Thoughts

I've been working my way through the DCI Ryan series and I'm almost caught up now. This one is technically a Christmas book, and we're not quite in that window yet, but I figured it couldn't hurt to be a few months' early.

The murder mystery kicks off pretty quickly, with the body not just interrupting the team's Christmas dinner but actually falling through the roof and landing directly on it. Such an image! On top of the investigation, we have a love triangle to deal with and the balance is just right between the two elements.

In this book, the team dynamics are better than ever. It opens with banter between the characters as they make their way to Christmas dinner, particularly focusing on whether bald is beautiful. And later we get the purest example yet of this unit being a family, not just colleagues. The adorable Frank Phillips and Ryan won't stand for anyone messing with their team, but they're not just protective, they want to support independence too:

"He does look the type," Ryan agreed. "You should have seen him turning on the charm for Charlie." Phillips bristled with the kind of protectiveness he might have felt for his own daughter were she ever to face the unwanted attentions of a slimy predator. "The nerve," he explained. "I hope she booted him right up his bony arse." "I think he might have made a complaint on the grounds of disproportionate use of force... but I wouldn’t have stopped her." Ryan said.

There was a dip in the series with Bamburgh, book 19, but it's been improving with each release since, and this, number 23, is the strongest since The Shrine.

The Christmas content isn't too overwhelming, so I didn't mind reading this in September. I do think at this point, it's helpful to have read previous books in the series... certainly the last couple that give some context for the love triangle. Everything is explained for newcomers, but I got more from it for having seen the history play out.

The book does end on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, so if that kind of thing annoys you, either avoid it, or make sure you've got the next book lined up in front of you.

For the excellent imagery created through the mystery, and the team continuing to worm their way into my heart, this is a 5 out of 5.

Rating: 5 / 5