Bamburgh by LJ Ross

Today Mandie has been doing a bit of DCI Ryan catch up and is sharing her thoughts on Bamburgh by LJ Ross.. We both love the series and as I reviewed the book last you, you can find my thoughts here. Here’s what the book is all about:

About the Book

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY…

When a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it—except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body. Then another body turns up amongst the sand dunes at the base of the mighty castle fortress, and he decides it can’t be a coincidence…

Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession—much to the concern of those around her. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely. But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home…

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

Mandie’s Thoughts

Its hard to believe that Bamburgh is book 19 in the DCI Ryan series as it only seems like yesterday that I picked up the first book Holy Island after being repeatedly stalked on my Kindle telling me to buy the book. Once again the investigations become personal for Ryan and the team but the main story is focused on DC Melanie Yates and finding out who was responsible for killing her sister Gemma fifteen years earlier. The book opens with the night that Gemma disappeared and the events that shaped Mel into who she is now and also goes some way to explain her actions.

If dealing with the cold case was not enough Ryan and Phillips are also having to deal with the death of the owner of a local B & B. Initially it was believed that Angela Bansbury had died accidentally from a fall down the stairs, but it was not long before they found themselves in the middle of a murder investigation with more than one potential suspect. When the body of Angela’s cleaner is found on the dunes behind Bamburgh Castle, Ryan doubles down on his determination to get to the bottom of the case. 

Mel is certainly heading down a dark road in this book as she battles with what she knows is the correct way for her sister’scase to be dealt with and her desire and need to find the killer herself and punish them for what the did to Gemma. Her attitude almost borders on the selfish to the point she risks alienating those who truly care for her, putting an end to her career and her life in danger. The chapters that deal with the aftermath of Gemma’s murder add more layers to Mel’s character and you have to wonder how she survived the aftermath. Unlike Mel, we know who the killer is early on and how they are manipulating her, even when she thinks she has the upper hand. For me the change to the normal way the killer is revealed actually added something to the story as we got to witness the cat and mouse chase that both of them believed they were in charge of, but it made the identity of the perpetrator no less shocking. 

As ever the lighter moments are provided by Frank Phillips,and I have to say I think despite having never seen a physical representation of the man my reaction to him and his foray into Lycra was exactly the same as that of Ryan. Having visited Bamburgh and the surrounding area quite a few times in recent years means that I can picture the locations with ease and just added to my enjoyment of the book. With Lady’s Well having just been published at least I know I don’t have long to wait to delve back into the world of Ryan and Co and that is always a good thing.

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 7 million copies worldwide.

“Mania” (the fourth book in her Dr Gregory series) was released in March 2022 and “Bamburgh” (the nineteenth book in her DCI Ryan 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 twenty two novels, all of which have been top three global bestsellers and most of which have been UK #1 bestsellers. Louise has garnered an army of loyal readers through her storytelling and, thanks to them, most 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 the fourth book was released in March 2022 (Mania). They were narrated in audio by the actors Hugh Dancy (Impostor & Hysteria) and Richard Armitage (Bedlam & Mania).