The Rock by LJ Ross

Today I share my thoughts on The Rock, the latest DCI Ryan mystery from LJ Ross. I do love this series, the blend of mystery, romance and good old fashioned humour, so I’ve been looking forward to tucking into the book. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

FROM THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT…

When a fishing boat is wrecked off the treacherous North Sea coast and the body of a young woman washes up on the beach beside the iconic ‘Marsden Rock’, DCI Ryan cannot ignore the call to duty.

With one already dead and more human cargo missing from the wreckage, Ryan and his team race to find the remaining souls — before it’s too late, and their investigation turns to murder. As they uncover the seedy underbelly of Tyneside, cold and calculated opportunism clashes with the rock-hard arm of the Law, but there’s one thing that proves stronger than stone…

The human spirit.

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular North Eastern landscape.

My Thoughts

I don’t think I’ve ever tried to hide how much I enjoy the DCI Ryan series by LJ Ross. Well, both series to be honest, and I look forward to each book as I know it will be a real treat stepping back into the world of Ryan, Frank and the gang and that I am going to be served up a story that is equal parts mystery, humour and good old fashioned romance. Yes, folks – romance. I don’t do the mushy stuff often, but for this series I will always make an exception.

Now there is nothing to be said about the plot that cannot be surmised from the blurb. In fact the less that is said, the better. As always, Ryan and the team find themselves caught up in a complex and often disturbing case which will push all of them in a variety of ways. I love the way in which the author has approached this subject, with a lot of compassion, but with a real sense of what the victims of this kind of crime go through and the lack of morality of those who engage in it. Nothing is told for unnecessarily gratuitous effect. This is a cozy crime series, sure, but in this book it has also developed a bit of an edge. It is a very emotive topic, exploring some of the worst qualities of human nature, much of which has happened for centuries, society just gave it a different name.

As much as this is a crime thriller, the book is filled with the usual blend of humour and great characters who make it a wonderful series to read. There are some classic scenes between the men of the group, ones which made me laugh out loud when I read them and that still make me chuckle now. But it’s not all just about the blokes. There are a lot of family moments, ones which again will make you laugh, make you emotional and, for just a moment, make you sit up and have a mini panic attack (soon over thankfully). To counter the fun side, we have some really heinous antagonists as well as other characters who show how important the strength of the human spirit can be.

Tense, emotional, funny, gritty, romantic and all the shades in between. As always I tore through the book, possibly one of my favourites to date, and I am very much looking forward to the next one. Definitely recommended.

About the Author

LJ Ross is an international bestselling author, best known for creating atmospheric mystery and thriller novels, including the DCI Ryan series of Northumbrian murder mysteries which have sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

“The Rock” (book 18 in the DCI Ryan Mysteries series) is available for ebook pre-order now!

Her debut, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and reached number one in the Amazon UK and Australian charts. Since then, she has released a further nineteen novels, all of which have been top three global bestsellers and sixteen of which have been UK #1 bestsellers. Louise has garnered an army of loyal readers through her storytelling and, thanks to them, several of her books reached the coveted #1 spot whilst only available to pre-order ahead of release. Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story and is also available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong.

In addition to her DCI Ryan series, Louise has created a new series of thriller novels based around the central character of ‘Dr Alexander Gregory’, whose work as a psychological profiler takes him around the world. The first three books (Impostor, Hysteria and Bedlam) were #1 bestsellers and were narrated in audio by the actors Hugh Dancy (Impostor & Hysteria) and Richard Armitage (Bedlam). She is also writing several standalone romantic suspense novels featuring strong female protagonists which will be available in 2021.

The novels are available to purchase in e-book, paperback and audiobook formats on the Amazon store, as well as in libraries and book shops around the world.

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, where she enjoys reading all manner of books, travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Louise is a keen philanthropist, and is pleased to have supported numerous non-profit programmes in addition to founding several of her own, including the Lindisfarne Reading Challenge and the Lindisfarne Prize for Debut Crime Fiction.