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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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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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
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The first in the Ryan Series, and this story really sets the tone for the later books. A superb blend of intrigue,action and suspense. In this instance, Ryan investigates some ritualistic killings on the island of Lindesfarne.
DCI Ryan is a very likeable lead character, but hes very much backed up with a good range of interesting characters - such as his trusty sidekick Phillips, and the smart, knowledgeable Anna.
I can't recommend this series enough, and Jonathan Keeble's portrayal of the characters is brilliant.

LJ Ross delivers the goods...

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Would you try another book written by LJ Ross or narrated by Jonathan Keeble?

The narrator sounded to me like Captain Mainwaring off dads army which spoiled the whole thing as I kept seeing his ridiculous face.

Would you recommend Holy Island to your friends? Why or why not?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of Jonathan Keeble’s performances?

No

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

No

Any additional comments?

No

Predictable and slightly boring - I kept pausing

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I just love the country/coastline around Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island and therefore it was the setting for this book that first caught my attention. I was impressed by the reviews too and I can confirm that all those 5 stars are thoroughly well earned. Det Chief Inspector Ryan is a great character - tall dark and handsome as opposed to being a shambolic looser and yet with enough flaws in his character to make him utterly charming. I cannot agree with the reviewer who dislikes the 'Mills and Boon' content as the love interest in the book is incredibly convincing and really quite sweet. The plot does just go a tad over the top but the whole is so good one can overlook that. The characters are well drawn, there are some beautiful little comic one liners to keep it grounded and the dialogue is some of the most natural I've seen for sometime. Incredibly well read with a huge array of voices and accents that left you in no doubt who was speaking. I wonder if anyone else is as fascinated as I by the SCO who sounds just like Alan Bennett!! Can thoroughly recommend and am just going to download No. 2.

A series that shows tremendous promise

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

Quite liked the overall story line but lost interest because of the excessive amount of time spent on the love interest angle which was very dated angle, a bit Mills and Boon style.

Would you recommend Holy Island to your friends? Why or why not?

No. It's a bit too sexist for the company I keep

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

No that's fine.

Could you see Holy Island being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Probably, it's a soap opera .

Any additional comments?

A rather dated approach.

Too Mills and Boon

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The story began in a promising fashion but then the 'love interest' came in for the detective and ruined it. I don't object to love interests for detectives but when the phasing becomes akin to Mills and Boon then it's not the type of book I listen too.The author also describes everything in minute detail, nothing is inferred or left to your imagination. He tells you everything the main characters are feeling in every interaction and describes every facial expression.I gave up on the book after the second murder and the minutiae became too much for me. It's a shame really because the basic story is good.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was okay but a couple of the voices were a bit weird

Was Holy Island worth the listening time?

Unfortunatly not

Mills and Boon Detective Story

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