Holy Island by LJ Ross

I received a copy of Holy Island free of charge from the author, in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Holy Island is set on the quiet Northumbrian island of Lindisfarne, where most of the inhabitants have lived there all their lives and know each other well. When the body of Lucy Mathieson is discovered on The Priory, the whole island is left stunned and speechless. No outsiders were able to access or leave the island during the time of death due to the tides, which meant that it had to be one of the locals ...but which one and why? Detective Chief Inspector Ryan has been taking some time out after a major case and found himself hiding away on Holy Island, putting himself in the perfect place to head the murder investigation. Lucys' death wreaks of some form of pagan ritual so Dr Anna Taylor is called in to help police with their inquiries. Anna was originally from the island but left years ago to free herself from her past, and indulge in a new beginning. Coming home brings back many bad memories for Anna which she has to overcome, including meeting up with the sister she never really got along with. There is an instant attraction between Anna & DCI Ryan but will they take things further during such an important investigation? I'll leave that for you to find out!

I'm always a bit dubious when I pick up a new crime novel, especially one which has be gifted to me for review, as it's one of my favourite genres and I have pretty high expectations. What I'd seen and heard about this book really piqued my interest, and I'm so glad it did! This isn't a book which had me gripped from the beginning as such, but it did spark a curiosity which meant that I needed to know more.
Ross has an excellent use of vocabulary and manages to give a deep insight into each character without giving too much away at the same time. As a reader, I was quite overcome with emotion at some points of the book and found myself pulling the odd face as descriptions of the murder were revealed ....even the odd shocked expression! Ross writes with great passion and I have to say that I loved every bit of this story and the clever way in which it all came together. I find that as I read, I tend to try and predict what the outcome will be but this had me guessing all the way through and each time I thought I had it sussed, another spanner was thrown in the works. I seriously loved the ending ....nothing could have prepared me for it which is one reason why I'd highly recommend this as a crime novel. It has everything ......love, murder, mystery, suspense, it's all there!
I can't wait for her second novel to be released and look forward to reading it.

Want to get your hands on a copy? Of course you do and it's available for kindle as well as paperback!
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
If you want to know more you can .....
Follow on Twitter
Like on Facebook
Follow on Goodreads
Check out http://www.ljrossauthor.com/

About the Author

Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, LJ Ross moved to London where she graduated from King's College London with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Law. After working in the City as a regulatory lawyer for a number of years, she realised it was high time for a change. The catalyst was the birth of her son, which forced her to take a break from the legal world and find time for some of the detective stories which had been percolating for a while and finally demanded to be written. 

She lives with her husband and young son in the south of England, but will always be a northern girl at heart.

Her first book, "Holy Island", has consistently been listed as an Amazon bestseller since its release in January 2015 and hit the Amazon UK Kindle #1 position in May 2015. She is currently working on the next book in the DCI Ryan series, "Sycamore Gap", which is due to be released on 12th September 2015.