- Paperback: 314 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (19 July 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1514642824
- ISBN-13: 978-1514642825
Synopsis
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.
Review
I am a bit late to the party, as they say, in regard to the DCI Ryan books by L J Ross, but finally I have got around to reading the first book in the series Holy Island. On beautiful, Holy Island, situated off the North East coast of England, the body of a young woman is found in the ruins of the Priory. The bodies soon start piling up and DCI Ryan, on leave from the homicide unit, finds himself back at work and investigating the grisly murders.
This is a brilliant crime thriller with the mystery not only being the murders but also DCI Ryan himself. Ryan is the perfect detective in that he is tall, dark, handsome and has a troubled past. As the book progresses we are drip fed morsels of Ryan’s past and why he was on leave from the Police, which adds to his mysteriousness. We learn more of Ryan through his relationship with Dr Anna Taylor, who is a consultant on the history of Holy Island and its pagan past. Anna, like Ryan is a troubled character; she grew up on the island but once she left to attend university she never returned and is estranged from her sister who still lives on Holy Island. Their raw attraction adds another dimension to this dark thriller.
Holy Island is also mysterious in that it is cut off from the North East Coast when the tide comes in and the murder happened at high tide, so the murderer is one of their own. L.J Ross really captures the community spirit, for the good and bad, and the mindset of such a small place; everyone knows everyone else’s business and gossip is rife. The wonderfully descriptive prose brings this beautiful setting to life. Holy Island has a religious history dating back to the seventh century and has the ruins of a priory and monastery from the Norman period, which makes it the perfect setting for ritualistic murders and has an air of otherness about it.
The plot is fairly fast paced and with plenty of red herrings to confuse the reader. Add to the suspense of the murder investigation, a touch of romance and some Geordie humour, Holy Island is an entertaining and gripping greed, with a fantastic ending. The characters have a reality about them, not contrived but easy to get to know and become engaged with as the book progresses. I really enjoyed Ryan and Philips relationship; the banter between them was natural and added to the humour of the plot.
Holy Island is an exciting read and as atmospheric in plot as the island is in reality. The setting lends itself to the plot, and really and brings a spirituality to the plot, as does the history of the Island. There are a further ten books in the series, all set in the beautiful Northumberland countryside, which I a really excited about reading. If like me, this is a new series for you, then I highly recommend reading it, with its thrilling plot, a touch of humour, and the mysterious DCI Ryan, this is the perfect crime thriller. I have already got the second book ready to read.
