Thursday 13 July 2017

Cragside by L.J. Ross @LJRoss_author #Review

About the book

FROM THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ‘HOLY ISLAND’

You can never escape the past…

After his climactic battle with notorious serial killer ‘The Hacker’, DCI Ryan is spending the summer with his fiancée within the spectacular grounds of Cragside, a Bavarian-style mansion nestled within acres of woodland in Northumberland. Accepted into the estate’s community, 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 volunteer is found dead at the foot of a stairwell. It looks like an accident but, as the dead man’s life begins to unfold a web of corruption, Ryan and his team of detectives realise all is not what it seems.

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

Buy Link



My Review

First of all I have to gush a little over the cover I love the contrast of the black with the purple background. So let's see what I thought about the book...

This is the first book that I have read in the DCI Ryan Mysteries and I really must have been living under a rock or something with it being book 6. A small part of me did wonder if I would be able to pick up Cragside and follow everything. However as soon as I started reading it's safe to say that I was hooked. Events from the previous book are mentioned and they are done in a way that let me understand what happened but not in an overly descriptive way that it managed to interrupt the flow of this story.

It was so easy to get caught up in both the story and the investigation, everything just moves smoothly and quickly. There are a few characters to follow but they all differ in personalities so it's easy to get to know them as individuals. Ryan is strong and determined along with taking the care and time to look at things more closely. He is written in a way where I couldn't help but like him. The team is close knit and this was great to see I always enjoy a story more if I can feel a connection with the characters and this book is a perfect example of this.

The story moves fast with the death occurring near the beginning and then events move even more quickly as revelations are made. With the addition of a bit of romance I'm sure it will make the book appeal to everyone as well as crime/mystery readers. I liked how L J Ross describes the victims it is straight forward and to the point. This continues through the book and I loved her writing style it felt down to earth and made the story even more addictive for me. I really must find the time to go back and devour the entire series as I think I may have found my new favourite crime series!

Cragside has all the elements of an old fashioned mystery but with a darker edge that I loved!

Five stars from me!

With thanks to LJ Ross for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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