Struggled to finish this one

This could have been so good. An interesting story and setting but dragged on until I thought it would never finish. A couple of hours worth of editing would have been a big help. My main complaint though was that it was too much like a Mills & Boon book. The hero is just far too gorgeous and moody and the heroine too headstrong and wilful. Some cringe worthy writing as they gazed at each other adoringly.
Jonathan Keeble did a wonderful job in the circumstances.
I won't be buying the next in the series.

100 people found this helpful

Should this be a Mills and Boons??

Would you try another book written by LJ Ross or narrated by Jonathan Keeble?

No - this is marked as within the Crime Genre - it should have been romance or at least fantasy!
It was utter dribble with no conclusion as to why the villain had stooped to the levels he had. No credible explanation about why others had joined up. Poor Mr Keeble was overly annuciated - every romantic scene was cringe-worthy.
The main characters were too perfect - just boringly predictable too

Has Holy Island put you off other books in this genre?

Only by the author. Awful book

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Jonathan Keeble?

No one - better left unnarrated or written

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration - I wasted a credit on this bilge. So annoying.

Any additional comments?

Never read anything by this author again

72 people found this helpful

I can't believe this was published

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A complete re-write of the story eliminating all cliches, at least 50% of the adjectives, and the relationship scenes which all seem to have been either the product of the mind of a teenage boy or a projection of the fantasies of a middle aged man.

Would you ever listen to anything by LJ Ross again?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of Jonathan Keeble’s performances?

Maybe: he was on a hiding to nothing with this one.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Holy Island?

I would not have had anything to do with any of it.

Any additional comments?

Melodramatic, predictable, boring.

I abandoned it when I realised that 1) there would not be one passage which did not include reference to detective's physical assets, that 2) I had tolerated the pitiful writing of the attraction scenes for longer than I should have. Life is too short to waste on this.

How do I get my credit back?

69 people found this helpful

Utter tosh!

What disappointed you about Holy Island?

This has got to be the most old fashioned sexist nonsense I have had the misfortune to listen to ever. It is all doe eyes and heaving bosoms and ranges from downright cringe-worthy to hilarious at times. I burst out laughing on numerous occasions when it really was not meant to be funny. Mind you, the island seems worth a visit since of the 200 residents if they are not stunningly gorgeous they are evil baddies, we even had a description of the loveliness of the main criminals teeth as he was about to perform a dastardly deed.

What will your next listen be?

Certainly not another in this series, maybe William Brodricks latest as I need some intelligent writing to get over this.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I can't think of one to be honest, at a push the final one as it was comical for all the wrong reasons.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Holy Island?

Nothing would escape my scissors.

Any additional comments?

I have to say that Jonathon Keeble did an excellent job as a narrator, his style seemed to suit the old fashioned dialogue and he has a way of sounding like he is delivering the dialogue rather than just narrating if that makes any sense at all. He also deserves praise for not cracking up laughing every 10 minutes.

58 people found this helpful

As usual gorgeous hero and heroine

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the narrator but guessed who was going to die, who the killer/killers were and got a bit fed up with the Tall Dark Handsome inspector and the beautiful intelligent female counterpart. How refreshing to have an inspector who is average height, balding with a paunch, I know John Rebus! As for the females, why cant they be short, overweight with bad hair, unremarkable eyes and not a brilliant Doctor, or University guru. Perhaps they dont sell books. Will I go for the next book? probably but will wait until their is a sale on.

53 people found this helpful

misogyny writ large

She's an academic, a specialist in her field, and he (the detective) snorts at her qualifications, is rude to her, shuts her out of the investigation that his superior has assigned her to and she falls for him!!!
This is not what I want to be reading. I want books where men admire women's achievements and where women expect to be treated with respect.
This female character is no role model.

50 people found this helpful

What utter gup

I wish I'd read the reviews before purchasing this book. As previous reviewers have said this was pure, badly written Milks & Boon. The story was so far fetched as to be farcical. The only plus was the narrator who read well

42 people found this helpful

Probably the worst book I've ever bought

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator struggled to make anything of this rubbish

Any additional comments?

I can't decide whether this is the product of a malevolent mind, pornography, Mills & Boon or just plain rubbish.

41 people found this helpful

LJ Ross delivers the goods...

The first in the Ryan Series, and this story really sets the tone for the later books. A superb blend of intrigue,action and suspense. In this instance, Ryan investigates some ritualistic killings on the island of Lindesfarne.
DCI Ryan is a very likeable lead character, but hes very much backed up with a good range of interesting characters - such as his trusty sidekick Phillips, and the smart, knowledgeable Anna.
I can't recommend this series enough, and Jonathan Keeble's portrayal of the characters is brilliant.

34 people found this helpful

more Mills & Boon then detective fiction.

poor storyline, cardboard characters, fantasy nothing realistic about police procedure, crass sexualisation, misogynistic representation of women, no reason why! There is not one redeeming feature for this book. I cannot believe that this was actually published by anyone.

the reader didn't have much to work with.

I bought this book after it had sat on my recommended list based on my previous choices for some time - this has nothing in common with the books I like.

21 people found this helpful