Holy Island

The DCI Ryan Mysteries, Book 1

By: LJ Ross

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan retreats to Holy Island seeking sanctuary when he is forced to take sabbatical leave from his duties as a homicide detective. A few days before Christmas, his peace is shattered, and he is thrust back into the murky world of murder when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins of the nearby priory.

When former local girl Dr. Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant, old memories swim to the surface, making her confront her difficult past. She and Ryan struggle to work together to hunt a killer who hides in plain sight while pagan ritual and small-town politics muddy the waters of their investigation.

Murder and mystery are peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set on the spectacular Northumbrian island of Lindisfarne, cut off from the English mainland by a tidal causeway.

©2015 L J Ross (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

" Holy Island is a blockbuster." ( Daily Express)

A mixed bag

Although this was too misogynistic for my taste I actually listened to it all to find out who the culprit was. The mystery part was a good enough story, but the love interest was very unbelievable and detracted for me.

A Promising Series

I enjoyed this book enough that I plan to read the next entry in the series.

DCI Ryan is a complex, fascinating character. The mystery was well plotted and the revelation of the villains was a surprise. The location was unique. I live in the United States. Before reading this book I wasn't aware that Holy Island is a real place. I spent some time on the Internet learning about it. The author does an good job of describing look and feel the location.

The narration was OK. I listened on five year old Kindle Fire. I experienced some problems with the sound- specifically a slight whistling sound, primarily when words with an "s" sound were spoken. This could be the recording or my device. I was able to eliminate the whistling by slowing down the speed. I haven't noticed this problem on any other audio book.

I look forward to the next entry in the series.

Written like a romance novel...

Disappointed. Had hoped for a British detective series similar to Peter Grainger’s excellent DC Smith novels. This reads more like a romance novel.
“His eyes screamed intelligence.”
“He plundered her mouth.”
Embarrassing.
I gave up on it. Sorry I wasted a credit.

good not great

I've read better but this book is a good start of a series looking forward to book 2

Amazing Read!!!

Fantastic book!!! So many unexpected twists, and an ending that left me stunned! Already into book 2! And I cannot express just how good Jonathan Keeble is…probably my favorite narrator.