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2000s: There’s a killer inside all of us…
2000s: There’s a killer inside all of us…
After an elite criminal profiling unit is shut down amidst a storm of scandal and mismanagement, only one person emerges unscathed. Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory has a reputation for being able to step inside the darkest minds to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden there and, soon enough, he finds himself drawn into the murky world of murder investigation.
In the beautiful hills of County Mayo, Ireland, a killer is on the loose. Panic has a stranglehold on its rural community and the Garda are running out of time. Gregory has sworn to follow a quiet life but, when the call comes, can he refuse to help their desperate search for justice?
Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst the spectacular Irish landscape.
L J Ross moves to Ireland. Well not quite, but her new characters do in this fine new series. Her new protagonist Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory actually works in London but is sent over to Country Mayo to investigate a serial killer.
Some of the places in the novel are fictional (for obvious reasons) and the main town is called Ballyfinny which you have to admit, sounds very real. There;’s plenty of places it could be based on and is somewhere close to Castlebar (which IS real) as the Garda from here come to investigate the cases.
Ballyfinny does sound nice though (apart from the killings natch) There’s a castle, a castle hotel which sounds divine and an abbey! Castlebar is not so big but there’s the sense of a small Irish town.
Ballyfinney:
” Ballyfinny was quintessentially Irish; a small, stone-built haven with an enormous abbey church far too big for the population thereabouts, a white-washed pub by the name of ‘O’Feeney’s’, and any number of tea rooms set back from the cobble-stoned streets that were presently swollen with people in varying shades of black, grey and navy blue.”
The culture and scenery of Ireland is nicely evoked and the setting, coupled with the horrors of a serial killer makes for an interesting contrast. This isn’t a major city but this is a major crime! It seems too nice for something awful to happen here.
Back in England, there’s mention of a fictional hospital in London where Gregory works but there is no Southmoor Hospital in real life for obvious reasons.
You know when a top author writes a new series with a new characters and a totally new setting (where setting has in the past been key) and you wonder if this new series is going to have that same charm and interest?
Well you will not be disappointed. L J Ross has moved to County Mayo (well not really but the first in the new series is set here)
It’s gripping, it’s exciting with a fresh premise and a great lead character. LOTS to like here. The writing is as effortless as ever and the characters are those you immediately care about and invest in.
Out in October but put this cracking new series on your wish list!
Destination: County Mayo, Castlebar Author/guide: L J Ross Departure Time: 2000s
Back to Results1920s: Inspired by a true story – They knew they were changing history. They didn’t know they would change each other.
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