I’m absolutely over the moon to be writing this review for Cragside, number 6 in the DCI Ryan series by L J Ross. Having read/listened to them all but only reviewing the first two I couldn’t wait to get this review written so books 3,4 & 5 will be reviewed soon.
About the book
Are you afraid of the dark..?
After his climactic battle with notorious serial killer The Hacker, DCI Ryan is spending the summer with his fiancée within the grounds of Cragside, a spectacular Bavarian-style mansion surrounded by acres of woodland. When they are invited to attend the staff summer party – a Victorian murder mystery evening – it’s all a joke until the lights go out and an elderly man is found dead. It looks like an unfortunate accident but, as the dead man’s life begins to unfold, Ryan and his team of detectives realise that all is not as it appears.
When a second body is found, terror grips the close-knit community and Ryan must uncover the killer who walks among them, before they strike again…
Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.
Released 10th July 2017 and available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk
My thoughts
In the sixth DCI Ryan mystery the setting is the beautiful Cragside, we’re back with Ryan and Anna who are living in a cottage on the Cragside estate. Invited to a Victorian style murder mystery party, what should be a fun evening ends up being a real life murder mystery and Ryan finds himself in the thick of it again.
I seriously have a soft spot for Ryan, he’s a gentleman and obviously rather dishy too. I’m really enjoying following his story and his relationship with Anna (even if I’m a wee bit jealous of her). They do make a good couple though as do Phillips and Mackenzie, they’ve all been through a lot in the series and it’s lovely how they all stick together and look out for each other. In Cragside we get to find out a bit more about Lowerson and Yates as well and I’m really looking forward to seeing more from them in the future. I feel like I’ve really gotten to know these characters over this series, they’re so realistic and you can’t help caring for them.
I just love the settings for all the books in the series and it’s exciting to see what location will come up next, and it’s guaranteed after I’ve read the book I’ll want to go visit. Cragside sounds like a beautiful place, even though Ryan and his team are investigating a murder Ross still manages to bring Cragside alive and sound wonderful, I could really visualise the surroundings as if I was there inside the book.
Cragside has a bit of everything, it’s essentially a crime book but there’s also humour, a touch of romance and I would recommend having a hanky at your side as I’ll admit I did get a tad emotional. It has twists and turns and enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Oh how I just love this series, honestly each book just seems to get better and better. It’s like catching up with old friends and Ross writes in a way that just absorbs you, really draws you in and before you know it you’re at the end of the book. I’m so looking forward to book seven.
I would highly recommend reading this series from the beginning. Cragside could be read on it’s own but you’d miss the back story of the characters and each book is just brilliant and definitely worth reading. I’m sad I can only give this book 5 stars, who came up with that silly rating system?
Hugely highly recommended by It’s all about the books.
A massive thanks goes to L J Ross for the copy.
The whole series can be purchased from Amazon on the links below.
It's all about the books 