Ross
58 books3,249 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 471 reviews
October 31, 2025
This quite predictable crime mystery is the 19th volume of the "DCI Ryan" series, and what I mean with predictable I will explain later on.
First the positive points, and that is at the start of the book you'll find a few lines taken from Cassius, from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, while at the end of the book an Author's Note will show some useful explanations.
Secondly the author's storytelling is excellent, no doubt about that, all characters are very believable and lifelike, but the book itself is half good and half bad.
So first the very good part and these are the murders of Angela Bansbury and Irina Pavlova committed in Bamburgh, near its famous Castle, and for DCI Ryan and DS Phillips the tasks to find and confront the culprit of these killings, and to find the reason behind these deaths.
Now I'm coming to the very bad part and that is the repetition of showing a new deranged psychopath DCS, in the form of DCS Forbes this time, because after the lethal shenanigans we had with first DCS Gregson and his cult of killers in the first few DCI Ryan outings, followed by the female DCS Lucas who for her hatred of DCI Ryan made DC Lowerson's family life hell and was rewarded with death herself, we now have DCS Forbes who after killing Gemma Yates in 2007 and many others, revealed in the story and so not a real mystery, is now after DC Melanie Yates to complete his mission of insane killing, but will eventually end up deservedly just like his predecessor DCS Lucas.
What is to follow is a mediocre mystery where one half is very good and interesting, and one very bad and predictable, and so I would like to say to the author, go a bit more slowly and come up with new fresh ideas, for its better to come up with great quality instead average quantity, and the other nice touch was the reintroduction of profiler Dr Alexander Gregory.
Recommended, to all diehard fans of this series, but for me this is a very modest addition, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Average Predictable Sequel"!
First the positive points, and that is at the start of the book you'll find a few lines taken from Cassius, from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, while at the end of the book an Author's Note will show some useful explanations.
Secondly the author's storytelling is excellent, no doubt about that, all characters are very believable and lifelike, but the book itself is half good and half bad.
So first the very good part and these are the murders of Angela Bansbury and Irina Pavlova committed in Bamburgh, near its famous Castle, and for DCI Ryan and DS Phillips the tasks to find and confront the culprit of these killings, and to find the reason behind these deaths.
Now I'm coming to the very bad part and that is the repetition of showing a new deranged psychopath DCS, in the form of DCS Forbes this time, because after the lethal shenanigans we had with first DCS Gregson and his cult of killers in the first few DCI Ryan outings, followed by the female DCS Lucas who for her hatred of DCI Ryan made DC Lowerson's family life hell and was rewarded with death herself, we now have DCS Forbes who after killing Gemma Yates in 2007 and many others, revealed in the story and so not a real mystery, is now after DC Melanie Yates to complete his mission of insane killing, but will eventually end up deservedly just like his predecessor DCS Lucas.
What is to follow is a mediocre mystery where one half is very good and interesting, and one very bad and predictable, and so I would like to say to the author, go a bit more slowly and come up with new fresh ideas, for its better to come up with great quality instead average quantity, and the other nice touch was the reintroduction of profiler Dr Alexander Gregory.
Recommended, to all diehard fans of this series, but for me this is a very modest addition, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Average Predictable Sequel"!
April 11, 2022
Disappointing and predictable
I was so very disappointed with Bamburgh. So predictable. When I first started reading this series of books, they were excellent. The plots were intricate, twisting, clever – nothing rushed. Character and plot development were key to keeping the reader engaged. The last three or four books have been lacking in all of that.
It seems to me that the L J Ross, perhaps due to the pressure of fans and publishers, is being pushed with getting the next book out as quickly as possible whilst sacrificing the skill demonstrated in the earlier books that kept me hooked from page one. I would rather wait a year for the next one if it returns to the excellent earlier books. As soon as I started this one, my heart sank. I’m not going to reveal anything of the plot as that’s not fair on others who haven’t yet read it. For me L J Ross has let me down as a long term fan because she seems to have forgotten what makes a good murder-mystery/thriller really work.
As well as poor plot development, the team are beginning to get a bit irritating – and to have a Chief Constable who doesn’t question for one second, Ryan’s instructions (as good as he is) regarding another senior colleague, just seemed very lame.
So sorry L J Ross, you’ve lost a fan, which given the thousands won’t cause you to lose any sleep. I just hope the next one begins to return to the brilliance of Holy Island, Sycamore Gap etc.
I was so very disappointed with Bamburgh. So predictable. When I first started reading this series of books, they were excellent. The plots were intricate, twisting, clever – nothing rushed. Character and plot development were key to keeping the reader engaged. The last three or four books have been lacking in all of that.
It seems to me that the L J Ross, perhaps due to the pressure of fans and publishers, is being pushed with getting the next book out as quickly as possible whilst sacrificing the skill demonstrated in the earlier books that kept me hooked from page one. I would rather wait a year for the next one if it returns to the excellent earlier books. As soon as I started this one, my heart sank. I’m not going to reveal anything of the plot as that’s not fair on others who haven’t yet read it. For me L J Ross has let me down as a long term fan because she seems to have forgotten what makes a good murder-mystery/thriller really work.
As well as poor plot development, the team are beginning to get a bit irritating – and to have a Chief Constable who doesn’t question for one second, Ryan’s instructions (as good as he is) regarding another senior colleague, just seemed very lame.
So sorry L J Ross, you’ve lost a fan, which given the thousands won’t cause you to lose any sleep. I just hope the next one begins to return to the brilliance of Holy Island, Sycamore Gap etc.
July 8, 2022
The story was a bit predictable so I'm being generous with 4 stars. Also the predator was known to the reader from the start which is a bit different but overall an enjoyable read.
June 15, 2022
June 2007. Newcastle upon Tyne. Prologue. Spring 2022 - 15 years later. Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh,
England. L J Ross’ Bamburgh (DCI Ryan Mysteries #19) is another totally engrossing contemporary murder mystery whose setting is Bamburgh, Northumbria, the NE of England very close to Lindisfarne, the Holy Isle. The author begins with a prologue which introduces the reader to DC Yates’ twin sister, Gemma. Then the author begins the murder mysteries with one of the two murder mysteries which run concurrently throughout the story. Anna, DCI Ryan’s wife, has all of DCI Ryan’s CID team at a masquerade party taking place in the King’s Hall at Bamburgh Castle which is being held to support the archeological dig at the castle when Chief Constable Morrison introduces the team’s new DCS - Andrew Forbes. DCI Ryan voices what everyone is thinking “The man’s got all the charm and personality of a rainbow trout.” DC Melanie Yates who is also at this party, but when her name is mentioned, DS Frank Philips says that he is concerned about her and with good reason. Mel has become obsessive since some DNA recently surfaced that matched the DNA found on her murdered twin’s body in 2007. Then shortly after the party, Anna and Emma, Ryan and Anna’s young daughter, are visiting the village of Bamburgh and discover another body. Ryan does not believe it is a coincidence. So begins the new installment in the DCI Ryan Mysteries, and I loved it even if parts of what is read is difficult to swallow because it is so awful - police awful. I liked the idea of having the main character of the author’s Alexander Gregory Thrillers series pop up in DCI Ryan’s latest cases. A brilliant installment to DCI Ryan Mysteries. Definitely 5 stars!!
England. L J Ross’ Bamburgh (DCI Ryan Mysteries #19) is another totally engrossing contemporary murder mystery whose setting is Bamburgh, Northumbria, the NE of England very close to Lindisfarne, the Holy Isle. The author begins with a prologue which introduces the reader to DC Yates’ twin sister, Gemma. Then the author begins the murder mysteries with one of the two murder mysteries which run concurrently throughout the story. Anna, DCI Ryan’s wife, has all of DCI Ryan’s CID team at a masquerade party taking place in the King’s Hall at Bamburgh Castle which is being held to support the archeological dig at the castle when Chief Constable Morrison introduces the team’s new DCS - Andrew Forbes. DCI Ryan voices what everyone is thinking “The man’s got all the charm and personality of a rainbow trout.” DC Melanie Yates who is also at this party, but when her name is mentioned, DS Frank Philips says that he is concerned about her and with good reason. Mel has become obsessive since some DNA recently surfaced that matched the DNA found on her murdered twin’s body in 2007. Then shortly after the party, Anna and Emma, Ryan and Anna’s young daughter, are visiting the village of Bamburgh and discover another body. Ryan does not believe it is a coincidence. So begins the new installment in the DCI Ryan Mysteries, and I loved it even if parts of what is read is difficult to swallow because it is so awful - police awful. I liked the idea of having the main character of the author’s Alexander Gregory Thrillers series pop up in DCI Ryan’s latest cases. A brilliant installment to DCI Ryan Mysteries. Definitely 5 stars!!
August 9, 2022
I must admit I nearly gave up on this one. Very disappointing . I couldn't really see the point of writing or reading a book called a mystery when the answer is given in page 27 and after that everything is very obvious. I loved this series but think it has run its course.
April 12, 2022
Throughout the book, I had feelings of déjà vu. And why wouldn’t I? Cause all of this has already happened in previous books!!
Anna finds a body? Check
A psychopath DCS? Check
The said psychopath trying to break the dream team up? Check
Mac being too smart to fall for it? Check
Jack falling for it yet again? Check
Ryan immediately clocking him as the bad guy? Obviously check.. The man has super detection.
When I started this series, I loved how the books built up to be one big conspiracy, wonderfully connected.
But now? The books are ending at cliff-hangers just to make you read the next book. Some of the mysteries could have been wrapped up without the need for another book.
We don’t see much of Anna in this book, but just how many bodies will this lady find? Or be in the middle of a mystery. Can we not have her in the book without being part of the case?!
Jack, oh Jack. You’re naïveté is just embarrassing now. Sure you should be ambitious and want that promotion. But shouldn’t you have learnt from past experience by now? Shouldn’t a newly appointed DCS wanting to make you DS on his first day in the office, after hinting Ryan isn’t bothered, make the alarms in your head go off? At least go and talk to the guy leading your team this time.
Also, blabbing information because you’re being offered this promotion? Really?
Coming to the force, is it so filled with bad coppers? One of the previous books tried to clear the force, but still we found some rotten ones in the previous book. And yet another murderous DCS in this one. Come on! What is this? The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher’s position. The author even goes to call the position cursed towards the end of the book.
They say things happen in threes. Maybe the next one will finally be normal?
Maybe revealing he’s the bad guy after half the book would have kept me interested and not continually rolling my eyes at the things that kept happening. It was revealed way too soon.
The main case on which the title is based was interesting but got lost because of the other one. It almost felt like an afterthought since there was lesser focus on it. I did not feel really invested in it.
And oh.. how could I forget Doctor Alex Gregory. It was good to see you again. Only wish there were more scenes with him and Ryan. But it was equally good to see him and Mac working together.
It was overall okay. I just have come to expect good things and being disappointed.
Anna finds a body? Check
A psychopath DCS? Check
The said psychopath trying to break the dream team up? Check
Mac being too smart to fall for it? Check
Jack falling for it yet again? Check
Ryan immediately clocking him as the bad guy? Obviously check.. The man has super detection.
When I started this series, I loved how the books built up to be one big conspiracy, wonderfully connected.
But now? The books are ending at cliff-hangers just to make you read the next book. Some of the mysteries could have been wrapped up without the need for another book.
We don’t see much of Anna in this book, but just how many bodies will this lady find? Or be in the middle of a mystery. Can we not have her in the book without being part of the case?!
Jack, oh Jack. You’re naïveté is just embarrassing now. Sure you should be ambitious and want that promotion. But shouldn’t you have learnt from past experience by now? Shouldn’t a newly appointed DCS wanting to make you DS on his first day in the office, after hinting Ryan isn’t bothered, make the alarms in your head go off? At least go and talk to the guy leading your team this time.
Also, blabbing information because you’re being offered this promotion? Really?
Coming to the force, is it so filled with bad coppers? One of the previous books tried to clear the force, but still we found some rotten ones in the previous book. And yet another murderous DCS in this one. Come on! What is this? The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher’s position. The author even goes to call the position cursed towards the end of the book.
They say things happen in threes. Maybe the next one will finally be normal?
Maybe revealing he’s the bad guy after half the book would have kept me interested and not continually rolling my eyes at the things that kept happening. It was revealed way too soon.
The main case on which the title is based was interesting but got lost because of the other one. It almost felt like an afterthought since there was lesser focus on it. I did not feel really invested in it.
And oh.. how could I forget Doctor Alex Gregory. It was good to see you again. Only wish there were more scenes with him and Ryan. But it was equally good to see him and Mac working together.
It was overall okay. I just have come to expect good things and being disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2022
I did enjoy this one. The humour and love between the members of Ryan's team are really front and center. Whenever I read a story featuring this cast, it feels like a warm hug and visiting with old friends. However, I have to admit that I found quite a few elements of this installment reminiscent of previous ones. Without giving anything away, I guess I was hoping for something different. Then again, with nineteen volumes into it, things are bound to be a bit repetitive, I suppose.
The ending did feel rushed, and I was hoping for more of an epilogue. However, there will be another story after this one so maybe that one will answer some of my lingering questions. Overall, one star for the whole gang, one star for the engaging storytelling, half a star for the humour, and half a star for the gardener. :)
The ending did feel rushed, and I was hoping for more of an epilogue. However, there will be another story after this one so maybe that one will answer some of my lingering questions. Overall, one star for the whole gang, one star for the engaging storytelling, half a star for the humour, and half a star for the gardener. :)
July 4, 2022
I've often wondered about this long-running series. This is book 19. So I bought a reduced-price copy with my grocery shopping in Tesco. I managed less than a quarter before I just had to give up. The writing was plodding and simplistic. Time and again the obvious was stated. And the perpetrator was revealed near the start. which was odd. I think that the idea was to follow his motivation. I've donated it which I never do. I like keeping all my books but there are some rare exceptions.
April 4, 2022
I’ve given it four stars as it was a good quick read. Ryan and his team are like old friends now. I thought this one was an improvement on the last which I didn’t really enjoy (the only one I wasn’t keen on). I thought the story line about another police chief psychopath - the third in that force - a little far fetched but in light of recent events about rogue police maybe, sadly, not. This time the reader was well aware of who the murderer was which put a different slant on the story.
October 3, 2022
Possibly one of the worst books in this series. This story was unbelievably far fetched. Yet again the author has a police officer this time Mel hiding information from colleagues and taking the law into her own hands. And really the third constable role being a murderous villain. Poor originality. The only reason I kept reading is because I think every book should be given a chance to redeem itself. This however did not hit the mark. And the reference to the woman killed in London when she got into the police officers car. Unnecessary in my opinion given we know what recent news story this was about. A poor book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2022
Anna ended the call and sat in her car for long minutes, thinking of how it took many years to build the fabric of a lifetime, to fill it with memories and laughter, with tears and challenges and work and love and all the other things in between, only for it to end in the blink of an eye.
May 2, 2023
I've only previously read the first book in this series and I wouldn't have described myself as a fan yet. But consider me converted, as I really loved this latest instalment.
An enjoyably light murder mystery with likeable characters and an atmospheric setting, Bamburgh is a fast-paced whodunnit strengthened by strong police procedural and lots of humorous dialogue.
The crime and investigation didn't grip me at first, but what held my attention was the fantastic characters. While I enjoyed Holy Island, I wasn't sure how I felt about the romance aspect of the story as I thought it felt a little abrupt. But 18 books later, Ryan and Anna's relationship is still going strong and I began to enjoy their chemistry much more easily.
I also felt really at home with the other characters, too. I absolutely loved the banter between Ryan and Phillips, and really enjoyed the way that Ryan supported the rest of his team and how they all came together to get this mystery solved.
It didn't take me long to get on Ryan's side, and I was soon immersed in the investigation, too. There are some great twists along the way, and I also appreciated that the big reveal happened earlier on, allowing more progression regarding how this affected the characters involved, keeping you fully invested in their individual developments.
You can really tell that Ross has a lot of love for her characters, and I most definitely want to go back and start to get to know them better!
An enjoyably light murder mystery with likeable characters and an atmospheric setting, Bamburgh is a fast-paced whodunnit strengthened by strong police procedural and lots of humorous dialogue.
The crime and investigation didn't grip me at first, but what held my attention was the fantastic characters. While I enjoyed Holy Island, I wasn't sure how I felt about the romance aspect of the story as I thought it felt a little abrupt. But 18 books later, Ryan and Anna's relationship is still going strong and I began to enjoy their chemistry much more easily.
I also felt really at home with the other characters, too. I absolutely loved the banter between Ryan and Phillips, and really enjoyed the way that Ryan supported the rest of his team and how they all came together to get this mystery solved.
It didn't take me long to get on Ryan's side, and I was soon immersed in the investigation, too. There are some great twists along the way, and I also appreciated that the big reveal happened earlier on, allowing more progression regarding how this affected the characters involved, keeping you fully invested in their individual developments.
You can really tell that Ross has a lot of love for her characters, and I most definitely want to go back and start to get to know them better!
April 1, 2022
A great story as are all the DCI Ryan mysteries. There are 2 unconnected murders plus one 15 years previously. The culprit of the cold case murder is revealed early on and is not suspected by “his fellow workers” till very near the end. The other murders the culprit is revealed late on. As I have the whole series I have got to know the main characters as they have grown. This one selects Melanie as the main character. It also appears Chief Constable Morrison is fated by her choice of Detective Chief Superintendents.
As with all the DCI Ryan books, this is a VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED novel.
Hope another DCI Ryan book comes out soon.
As with all the DCI Ryan books, this is a VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED novel.
Hope another DCI Ryan book comes out soon.
September 22, 2022
A murder mystery with a very nasty twist to it. We start the story by looking back at the murder of one of Ryan’s teams twin sister.. the murderer was never caught and Mel has never given up trying to find who murderer her sister: she feels guilty for having taken her out on the night of her death. There is a DNA match found for the murderer linking him to a very recent abduction and failed murder attempt so Mel is desperate to be involved and find her sisters killer. The woman who escaped the murderer can’t remember the events and is traumatised. The whole team are looking for the killer but Mel must stay in the background to not prejudice the case. Mel starts looking at old and cold cases and finally pieces together who has done these vile murders. She is shocked but wants revenge. Mel sets out to kill the killer but events overtake her…. The ending is dramatic and there is always the thought that she may not be able to avenge her sister but could end up dead herself.
The characters are, as always, fleshed out and given their own personalities. The storyline has two threads going on, only one of which I have mentioned above as this is the major tagline. The style is easy reading and the tension is built up towards the end of the novel.
A good story and a good ending.
The characters are, as always, fleshed out and given their own personalities. The storyline has two threads going on, only one of which I have mentioned above as this is the major tagline. The style is easy reading and the tension is built up towards the end of the novel.
A good story and a good ending.
April 11, 2022
why is it that i can never put these books down? i love the dci ryan universe - the characters, the plots, the world building .. the list goes on ..
unfortunately, i just can’t rate this 5⭐️ — here we have a 3rd DCS that is corrupt (you learn this yourself from chapters from their perspective) and it just feels like the same plot is being recycled over and over again.
i’d love to see a book that doesn’t focus on past enemies coming to “attack” the found-family they have built between them.. every so often it makes sense, but it feels like every book has been based off of this plot for some time now.
nevertheless, i LOVE ♡ lowerson - the patience he gives to melanie in this book is everything. the banter between ryan and phillips is everything. seeing anna and emma pov chapters is everything.
unfortunately, i just can’t rate this 5⭐️ — here we have a 3rd DCS that is corrupt (you learn this yourself from chapters from their perspective) and it just feels like the same plot is being recycled over and over again.
i’d love to see a book that doesn’t focus on past enemies coming to “attack” the found-family they have built between them.. every so often it makes sense, but it feels like every book has been based off of this plot for some time now.
nevertheless, i LOVE ♡ lowerson - the patience he gives to melanie in this book is everything. the banter between ryan and phillips is everything. seeing anna and emma pov chapters is everything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and loved the two stories running at the same time.
There’s a body found near Bamburgh Castle and at first it looks like an accidental death but then Ryan realises there’s more to it.
Mel is desparate to find her sister’s killer and after 15 years, she’ll do anything to catch him.
As always there’s some great humour mixed in with the crime stories and this is one of my favourites in the series.
A great read.
There’s a body found near Bamburgh Castle and at first it looks like an accidental death but then Ryan realises there’s more to it.
Mel is desparate to find her sister’s killer and after 15 years, she’ll do anything to catch him.
As always there’s some great humour mixed in with the crime stories and this is one of my favourites in the series.
A great read.
April 16, 2022
I'm a great admirer of L J Ross and have recommended her books to many friends and family but this was not one of her best. Frankly I found the Andrew Forbes section to be too far-fetched.
The reference to Sarah Everard was ill advised.
The reference to Sarah Everard was ill advised.
May 25, 2024
Having read book 1 (Holy Island) in January, I then read all other DCI Ryan books to date (21 novels, I think) back-to-back in Feb/March ... thankfully getting them free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Buying a full price paperback that only lasted me 2 or 3 days would be too expensive!
So this review covers all the DCI Ryan novels from book 2 (Sycamore Gap) to Death Rocks (book 21): I enjoyed them all. I found them all to be exciting and real page-turners; but I read them so quickly that I would have been bankrupt if I'd paid full price for all the paperbacks in the one month it took me to read them all!!
I loved the characters and their relationships, and the humour and banter between them. I did, however, think the novels could have (and should have) been longer. Sometimes it seemed to me that the murders were solved too easily and too quickly. Also there were one or two plot holes (in my opinion) ... things that I thought DCI Ryan could have forseen and dealt with before they became such a big deal.
FYI I'm not usually a particularly fast reader, usually only reading 1 novel per month, sometimes 2. I got through these books in ultra-quick time.
All in all though I really did enjoy the escapism of reading these novels with good characters, plenty of cliffhangers to keep one invested in the book, nice locations (I'm surprised just how many I've visited... and the rest are now on my bucket list 😀 ).
So this review covers all the DCI Ryan novels from book 2 (Sycamore Gap) to Death Rocks (book 21): I enjoyed them all. I found them all to be exciting and real page-turners; but I read them so quickly that I would have been bankrupt if I'd paid full price for all the paperbacks in the one month it took me to read them all!!
I loved the characters and their relationships, and the humour and banter between them. I did, however, think the novels could have (and should have) been longer. Sometimes it seemed to me that the murders were solved too easily and too quickly. Also there were one or two plot holes (in my opinion) ... things that I thought DCI Ryan could have forseen and dealt with before they became such a big deal.
FYI I'm not usually a particularly fast reader, usually only reading 1 novel per month, sometimes 2. I got through these books in ultra-quick time.
All in all though I really did enjoy the escapism of reading these novels with good characters, plenty of cliffhangers to keep one invested in the book, nice locations (I'm surprised just how many I've visited... and the rest are now on my bucket list 😀 ).
April 2, 2022
4.5 rating.
I have read all of the books written by LJ Ross and enjoyed them all. I couldn’t give this one the full 5 stars because of who the serial killer is. This is revealed early on so it is not a spoiler alert. Although he is portrayed in a spine tingling realistic way. I kept thinking that the odds were astronomical that this one police station in all of England had three corrupt psychopaths as the DCS. Suspenseful and well written with the usual great cast of characters.
I have read all of the books written by LJ Ross and enjoyed them all. I couldn’t give this one the full 5 stars because of who the serial killer is. This is revealed early on so it is not a spoiler alert. Although he is portrayed in a spine tingling realistic way. I kept thinking that the odds were astronomical that this one police station in all of England had three corrupt psychopaths as the DCS. Suspenseful and well written with the usual great cast of characters.
January 22, 2025
Just when you think there can't be a different 'twist' on the group of detectives then there is. One of the detectives has lived in the shadow of the murder of her twin sister when they were teenagers. She's never forgiven herself, neither have her parents. The murderer has never been found but now a piece of DNA has been found in another, recent murder - matches that of her sister but whose is it? Rather too close to her working home than is comfortable.
April 30, 2023
The 19th instalment in the DCI Ryan series, this fast-paced and punchy crime novel mixes a dark and emotional serial killer murder with an Agatha Christie-style cosy murder. The action unfolds at a breakneck pace and both murders are deeply engaging. Despite being a long ways into a long running series, the novel was easily accessible and had a solid impact.
July 3, 2022
This was my favourite of the DC Ryan series so far.
It was funny and fast paced. The humour was relevant and more natural than in others in the series.
I love reading about the north east and I have discovered a lot of places in my local area through these books.
It was funny and fast paced. The humour was relevant and more natural than in others in the series.
I love reading about the north east and I have discovered a lot of places in my local area through these books.
September 12, 2022
I'd give this a 3.5 - two plot lines ran side by side - one was brilliant and very reminiscent of Agatha Christie set against the Bamburgh backdrop. The other was a dark crime story which was written brilliantly but was darker than my usual choice of story and so I didn't enjoy this as much
November 28, 2022
Really good book once you get past first 100 pages . Definitely an author i want to read more of.
May 11, 2024
Easy to read, no 19 in the series. However the plot was very silly and not believable. I think the author may be running out of ideas for this series.
May 14, 2024
Having so many memories of holidays in Bamburgh I love LJ Ross and this one was another hit. I liked how you know the the perp all the way but that the uncertainty is in one of the key characters and what path they chose! Two paralleling stories running at the same time and the classic Ryan and Phillips banter. Loved it !
May 5, 2022
Brilliant as always
April 3, 2022
This is the 19th novel in the series; I’ve read each of them. I truly feel as if I know these familiar characters. The two Murder plots are interesting- but I believe that the love and connection between the main characters makes this book so enjoyable. Recommend it. And I’ll be waiting for book 20.
May 2, 2022
Another easy but engaging read from LJ Ross. I largely read these books as a sweet reminder of the northeast where I spent many a happy day in my late twenties and early thirties.
May 3, 2022
Just brilliant
Yet another brilliant, gripping thriller from one of my favourite authors. The cast of characters as colourful as always. The description of the settings makes it a great read
Yet another brilliant, gripping thriller from one of my favourite authors. The cast of characters as colourful as always. The description of the settings makes it a great read
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