Just Read… Cragside, by LJ Ross

Not read. Listened to.

Are you afraid of the dark..?

After his climactic battle with notorious serial killer The Hacker, DCI Ryan is spending the summer with his fiancée within the grounds of Cragside, a spectacular Bavarian-style mansion surrounded by acres of woodland. When they are invited to attend the staff summer party – a Victorian murder mystery evening – it’s all a joke until the lights go out and an elderly man is found dead. It looks like an unfortunate accident but, as the dead man’s life begins to unfold, Ryan and his team of detectives realise that all is not as it appears.

When a second body is found, terror grips the close-knit community and Ryan must uncover the killer who walks among them, before they strike again…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. 

This is book 6 in the DCI Ryan mystery series, and although there is some backstory here (e.g. The Hacker and the ongoing consequences of dealing with him) it can be read as a standalone.

I enjoyed this book and the narration, by Jonathan Keeble, is spot on. Set in a stately home, there’s a bit of a feel of a classic detective story here, and indeed a number of the characters involved are not necessarily who they portray themselves as.

There are plenty of twists and turns and the story develops nicely. In fact, I’d forgotten the prologue until we were getting towards the end, and of course that was a key part of the tale (not that that snippet will help you solve the murder!).

All in all, a great (and satisfying) read.