Tag: LJ Ross

Penshaw by L.J. Ross

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

Penshaw (DCI Ryan Mysteries, #13)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: DCI Ryan Mysteries #12
Publication Date: 7/27/19
Number of Pages: 280

OMGoodness! There is a LOT going on in Northumberia and we all need our running shoes on to keep up with it. Ryan and Lowerson are placed in untenable and dangerous positions, dead bodies are turning up in Penshaw, a dangerous villain from previous books turns up, and it appears there is more corruption within the constabulary. OH! MY! As always, the fast-paced, can’t-put-it-down mystery is filled with twists-and-turns that will keep your head spinning.

There has been a marked increase in crime and at the same time, a decrease in successful apprehensions and prosecutions. Because of his sterling reputation, DCI Ryan has been tasked with heading up a task force consisting of all of the various units such as drugs, fraud, major crimes, digital forensics, organized crime, etc. His task is to foster information sharing across agencies so that they can all help each other catch, prosecute, and imprison the culprits responsible for the mayhem. At the same time, Ryan is approached by his boss, Chief Constable Sandra Morrison, and DCI Andrew Blackett, of what is known as the Ghost Squad. They are sure that the policing forces have been compromised – at all levels – and that there is even a mole in Ryan’s own team. OH! MY! Ryan’s task is to figure out who, throughout the policing forces, have been compromised. Ryan is sure nobody in his squad would be compromised – one of them cannot be a mole on this very task force. Or, can they?

While all of that is happening, we are learning about the sad death of Alan Watson in Penshaw. Alan had been a robust, active, dedicated miner for years – until the great strike in the fall of 1984. Alan had been a major organizer and leader of the union and the strike, but when it failed, a rumor started, and it accused him of providing information to the government about the union’s plans. It broke him for his close-knit community to think that of him and he took to drink. Now, over 30 years later, his charred remains have been pulled from their burning home by his wife. She’s seriously burned, but Alan didn’t survive. Was he murdered or did he die of a heart attack and drop his cigarette, thus causing the fire? MacKenzie and Lowerson catch the Watson case and something about it just seems ‘off’ to MacKenzie. As they investigate, and more deaths and betrayals occur, they figure out that there is something much bigger going on.

You’ll love the mystery and you’ll see Ryan’s angst and dismay at dealing with yet more corruption within the constabulary. He thought they’d taken care of all of that two years ago and yet it is back again. It was good to see, and hope, that Lowerson is finally finding himself and realizing what is really important in life. I also liked seeing the growth in Trainee Detective Constable Melanie Yates and look forward to seeing more of her in future books.

Great read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Borderlands by L.J. Ross

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

Borderlands (DCI Ryan Mysteries #14)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: DCI Ryan Mysteries #13
Publication Date: 10/1/19
Number of Pages: 249

Another exciting, fast-paced, well-written adventure for DCI Ryan and his team from the Major Crimes Unit. The team is definitely split into different ventures in this book, with Ryan and Phillips working a murder on an Army training base, Lowerson and Yates dealing with a series of hate crimes, and MacKenzie enjoying some off time with her foster daughter, Samantha.

The Army is conducting a live-fire tactical training mission at Otterburn Army Training Ranges in Northumberland. The mission is to find and neutralize two targets – at night using night vision gear. When the first target is sighted, the soldiers training kicks in and they fire upon the target. Except, it isn’t the mechanical target they’ve engaged, it is…was…a live female. How in the world did a lone female end up running through the middle of the moors on a huge Army training base? Before long, Detective Chief Inspector Maxwell Finlay-Ryan and Detective Sergeant Frank Phillips are wending their way along the Northumberland National Park through the Cheviot Hills and into the village of Otterburn – almost at the border with Scotland. Will their investigation discover that it was a horrible, horrible accident when the woman ran directly into a live-fire exercise – or will they find it is something more – something much darker?

There is a terrible explosion and fire at the Central Mosque in Newcastle upon Tyne. It isn’t an accident, and the perpetrators left three large black triangles painted upon the doors along with the words ‘MUSLIMS GO HOME’. Detective Constable Jack Lowerson and Detective Constable Melanie Yates are dispatched to investigate. They know it is definitely a hate crime, but is it an isolated incident and what does that symbol mean? As that symbol turns up at additional sites of vandalism – not just Muslim – but Jewish, black, etc. they know it is the work of a well-organized group. That group is getting bolder, better organized, and more skilled. They have to be stopped before lives are lost. Stopping the group will take not only good investigative skills but the bravery and patriotism of a man who has nothing but that to give.

I listened to the audiobook (Whispersync) version of this book and enjoyed it very much. The narrator has a pleasant voice – but as I have mentioned before, all of the characters sound pretty much alike. Some are softer and breathier, but they all seem to have the same accents. We have a Scot, an Irish, and a Londoner, but they all seem to have the same accent – if not all of the time, most of the time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the mystery, the friendships, and seeing that the goodness in mankind can overcome anything. If you choose to read the book, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.