Longstone (DCI Ryan Mysteries #10) by L. J. Ross @LJRoss_author #Review

 

About the book

Between the devil and the deep blue sea…

Viking treasure is discovered beneath the icy waters of the North Sea and local historian Doctor Anna Taylor is called in to help catalogue the most exciting hoard in living memory. But when a shipwreck diver washes up dead, she’s soon out of her depth. Luckily, she knows just the person to call…

When DCI Ryan arrives at the picturesque fishing town of Seahouses, he’s faced with an impenetrable wall of secrets and lies. As he juggles marine archaeology and the cutthroat world of shipwreck diving, another murder blows the case wide open. To uncover the truth, Ryan must delve deeper into the hearts of those around him to find what lies beneath…

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

Longstone is available to purchase now – Amazon

My thoughts

Every time I finish reading a DCI Ryan book I’m lost for words, this series is an absolute favourite of mine and I just know my review could never do it justice but I’ll try.

We’re now onto the tenth book, yes you read that right, the TENTH book in the series and I can honestly say they just keep getting better and better. I didn’t get round to reading it as quickly as I would have liked when it was first released but when I did eventually get to it I couldn’t stop, it was like being back with the old friends.

Anyone who is a fan of this series knows that each book is set in a different location around Northumbria and in Longstone we’re taken to the beautiful seaside town of Seahouses as well as the Farne Islands and it’s honestly like you are there alongside the cast. I’ve been to Seahouses a couple of times, a long time ago, but even if you haven’t visited any of the areas you come away feeling like you have, the descriptions are vivid but not overpowering and the author really knows how to set a scene beautifully and after reading I always want to go and visit and I will one day, soon.

In Longstone DCI Ryan is called in after a body is found washed up and it’s soon discovered it belongs to an expert marine archaeologist who phoned Ryan’s wife, historian Doctor Anna Taylor the day previously about a great discovery. Everyone is shocked in the small town and it soon becomes apparent that many in the community have secrets to hide which makes things just a little difficult for Ryan and his team.

I’ve really grown to care for the characters in this series and enjoy the mix of work and personal life but in Longstone it was more work we read about for these characters and the locals stand out more on the personal front. Gemma and Hutch being two that really stood out for me and I really liked them. Hutch has held a torch for his brothers girlfriend Gemma most of his life and I felt quite sad for him as you could see how deeply he cared for her and her son.

Longstone is a superb mystery, it took me no time to read it as with the other books in the series, once I started I just couldn’t put it down. There is always such a realness to these stories, it’s almost as if it could be happening and you’re a part of it and I love trying to figure out the who’s, the why’s and the what for but I was quite stumped and hugely surprised with Longstone. I’ll not say anymore on that matter.

So if you haven’t read any of the series yet then I definitely highly recommend it, like I said previously it is one of my favourites and I’m so pleased the author doesn’t keep us waiting too long for the next instalment, I need by DCI Ryan fix (swoon).