Ryan's Christmas: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 15)

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The characters of Ryan and Anna each come with their own flaws, but come together and complement each other providing the reader with some humor along the way. Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story to the DCI Ryan series and is available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong. It was one of a few things that made me assume it was set in the 90s. Ryan's rented cottage had a fax machines, the crime scene photos were processed by the only photo lab on the island (yeah, you'd definitely send pictures of a bloodied corpse to Snappy Snaps, wouldn't you!). But the victim had an iphone and it later turned out that 15 years had elapsed since 1999. There's a half decent book struggling to get out of this but it's so riddled with faults, of so many different varieties, and with a story that is just entirely implausible.

Oh Anna. We get a lot of insight into Anna. Her thoughts, emotions and reactions. Except, we don't. She offers a few bland explanations, which a first year undergraduate or keen amateur historian would know. We know she has had a troubled - violent - childhood but we are left assuming that she is psychologically balanced and totally unaffected. We are given the impression she has a glittering academic career (established in just 8 years since leaving school) but we know absolutely nothing about her everyday life - does she have a flat, a pet, friends, hobbies. Nada. Having been annoyed by various parts of this story which seemed to belong in the group of male authors writing about depressed breasts, imagine my surprise when I discovered that L.J. Ross is, in fact, a woman. While male authors have been increasingly called out on such sexist writing as was portrayed in this novel, it made me wonder whether female authors are subjected to the same scrutiny. Or is it forgiven because the sexism is wrapped up in a cutesy romance with a HEA? The pressure grows on Ryan as senior investigating officer as he still has nightmares over his last case and the death he couldn't prevent. I loved how Ryan and Anna interact with each other. They both carry some baggage and have some issues but there is still a lot of humor between them. He has the need to be protective and she has a need for independence. It's fun watching them meet in the middle. This is a proper whodunnit that reminisces of Agatha Christie. I love the sense of isolation and that the murderer must be one of the small cast of characters within the house. Whilst it’s set at Christmas time, the festive spirit doesn’t really come into it until the end, ensuring that this can be read at anytime of the year.After a busy year fighting crime, DCI Ryan and his team of murder detectives are enjoying a festive season of goodwill, mulled wine and, in the case of DS Phillips, a stottie cake or two—that is, until a freak snowstorm forces their car off the main road and into the remote heart of Northumberland. Their Christmas spirit is soon tested when they’re forced to find shelter inside England’s most haunted castle, where they’re the uninvited guests at a ‘Candlelit Ghost Hunt’. It’s all fun and games—until one of the guests is murdered. It seems no mortal hand could have committed the crime, so Ryan and Co. must face the spectres living inside the castle walls to uncover the grisly truth, before another ghost joins their number… Look, people are entitled to enjoy any sort of rubbish with no regard to my opinion. In any case tastes vary, and I'm sure there is stuff I enjoy (or have done) that other people could rightly say is rubbish. I could understand a review that said 'I enjoyed it but noticed flaws and it's probably a 3.5 but as it's a debut novel I'll round it up to 4'. This is book 1 of a series, and I will definitely be reading book 2. I could stop there, but. . . I’ll give you the opening scene: Whilst Christmas may have come and gone, as it is still the coldest time of the year, this was the perfect book to snuggle up with. With freezing temperatures outside, there is nothing like being snug and warm on the inside, enjoying a good book. I like police procedurals and this one has a unique feel as DCI Ryan sets up his base in the front room of his holiday let.

In May 2021, Louise was shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association ‘Dagger in the Library’ award, which recognises an author’s entire body of work having been consistently enjoyed by library borrowers around the United Kingdom, and an author’s longstanding support of libraries. A fun and festive novella length story featuring characters we’ve come to know and love. Their forced stay at the castle sees them, along with six other guests, isolated and without transport, mobile signals or phone lines. With no way out of the castle, a murderer on the loose and a limited number of suspects, atmosphere, tension and suspense weave their way through the story. There are numerous characters, many of them suspects. Is there anyone who is trustworthy? Ross provides shadowy figures, and I never knew for certain who was speaking, since this was deliberately concealed. Just when I thought I might be onto something, there would be a new wrinkle. To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’. The story starts off with Ryan, Phillips and their partners all in good spirits until they get stranded due to the bad weather. I was quite envious of them to start with as they end up having to take shelter in a castle. The castle sounded fabulous and even the ghost stories about it being haunted, didn’t put me off in the slightest.I'm not even going to mention the romance aspect. The fact that it was inappropriate and unprofessional doesn't make it impossible, but given the various circumstances, it simply didn't ring true, and happened way too fast, at a time when both of them would be pre-occupied with the murders. The sex scenes seemed out of place, adding nothing to the storyline and being devoid of anything erotic. Some sane reviewers have referred to it negatively as 'Mills and Boon'! Ryan and Anna continue to remind me of me and my Steve. I love the romantic aspect of these books and an insight into the personal lives of these murder detectives. It makes them more real and relatable. Having read the series from the start, I do feel like I almost know these characters personally. I look forward to catching up with them all and I can’t wait for book 16!