Tag: LJ Ross

Bamburgh by L.J. Ross

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Bamburgh (DCI Ryan Mysteries, #19)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: A DCI Ryan Mystery #19
Publication Date: 3/31/22
Period: Contemporary, Northumberland, UK
Number of Pages: 312

This author excels at creating an excellently convoluted mystery while still allowing you to spend time with and get to know the members of the investigative team. This book is an excellent example of that talent. If you have read other books in the series, you’ll already know about the tragic event that shaped Melanie Yates’s life. If you haven’t read other books in the series, you’ll get enough background to easily follow the story. The author does an excellent job of weaving the events from 2007 into the contemporary story of 2022 and enabling us to better understand what is driving Melanie as an adult.

Woven into the background of several books we’ve seen there is a serial killer stalking England. This murderer has gotten much more clever over time and while the police know there are more victims, they never find the bodies. Melanie’s (Mel) sister Gemma was one of this sadistic killer’s earliest victims and Mel has blamed herself for what happened. It is why she joined the force and why she spends all of her off-time working the case. In the last book, one of the victims managed to escape – and miracle-of-miracles – there was trace DNA evidence found on her body. Sadly, the authorities haven’t found any matches in the system, so they’ve not been able to identify the killer – yet. Finding that DNA was enough to get the powers-that-be to agree to form a task team to concentrate on finding the dastard. However, that team has to exclude Melanie or risk being challenged in court.

We learn early on – almost at the beginning – who the serial killer is. The story is spent watching the team work toward identifying him – and watching him plot his course to thwart the team. It is quite interesting to see the inner workings of such a twisted mind, and you have to wonder how he can seem so normal and engaging.

While they are working on the serial killer case, they are also working on the case of a very wealthy older lady who is murdered in her home. It almost – almost – looked like an accident, but sharp eyes noticed that all was not as it seemed. We learn what a delightful lady she was and mourn her loss. It was a pleasure to see her murderer identified.

However, the very best part is watching the serial killer gloat and plan and – get caught. I will say, though, that the ending was a bit abrupt without a real build-up to it. Also, the aftermath with Mel, her family, and DC Lowerson was left sort of up in the air. I can hardly wait for the next entry into the series so I can, hopefully, see how it all worked out.

I definitely can – and do – recommend this book. It is well-written, excellently plotted, and excellently paced. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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The Rock by L.J. Ross

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, MysteryLeave a comment

The Rock (DCI Ryan Mysteries, #18)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.

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