Seven Bridges (DCI Ryan #8) by @LJRoss_author #Crime in Northumberland #BookReview #FridayReads

Author: LJ Ross

Kindle Edition

Category: Crime, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, Book Review

It’s been five months since a killer walked free and DCI Ryan is preparing to leave Newcastle to hunt him down – this time, for good. 

But Ryan’s plans are scuppered when events take a dramatic turn and he is forced to stay and face his past one last time, or watch a friend suffer the consequences. 

The prologue works well, going back ten years and giving the background to DCI Ryan’s toxic relationship with the woman who is now his boss.

In the previous book it was evident that Detective Chief Superintendent Jennifer Lewis had an agenda as far as Ryan was concerned, seeing herself as a woman scorned. Determined on revenge and to bring him down, she caused as much disruption to the team as she could.

Back in the present, Ryan and his wife, Anna, are celebrating their new home, sharing dinner with two of their closest friends, DS Frank Phillips and DI Denise MacKenzie when another close friend arrives unexpectedly, obviously in shock and with blood on his jacket. 

The man’s eyes were dark pools of misery, matched only by the silent heartbreak each of them felt as MacKenzie lead him towards the bathroom.

In addition to trying to help their friend, Ryan and his team are faced with bomb threats from someone calling himself The Alchemist. If the terrorist doesn’t get what he wants the fate of thousands of people and the bridges over the river Tyne are at stake. The first target is the Tyne Bridge and it’s literally a race against the clock to beat the midnight deadline set by the bomber.

I’ve loved this series from the first book, and Northumberland has become one of my favourite places. All due to a random choice for Rosie Amber’s Friday Five Challenge when the gorgeous cover of Holy Island caught my eye. The characters have developed and grown with each book into a tight knit team of likeable and realistic friends and colleagues. It’s always a pleasure to catch up with them. I also love how LJ Ross uses a particular landmark as the setting for each story, the descriptive prose painting a vivid picture.

The river undulated between the cities of Newcastle and Gateshead in waves of inky blue, all the way to the North Sea. The bridges spanning the river were illuminated by a series of enormous floodlights, reflected in the rippling water below. In the centre of it all, the Tyne Bridge rose in towering arches of bottle-green steel, a matriarch to six smaller bridges fanning out on either side in the space of a mile. 

The tightly woven plot is written extremely well, full of suspense and tension. There are enough red herrings and surprise twists to keep this reader from guessing anything correctly. Exciting action sequences contrast well with shock revelations and more touching moments and, as always, there are flashes of humour added into the mix. An unfinished thread from the previous story is touched on briefly, and it points to that being carried on in the next book. Looking forward to it!

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Goodreads 

LJ Ross is the author of the international #1 bestselling series of DCI Ryan mystery novels. Her debut, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and reached number one in the Amazon Kindle UK best sellers chart. Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and studied abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a regulatory lawyer for a number of years before taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write.

Now, she writes full time and lives with her husband and son in Northumberland. She enjoys reading all manner of books, travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Author links ~ Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads