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stormlightreader 's review for:
High Force
by L.J. Ross
I've read the first 5 DCI Ryan books in fairly quick succession and book 5 was another great instalment. The books being set in North East England adds so much appeal to each book and living in the north East makes it so easy to visualise the scenes and makes the books feel even cosier.
High Force picks up right where Angel (book 4) left off, with MacKenzie being held captive by serial killer, Kier Edwards. Phillips is at the forefront of this book (understandably), whereas Lowerson had his chance to shine in the previous book. Getting to know more about these supporting characters has been really enjoyable and really fleshes out Ryan's team. High Force is fast-paced and involves many of the main characters. I enjoyed this book so much because I anticipated the showdown between Ryan and his sister's killer at some point and Edwards really lived up to his reputation. He was really controlled and quite self aware, which made him a much more daunting antagonist. The outcome was satisfying in some ways and frustrating in others. Anna's involvement in the final scene was so frustrating. I questioned Anna's involvement throughout the entire book, especially in the later part of the book, following Phillips' suspension, but this final involvement was predictable and yet still infuriated me. I appreciated her history knowledge and how her expertise could bridge the gap between some of the Northumberland CID team's knowledge. However, her insistence on involving herself in the showdown and potentially putting people at risk was exasperating. Nobody else needed to be put as risk in this situation. Why, Anna? Why?! The ending was quite abrupt and left a couple of questions unanswered but as I am reading these on Kindle Unlimited, I'm not too stressed, as I have the next book right there. This book is pretty much the second part of Angel and you definitely need to read Angel to get the full effect of the story.
The only reason this wasn't 5 stars is due to minor irritations with some of the dialogue and mindset of some of the characters regarding whether it is appropriate for a man to cry and the reader being reminded several times per book that Ryan is good looking. Nevertheless, I love the North East-isms e.g. referring to a Full English breakfast as the ‘Full Geordie’. The banter is great!
High Force picks up right where Angel (book 4) left off, with MacKenzie being held captive by serial killer, Kier Edwards. Phillips is at the forefront of this book (understandably), whereas Lowerson had his chance to shine in the previous book. Getting to know more about these supporting characters has been really enjoyable and really fleshes out Ryan's team. High Force is fast-paced and involves many of the main characters. I enjoyed this book so much because I anticipated the showdown between Ryan and his sister's killer at some point and Edwards really lived up to his reputation. He was really controlled and quite self aware, which made him a much more daunting antagonist. The outcome was satisfying in some ways and frustrating in others. Anna's involvement in the final scene was so frustrating. I questioned Anna's involvement throughout the entire book, especially in the later part of the book, following Phillips' suspension, but this final involvement was predictable and yet still infuriated me. I appreciated her history knowledge and how her expertise could bridge the gap between some of the Northumberland CID team's knowledge. However, her insistence on involving herself in the showdown and potentially putting people at risk was exasperating. Nobody else needed to be put as risk in this situation. Why, Anna? Why?! The ending was quite abrupt and left a couple of questions unanswered but as I am reading these on Kindle Unlimited, I'm not too stressed, as I have the next book right there. This book is pretty much the second part of Angel and you definitely need to read Angel to get the full effect of the story.
The only reason this wasn't 5 stars is due to minor irritations with some of the dialogue and mindset of some of the characters regarding whether it is appropriate for a man to cry and the reader being reminded several times per book that Ryan is good looking. Nevertheless, I love the North East-isms e.g. referring to a Full English breakfast as the ‘Full Geordie’. The banter is great!