Holy Island by L.J. Ross #audiblereview @LJRoss_author

About the book

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

Available to purchase on amazon

Kindle edition or  Audible Download

My thoughts

This book had been on my list to read for a while and evenings seem to be the only chance I get to read books so I decided I’d download Holy Island on Audible. Hey presto I was on my way to falling in love with DCI Ryan while I was doing my housework or out walking.

Narrated by Jonathan Keeble, this was an easy story to listen to. Keeble has a voice that transports you to the setting and I found myself totally absorbed in the story.

This being the first book in the series we are introduced to DCI Ryan who is staying on Holy Island, taking a sabbatical from his duties as homicide detective. Just before Christmas a body is discovered and Ryan finds himself thrown into a murder investigation.

I really warmed to Ryan, he’s a quiet man, determined and a gentleman. He’s troubled though and slowly throughout the story we find out why. As he begins to investigate a number of his team arrive to help and Dr Anna Taylor a former resident is called in as a police consultant.

The setting is wonderful, Holy Island also known as Lindisfarne sits on the coast of Northumberland which isn’t too far away from me. I love when a story is set in a real place and one I plan on visiting over the summer.

I was surprised this was a debut novel, the plot is fantastic with murder, mystery and a religious theme running through it. L.J.Ross certainly has done a lot of research for this book and it shows. I got so engrossed in the story I actually did a massive pile of ironing while I was listening and flew through it. Honestly if you hate ironing as much as me then get listening to this book, you’ll have that pile done in no time.

Holy Island really is an exciting start to new series, it gave me chills at times and at some points I could feel the hairs bristle on the back of my neck. Full of characters you can really warm to and some that would have you running for the hills. This is definitely a book I will be recommending.