Bamburgh: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 19)

Product Information

Francis, please can you tell us a bit about you and your connection with the North East? I’m Francis Watson-Armstrong. My ancestor is Sir William George Watson Armstrong, a visionary inventor, engineer and scientist who was known as the ‘Magician of the North’. He bought Bamburgh Castle in 1894 aged 84 and spent the remaining years of his live restoring the Castle into one of Britain’s finest coastal fortresses. Now it’s my job to look after his legacy and keep it in safe hands so it can be passed on to future generations and enjoyed by people the world over.

Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until 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 and Edinburgh. She enjoys reading all manner of books, painting, travelling and spending time with family and friends. It didn't take me long to get on Ryan's side, and I was soon immersed in the investigation, too. There are some great twists along the way, and I also appreciated that the big reveal happened earlier on, allowing more progression regarding how this affected the characters involved, keeping you fully invested in their individual developments. Finally, Francis, what makes you smile? Every day when I wake up and being with my family – canine and human. Walking the dogs along the beach in foul weather with a driving wind in my face and tasting the salt in the air and the dogs leaping through skuds of sea foam. Life is good. Concomitant with the hunt for Gemma’s killer (who is suspected to have left behind a string of victims over years), is the investigation into the suspicious death of a wealthy and popular old woman who owns a great deal of property and has left it to one of her loyal workers. Again, all good.I've only previously read the first book in this series and I wouldn't have described myself as a fan yet. But consider me converted, as I really loved this latest instalment. 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.

Sounds like a great route! Do you have one favourite shop or business you think everyone should know about? Cubby’s the newsagents in Seahouses. I go there every morning to collect the papers. Come rain or shine the people there are always happy to chat and smiley. My wife Claire and I like to eat at The White Swan at Warenford. It is very down to earth with good food and friendly people. The bar is always full of locals and visitors rubbing shoulders. Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely. But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home… Is there one place you always like to visit that you would recommend to others? I love motorcycling. One of my favourite routes takes me along the Wooler to Chatton Road. I always stop and pull over above the hill from Weetwood Bridge to take in the views across the River Till, a tributary of the River Tweed, and the Hortons. I like the view and the tranquility just listening to the birdsong as you look across to Cheviot. Set on the historic Holy Island otherwise known as Lindisfarne, “Holy Island” is a gripping novel that introduces Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. Ryan has retreated to Holy Island to recover from a tragic case that had a particularly bad effect on his psyche. A few days into his sabbatical, the tranquility is broken when the body of a young woman is discovered abandoned on the ruins of the nearby monastery buildings. In this interview, Francis tells us about his childhood at Bamburgh Castle, his North East heroes, and more…

CONTACT

While she will always be a northerner at heart, she currently lives with her husband and their son in Bath on the outskirts of London where she spends her days writing her detective mysteries. Ross loved books from a very early age when she would find old books from her mother’s chest that she would staple and illustrate during her middle school years. Even as she has a varied taste in the types of novels that she reads, and will not mind reading the odd women’s fiction or a romance. The crime and investigation didn't grip me at first, but what held my attention was the fantastic characters. While I enjoyed Holy Island, I wasn't sure how I felt about the romance aspect of the story as I thought it felt a little abrupt. But 18 books later, Ryan and Anna's relationship is still going strong and I began to enjoy their chemistry much more easily. Often the spirit of a location comes alive with the biographical detail, we’ve collated our favourite books of a biographical nature about Northumberland. 1. To the Island of Tides: A Journey to Lindisfarne – Alistair Moffat

LJ Ross was only outsold by Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club and Matt Haig's Midnight Library, according to the BookStat top 25 for 2021.It’s often said that the people and landscapes of the North East are full of ‘spirit’ and ‘heart’. Tell us, what do you love most about the region? Northumberland has it all. I love the mountains, the sea, the rawness and the diversity of it all. It’s like nothing else. The people are like the landscape – they’re resilient but there’s an openness and friendliness about them. And oh.. how could I forget Doctor Alex Gregory. It was good to see you again. Only wish there were more scenes with him and Ryan. But it was equally good to see him and Mac working together. When an old woman dies at her home in the sleep village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it―except for the small matter of it being his wife who happened to find her body. Apart from the editing, which her husband proudly did, she did not have to pay anything, and was pleasantly surprised when the novel took off. She has been publishing as an Indie ever since. The DCI Ryan Mysteries are set in Northumberland, which is a region of England that the author is particularly familiar with, given that she grew up there. These are fast-paced mystery and murder novels peppered with a bit of romance and humor.

Northumberland: Including Newcastle, Hadrian’s Wall and the Coast (Bradt Slow Travel) – Updated in 2019 and includes 30 walks, chapters on Hadrian’s Wall, the coast and Northumberland National Park. > Buy this superb walks in Northumberland book now. We don’t see much of Anna in this book, but just how many bodies will this lady find? Or be in the middle of a mystery. Can we not have her in the book without being part of the case?! The main case on which the title is based was interesting but got lost because of the other one. It almost felt like an afterthought since there was lesser focus on it. I did not feel really invested in it. Of course, Northumberland is covered in most of the major travel books, with small sections, but when it comes to specific books on travelling in Northumberland here are your best options Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession—much to the concern of those around her. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely. But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home…Coming to the force, is it so filled with bad coppers? One of the previous books tried to clear the force, but still we found some rotten ones in the previous book. And yet another murderous DCS in this one. Come on! What is this? The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher’s position. The author even goes to call the position cursed towards the end of the book. When I started this series, I loved how the books built up to be one big conspiracy, wonderfully connected. LJ Ross said: "I feel especially grateful to my readership for their unstinting loyalty even 18 books into that series. I'm especially proud as an indie author and publisher who did not have anywhere near the same marketing spend as those placed #1 and #2 (or indeed the majority of the others on that list) who belonged to major publishing houses. The first novel in her Alexander Gregory Thrillers series, Impostor, was shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2020: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year. The audiobook of Impostor, narrated by Hugh Dancy, was also selected as a finalist in the New York Festivals Radio Awards, Best Fiction Audiobook of the Year Category.