Bamburgh: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 19)

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DC Melanie Yates who is also at this party, but when her name is mentioned, DS Frank Philips says that he is concerned about her and with good reason. But I confess to feeling disappointed that, yet again, this particular plot device and type of character was used. One of the previous books tried to clear the force, but still we found some rotten ones in the previous book.

When a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn't think much of it - except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body. The plots are solid, the countryside and other settings beautifully drawn and the characters – well, they’re what really make this series sing. Then another body turns up amongst the sand dunes at the base of the mighty castle fortress, and he decides it can’t be a coincidence! I'm a great admirer of L J Ross and have recommended her books to many friends and family but this was not one of her best. This time the reader was well aware of who the murderer was which put a different slant on the story.I kept thinking that the odds were astronomical that this one police station in all of England had three corrupt psychopaths as the DCS. The culprit of the cold case murder is revealed early on and is not suspected by “his fellow workers” till very near the end. two plot lines ran side by side - one was brilliant and very reminiscent of Agatha Christie set against the Bamburgh backdrop. However, there will be another story after this one so maybe that one will answer some of my lingering questions. When a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it—except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body.

The whole team are looking for the killer but Mel must stay in the background to not prejudice the case. Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession—much to the concern of those around her. What bothered me about this book (and I really loathe being critical because its so readable) is the fact it’s the third book in this fine series to use almost identical plot and character development to drive the story.As always there’s some great humour mixed in with the crime stories and this is one of my favourites in the series. In fact, when a new character was introduced, I had the fleeting thought, ‘oh, please don’t make this person behave like…’ Well, Ross did. Concomitant with the hunt for Gemma’s killer (who is suspected to have left behind a string of victims over years), is the investigation into the suspicious death of a wealthy and popular old woman who owns a great deal of property and has left it to one of her loyal workers. The two Murder plots are interesting- but I believe that the love and connection between the main characters makes this book so enjoyable.