Holy Island cover art

Holy Island

The DCI Ryan Mysteries, Book 1

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Holy Island

By: LJ Ross
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

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.

Murder and mystery are peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set on the spectacular Northumbrian island of Lindisfarne, cut off from the English mainland by a tidal causeway.

©2015 L J Ross (P)2015 Audible, Ltd Cosy Crime Mystery Romance Romantic Suspense Murder Suspense Fiction

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Critic reviews

" Holy Island is a blockbuster." ( Daily Express)
All stars
Most relevant  
This is my second listen and the quality of the stories gets better and the everyday misogyny and workplace sexual harassment reduces significantly too. Can’t imagine the most recent Ryan commenting on how great a colleague’s bottom is or laughing at the idea of a woman having a PhD.

The books get better.

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Shallow characterisation, full of clichés with sloppy narrative. The plot wasn't too bad, but why not end it there?

What could LJ Ross have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not sure there's anything.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jonathan Keeble?

Yes. Jonathan Keeble did the best he could with substandard text.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

No.

cliche ridden and shallow

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If you are looking for an easy, enjoyable listen, then this book will not disappoint you. I would suggest that you read LJ Ross's book "The Infirmary" first, as this set the scene for this book and also the main character's in the DCI Ryan series.

Easy Listening

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3.5 stars!!!

Another audible detective series that I have found through my current audible addiction. Having read/listened to a lot of crime thrillers over the past few months I can appreciate that there were some obvious flaws in this book, however, it didn't detract from an enjoyable read that kept me listening while desperately waiting to see if DCI Ryan could catch this serial killer.

Yes, this book could have done with an editor, yes, there were Americanisms dotted throughout when this is set in the North of England, yes, there is an undercurrent of romance which is practically unheard of in a police procedural, and yes, there were a few glaring errors, but this was a debut indie author at the time and for a first timer, I thought she did incredibly well. Most of the crime thrillers I have read have come from a publishing house and as such, these niggles would have been caught with their extensive editing, but as I said above, I still enjoyed it, so much so I have downloaded the next book and have already started.

Set on Holy Island, this book deals with Pagan rituals and cults and while it possibly stretches most peoples realms of plausibility with an island residence of 200, sometimes these small communities could be caught in the dark ages and brainwashing between a few isn't a far stretch. Anyways, for me, this is fiction, a story and an author always has a right to exercise their imagination and artistic license. If you actually live on this island, yes, the glaring errors will probably irritate and if you are in the force, there may be some eye rolls here and there, but as a layperson reading for fun and enjoyment, it hit the spot for me.

DCI Ryan was a great character, one that the author gave a heart and conscience to while still trying to keep him professional. We think that police have these hard hearts that have seen and done every horrific thing imaginable, and yet can still remain aloof and pragmatic, but LJ Ross captured these peoples thoughts and emotions that humanised them.

Yes, the romantic scenes were a little cliche and Mills and Boonesque, but having looked at the authors profile she is not a writer by trade and I feel that this will come with experience. Romance and police procedural mixed didn't bother me, I love seeing that these people have a personal life and once again, this humanised her characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and as this authors experience grows I am sure I will see an improvement as this series gathers momentum and this author hits her stride.

A great debut

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loved the book it is different to what I normally read and looking forward to the next

good read

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Where does Holy Island rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best and I have listened to a LOT, easy to absorb.

What did you like best about this story?

Been to Holy island and know a bit about where things happened.

What does Jonathan Keeble bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He is REALLY good, changing characters to suit, very clever.

Excellent

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Author and narrator have a good bond with these story's, another thrilling and expertly told storyline , am looking for the next one .

Excellent

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A really good story, and the narrator is exceptional. I listened to this over two days on holiday, and have just downloaded the second book.

Brilliant Listen

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Firstly I need to clear something up: Paganism is NOT Satanism. Secondly, if you've seen Hot Fuzz you'll recognise the storyline and be able to predict the ending. The story is well written and the narration is great, but the portrayal of Pagans as Satanists is offensive, which is a disappointing start to an otherwise intriguing-sounding detective series.

Hot Fuzz without the humour

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It took me a while to feel any kind of connection with the main characters in this novel. I couldn’t decide whether Ryan had been a handsome Mills and Boone doctor in a previous life, and strong, independent Anna Taylor went weak at the knees all too easily. However, it did improve and by the half way mark I’d decided to plough on. As whodunnits go the who was pretty easy to guess, but there was a nice twist at the end. The narrator was good. I’ll persevere with the series - having heard the first chapter of the next book, I’ll give it a go.

Good narrator

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