FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOLY ISLAND AND SYCAMORE GAPThe hunter becomes the hunted… name. But soon, more than his career is at stake when prominent members of the mysterious ‘Circle’ begin to die. Somebody wants Ryan’s name to be next on the coroner’s list and to survive he must unmask the devil who walks among them – before it is too late.
Unfortunately for Ryan, the devil looks just like everybody else…
Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit from LJ Ross, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.
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I have definitely become a fan of this series. I came to it late – with the sixteenth book – but I enjoyed that one so much that I’ve been reading the earlier books. I’m skipping all around in the series, so I can assure you that you can read each book as a standalone. The characters are consistent from book-to-book, and references are made to happenings in previous books, but you don’t have to have read those books in order to enjoy the book you are reading. The books are basically police procedurals, but the crimes are definitely of the sensational variety – as in cults, psychotic murderers, etc.
I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the narration. I like the narrator’s smooth voice, but all of his accents – English, Irish, Scottish, etc. all seemed to sound the same. He also used guttural voices to accentuate the accents and I didn’t feel that helped at all. His delivery was well-paced.
The heinous cult, The Circle, is back and strange things are happening. The Circle has tentacles in every profession and walk of life – at every level. You never know if the person with whom you are speaking is a member of The Circle or not. That means Ryan and his team have to tread very carefully and keep everything tightly contained within their single team. Heaven only knows how many members of CID are also members of The Circle. They are pretty sure of one, Detective Chief Superintendent Arthur Gregson, but does it go even higher than him?
DCI Ryan is on administrative leave after the events of the last case. DCS Gregson is bound and determined to see Ryan lose his job over these trumped-up charges. Can he do it? Ryan’s hearing will come up soon, but in the meantime, he’s totally sidelined. When Ryan is discovered at the scene of a murder, with blood on his hands, he becomes the chief suspect in that as well. Well – he’s DCS Gregson’s chief suspect – Ryan’s team knows he isn’t guilty.
When more murders happen, and Gregson himself is attacked, things really get busy. It will take Ryan and all of his team’s best efforts – with the help of Dr. Anna Taylor – to finally put an end to The Circle and all of the misery associated with it.
The ending was exciting and all of the explanations wrapped up the loose ends. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
When DCI Ryan receives a text message urging him to the isolated church of Heavenfield, he finds himself in the spotlight as a possible murder suspect.
Suspended from CID, Ryan not only has to clear his name, but work out who is pulling the strings in the mysterious ‘Circle’ before anyone else is murdered. But with a distinct lack of clues to the identity of the evil individual, can he track down the controlling force before the malevolent group decide to get rid of him for good?
Against the backdrop of Northumberland’s ancient edifices, Louise Ross continues the story which began with ‘Holy Island’, setting up a twisted puzzle for DCI Ryan to unravel. As with the previous two books, Ms Ross weaves a clever plot, dropping clues and little mysteries everywhere, leaving the reader trying to join the dots. The story whips along at a cracking pace leading to a conclusion I didn’t see coming (even though it should have been obvious – damn you, Ross, with your smart plotting!)
Another winner from a highly talented author.
I love all LJ Ross’s novels. Her characters are terrific. Shame I’ve nearly caught up with all the books in this series.
The beauty of a series is getting to know the main characters a little better with each book. In Heavenfield it’s the way the main characters come together and rally round DCI Ryan that lifts a story where there’s so much going on. He’s under attack from ‘The Circle’, whose members seem to be ruthlessly purging anyone who threatens their existence or exposure.
The events in this story have been brewing in the previous two books and lead to an intense and complex plot with many threads and a rather neat twist at the end.
Hats off to the author for keeping so many plates spinning. At times it felt like there was too much going on, diluting the tension, but the thrilling climax more than made up for this.
I love the atmospheric locations, the sinister backstory and the engaging central characters, all wrapped up in some great writing that makes for exciting and dramatic stories that are an absolute pleasure to read.