Wednesday 30 October 2019

Book Review ~ Imposter by L J Ross


48421055. sy475
Dark Skies Publishing
31 October 2019

My thanks to the author and The Book Trail for my copy of this book


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.

What did I think about it..

When a violent murder devastates Ballyfinny, a small Irish community, Dr Alexander Gregory is drafted in to prepare a psychological profile of the murderer in the hope of bringing the investigation to a swift conclusion. Doctor Gregory is initially viewed with suspicion by the locals as they are distrustful of a doctor who has come all the way from London to delve into their deepest, darkest secrets.

The suspicion of a small community as they look inwards to see who amongst them could be the perpetrator is done with a fine eye for detail, and as individual personality traits come alive so there are a few characters who stand out from the crowd, both in terms of where they stand with the investigation, and also in the strength of their connection to the crime.

The story gets off to a really strong start and there is much to take in, both in terms of plot and malice, and I think that the author does a great job in bringing together all the complicated clues which together form this fast moving crime thriller. The writing flows easily and there are more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. So many times I thought that I had the perpetrator sussed only for the story to veer off in another exciting direction, and I was completely wrong in the end!

Imposter is the first book in a proposed new series which feature Alexander Gregory's skill as a psychologist and it has been fascinating, in this first novel, to learn a little bit about the man himself. He's quite an enigmatic character, supremely flawed like all good crime sleuths, and yet Gregory also has the ability to draw people out of themselves and can glean information from even the smallest of clues. He also has a deep understanding of what makes people act in the way they do, and the reason for his astute observation of the vagaries of human nature become apparent as the story progresses.

I've really enjoyed spending time in County Mayo with this clever criminal psychological, and can only see this new series going from strength to strength in future crime thrillers.



✨ Imposter is published in ebook and paperback on the 31 October 2019  




L.J. Ross is the author of the international bestselling series of DCI Ryan mystery novels. Her debut, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and reached number one in the Amazon Kindle UK bestsellers chart.

LJ Ross was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King's College, University of London and studied abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a regulatory 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 Bath. 

Imposter is the first book in the Alexander Gregory series of crime thrillers. 



Twitter @LJRoss_author







No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for taking the time to comment - Jaffareadstoo appreciates your interest.