In our latest book club recommendation, Podge Gaffney discusses "Imposter" by LJ Ross, the first of a series following the enigmatic forensic psychologist Dr. Alexander Gregory.
Now and then a book falls into your lap and reignites your love of reading once again. In my case, a book fell through my letterbox. I received 'Imposter' by LJ Ross as part of a birthday package from my aunt Mairéad (who might as well join Leabhar Hour - she gets that many shout outs!) and I haven't looked back since. A detective fiction set in Ireland - it was right up my street!
Unaware of LJ Ross' work at this point, I discovered that she had two series running concurrently. One follows a tough DCI (detective chief inspector for any non-Line of Duty nuts) named Maxwell Ryan, the other a forensic psychologist with a shady past named Dr. Alexander Gregory. "Holy Island" was LJ Ross' first book, following DCI Ryan's story, with "Imposter", Gregory's debut, coming four years later. Upon finishing 'Imposter', I proceded to spend my pint savings on four more LJ Ross books.
As aforementioned, I had fallen out of love with reading for a while. I hit the slump that occurs when you struggle through a book, eventually reach the end, and the 'break' you intended to take for a week or so turns into months. In these instances, you need a book that will really ignite that spark once more. Thankfully, 'Imposter' arrived.
Dr. Alexander Gregory is based in Southmoor Hospital in London, caring for mentally ill patients. He has a reputation for being able to understand the darkest of minds, and that reputation takes him to an intriguing case over in Co. Mayo in the west of Ireland. A murder has taken place in the quiet, unassuming, rural town of 'Ballyfinny', and they need Alexander's help in profiling the type of person who might have committed this crime.
I couldn't help but compare 'Ballyfinny' to the country village in the movie 'Hot Fuzz', where everyone is a suspect and you can trust no one! Perhaps Simon Pegg will make an appearance in future Ross novels, one can only hope.
For fans of Cluedo, Line of Duty and Midsomer Murders (which is all of us, let's be honest), I highly recommend you read this book. The language is vivid and descriptive and Ross does a masterful job in describing the setting and characters throughout.
Like all great murder mysteries, this book is packed with end-of-chapter cliffhangers and you'll find yourself reading the full story over a day or two, so cancel your plans once you start! The best part about it all is that there are so many more stories to get into once you do!
Check out other LJ Ross works over at https://www.ljrossauthor.com/
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