Why a Booktrail?
2000s: DCI Ryan’s latest case takes in some unique Northumbrian history
Penshaw
What you need to know before your trail
When you sell your soul, the devil gives no refunds…
When an old man is burned alive in a sleepy ex-mining village, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is called in to investigate. He soon discovers that, beneath the facade of a close-knit community, the burn from decades-old betrayal still smoulders. When everyone had a motive, can he unravel the secrets of the past before the killer strikes again?
Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, trouble is brewing with rumours of a mole in Ryan’s department. With everyone under suspicion, can he count on anybody but himself?
Locations
Reset- North East England - Sunderland
- A: Penshaw
- B: Penshaw Village
- C: Herrington Park
- D: Lambton Worm pub
- Northumberland
- E: Elsdon
- North East England - Newcastle
- F: Heaton
- G: Northumbria Police Force Headquarters - Middle Engine Lane Police Station
Travel Guide
Travel and explore Penshaw with DCI Ryan
The novel opens in the midst of the Miners strike in the mid 1980’s which was a major time of controversy, fear and violence in the North East of England. There were several collieries in and around the North East, shut down by the then PM Margaret Thatcher and this is alluded to in the novel for the devastating impact this had on the industry and the families of the region. Workers lost their jobs, there were strikes which turned violent and people felt abandoned and forgotten. A scar on the landscape – that is the legacy this novel bears out.
Penshaw
Herrington Park is the setting of the fictional colliery in the novel. Overlooking it is the famous Penshaw Monument. It was built in 1844 in memory of John George Lambton, the first Earl of Durham. There’s some very fine views to be had from the top; well it is 30 metres (98 ft) long, 16 metres (52 ft) wide and 20 metres (66 ft) high.!
Lambton Worm
The stepped shape of Penshaw Hill is said to be due to local legend – the Lambton Worm. The giant monster is said to have wrapped itself around the hill ten times giving the hill its shape. There’s songs about it and a local pub named after it.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Penshaw (DCI Ryan 13)
Destination: Northumberland, Penshaw, Newcastle, Sunderland Author/guide: L J Ross Departure Time: 2000s
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