Bamburgh: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 19)

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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…

Northumberland has more medieval remains than any other county. It has Hadria n’s Wall. Abbeys. More than 70 Castles. Including one many know better as Hogwarts. It has heroes of Victorian Britain – Grace Darling, and Lord Armstrong, whose house at Cragside was the first in the world to be powered by hydroelectricity. In short, Northumberland has a whole lot of history and this book condenses it into a fabulous read. Buy Northumberland from the Romans to the Victorians Book Now on Kindle The Northumbrians: North-East England and Its People: A New History The sense of place is as keen as ever and the more I read, plus the more I visit the area in real life, I can easily picture the scene. It's nice to see Bamburgh and Bamburgh castle take centre stage after a previous series cameo as the castle in particular is such an iconic part of the county that it deserves its own nod. Characters are carefully and convincingly drawn and the pacing of the story is just right. Because of the two different threads the investigations are perhaps not as in depth or drawn out as they may have been in the past, but it works for this book and I think the balance is just about right. Northumberland: Including Newcastle, Hadrian’s Wall and the Coast (Bradt Slow Travel) – Updated in 2019 and includes 30 walks, chapters on Hadrian’s Wall, the coast and Northumberland National Park. > Buy this superb walks in Northumberland book now. Nonetheless, it is the vintage crime authors such as Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier, which have had the most influence on her work with her DCI Ryan Mysteries. After practicing law for nearly ten years in London, the stressful environment and the long hours began to take their toll.

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Alongside her work as an author, LJ is behind Read Write Walk North East, the Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Fiction and the Northern Photography Prize. The crime and investigation didn't grip me at first, but what held my attention was the fantastic characters. While I enjoyed Holy Island, I wasn't sure how I felt about the romance aspect of the story as I thought it felt a little abrupt. But 18 books later, Ryan and Anna's relationship is still going strong and I began to enjoy their chemistry much more easily.

I also felt really at home with the other characters, too. I absolutely loved the banter between Ryan and Phillips, and really enjoyed the way that Ryan supported the rest of his team and how they all came together to get this mystery solved. It didn't take me long to get on Ryan's side, and I was soon immersed in the investigation, too. There are some great twists along the way, and I also appreciated that the big reveal happened earlier on, allowing more progression regarding how this affected the characters involved, keeping you fully invested in their individual developments. Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

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As well as poor plot development, the team are beginning to get a bit irritating – and to have a Chief Constable who doesn’t question for one second, Ryan’s instructions (as good as he is) regarding another senior colleague, just seemed very lame. LJ Ross was only outsold by Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club and Matt Haig's Midnight Library, according to the BookStat top 25 for 2021. Finally, Francis, what makes you smile? Every day when I wake up and being with my family – canine and human. Walking the dogs along the beach in foul weather with a driving wind in my face and tasting the salt in the air and the dogs leaping through skuds of sea foam. Life is good. Set on the historic Holy Island otherwise known as Lindisfarne, “Holy Island” is a gripping novel that introduces Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. Ryan has retreated to Holy Island to recover from a tragic case that had a particularly bad effect on his psyche. A few days into his sabbatical, the tranquility is broken when the body of a young woman is discovered abandoned on the ruins of the nearby monastery buildings.

I've only previously read the first book in this series and I wouldn't have described myself as a fan yet. But consider me converted, as I really loved this latest instalment. We don’t see much of Anna in this book, but just how many bodies will this lady find? Or be in the middle of a mystery. Can we not have her in the book without being part of the case?! Bamburgh Castle is steeped in history, myths, and legends. Do you have a favourite tale associated with the castle? As someone who loves the sea and used to be a volunteer RNLI crew member with Seahouses Lifeboat, I’m very proud that the first ever lifeboat was commissioned and launched at Bamburgh by Dr John Sharp, a trustee at the Castle in 1786. Additionally, I’m also fascinated by Bamburgh Castle’s past as a royal citadel and home to the Anglo Saxon kings of Northumbria, which was the inspiration for Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom books and the TV series. They tell the saga of Uhtred, the English heir to Bebbanburg who was captured and raised by Danes and who is driven to regain Bebbanburg. While Cornwell’s Uhtred is fictional, there are parallels to a real life Uhtred in history who fought the Vikings. Every year a team of archaeologists from Bamburgh Research Project come to the castle to hunt for new evidence and finds to shed light on Bamburgh’s 3000 year old past. I had the pleasure of meeting Bernard Cornwell and his charming wife Judy several years ago. Bernard and I are both adopted. Bernard had found his blood father whose surname was Oughtred. Tracing his family tree, he discovered his descendent had been a Lord of Bamburgh Castle. As he had owned the castle through his bloodline, he joked that it should, by rights, belong to him. I told him he could have it – as long as he paid the heating and electric bills! The castle stayed in Armstrong hands! With a passion for writing and reading, a writing career seemed the most plausible way to express her creativity. The idea for the first novel in the series came while she was traveling to Edinburgh with her husband.There’s no shortage of books about the history of Northumberland – so we’ve focused on just a few that give you the history of some of her more famous residents and those which give an overall flavour of the history in an easy-to-read format. The Life of Grace Darling – John Harper and John Pagan An enjoyably light murder mystery with likeable characters and an atmospheric setting, Bamburgh is a fast-paced whodunnit strengthened by strong police procedural and lots of humorous dialogue. Meet some real-life heroes in my series of special interviews with people who represent the spirit and heart of the North East.

Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story to the DCI Ryan series and is available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong. The characters are, as always, fleshed out and given their own personalities. The storyline has two threads going on, only one of which I have mentioned above as this is the major tagline. The style is easy reading and the tension is built up towards the end of the novel. 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… Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession. 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…

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Northumberland has contributed immensely to British history and this book lays it all out, starting with the venerable Bede. Probably the most encompassing of the history of Northumberland books is the Northumbrians book is an easy-to-read book that covers a huge gamut of history and how Northumberland fits in. Buy the Northumbrians Book Now Northumbria: History and Identity 547-2000 Apart from the editing, which her husband proudly did, she did not have to pay anything, and was pleasantly surprised when the novel took off. She has been publishing as an Indie ever since. The DCI Ryan Mysteries are set in Northumberland, which is a region of England that the author is particularly familiar with, given that she grew up there. These are fast-paced mystery and murder novels peppered with a bit of romance and humor. 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… Concomitant with the hunt for Gemma’s killer (who is suspected to have left behind a string of victims over years), is the investigation into the suspicious death of a wealthy and popular old woman who owns a great deal of property and has left it to one of her loyal workers. Again, all good.