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2000s: An island refuge, a dead body. Is the nightmare starting again?
Holy Island (DCI Ryan 1)
What you need to know before your trail
A body is found near to the beautiful and historic Lindisfarne Priory in Northumberland and the small and closed community are shocked that there is a killer in their midst.
DCI Ryan is already on the island, having been forced to take some leave from his job in homicide and so for him, this island is going to be his refuge for a while. He is determined to find out what happened to the dead girl and seeks the help of local pagan expert Anna Taylor. Anna now lives in Durham, having escaped the island for her own reasons.
On this gentle yet rugged island of Lindisfarne, there is a killer in plain sight. Small town politics and a reluctant community mix with pagan rituals and once the tide is in, you’re on your own…
Travel Guide
“Winter was an unforgiving time on Holy Island. Harsh Winds from the North Sea whipped through the cobbled streets and wove through the squat, stone cottages which huddled together as if for warmth”
The island of Lindisfarne, or Holy Island in Northumberland is spectacularly beautiful. Sitting out in the cold North Sea of the rocky and windswept Northumberland coast, this island is one of mysteries, tales of folklore and now, murder. There’s something about murder on an island that is particularly intriguing – no way out and the sense of isolation and fear when the water surrounds you and there’s a killer in your midsts.
When a body is found at the historic Lindisfarne Priory, history and murder come together. The tide was in so no outsiders could have committed the crime meaning that the locals are all suspects. DCI Ryan is the only outsider and in a tight knit and tightlipped community,
The scent of death may linger and this will only be the first time the killer strikes, but this horrific cruelty and suspicious pagan activity is enhanced and made even more horrific by the magical and mystical island scenery and setting. The blue light which illuminates nearby Bamburgh Castle, the way the wind howls its secret pain and the history of an island which is the real character in this novel
Streetview Maps
1) Lindisfarne Priory
5) The Lindisfarne Causeway
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer:
I picked this up as as soon I as I saw the front cover, I was hooked,. A location I’d never read much about although I’ve been many many times and so I just had to go there again via fiction. And the fact it was a local author who felt passionately about wanting to write her story I just had to read it. And I can so and utterly recommend this as the story is superb, the writing crisp and gripping, the plot gripping from the very first page. Excuse the cliche but Louise paints a stunning picture of the island with words, poetic at times of an island community and a policeman searching for the truth. I love the way she wove the threads of a few stories together at once, such as why DCI Ryan was there in the first place, why Anna and her sister were standoffish with each other. The history of the people as well as the mythical history of the island, the pagan links. There is an awful lot to get your teeth into here.
I get so excited when I find and love a new author like this. And what a find! Totally and utterly recommended. It’ll give you that new author and new book feeling too.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information:
Twitter: @ljross_author
Facebook: /LJRossAuthor
Web: ljrossauthor.com
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