LJ Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | Louise Ross Northumberland, England, United Kingdom |
| Pen name | LJ Ross |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 2015–present |
| Genre | Fiction, crime, thriller |
| Notable works | DCI Ryan Mystery Series (listed below) |
| Website | |
| ljrossauthor | |
Louise Ross, known by her pen name LJ Ross, is the bestselling author of the DCI Ryan series of romantic suspense thrillers.[1] Her debut novel, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and, by May, it had reached number one in the Amazon UK chart.[2][3] Its sequel, Sycamore Gap, released in September 2015, is also a UK bestseller.[4][5] She has released further books in the DCI Ryan series, amassing a further nine UK No. 1s,[6] and is reported to have sold more than 7,000,000 copies.[7][8][9]
Early life
Ross was born and grew up in Ponteland, Northumberland, England.[10] She completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law at King's College London, where she met her husband, and continued her studies in Paris and Florence. After spending most of her twenties working in the City as a lawyer, she began to feel it was time for change.[11]
Publishing career
After the birth of her son, Ross wrote the first draft of Holy Island, having been inspired by the atmospheric beauty of Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England she knew well from childhood.[12] Following its success, she now writes full-time. The second book in her series of DCI Ryan novels, Sycamore Gap, is set in Hadrian's Wall country[13][14] and subsequent DCI Ryan novels continue the Northumbrian locations, with stories set in Northumberland, County Durham and Newcastle.
The eighteenth instalment of the DCI Ryan series, The Rock, was the UK's third best-selling ebook of 2021, behind novels by Richard Osman and Matt Haig.[15]
In 2021, Ross published The Cove, the first book in a new series, Summer Suspense Mysteries.[16]
Ross publishes all of her works independently through Dark Skies Publishing, a publishing imprint set up and managed by Ross and her husband.[7]
Personal life
As of 2018, Ross lives with her husband and two children in Northumberland.[17]
Philanthropy
In 2021, Ross set up the Northern Photography Prize for images captured in the North East of England,[18] as well as reading and writing challenges and prizes for adults and children.[19]
Novels
DCI Ryan Mysteries Series
Police procedural mystery/romantic suspense series set in Northumbria, England following Detective Chief Inspector Ryan.
| Pub. order |
Series order |
Title | Year | ISBN | Locale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Holy Island | 2015 (January) | 978-1514642825 | Holy Island |
| 2 | 2 | Sycamore Gap | 2015 (September) | 978-1518759567 | Sycamore Gap |
| 3 | 3 | Heavenfield | 2016 (March) | 978-1530652686 | Heavenfield |
| 4 | 4 | Angel | 2016 (August) | 978-1519010933 | Angel of the North |
| 5 | 5 | High Force | 2017 (January) | 978-1520473383 | High Force |
| 6 | 6 | Cragside | 2017 (July) | 978-1521748831 | Cragside |
| 7 | 7 | Dark Skies | 2017 (December) | 978-1973448075 | Kielder Forest |
| 8 | 8 | Seven Bridges | 2018 (May) | 978-1982967147 | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| 9 | 9 | The Hermitage | 2018 (October) | 978-1728883397 | Florence; Warkworth Hermitage |
| 10 | 10 | Longstone | 2018 (December) | 978-1790983124 | Farne Islands |
| 11 | Prequel | The Infirmary | 2019 (February) | 978-1792780844 | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| 12 | 11 | The Moor | 2019 (April) | 978-1095812655 | Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| 13 | 12 | Penshaw | 2019 (July) | 978-1073010417 | Penshaw, City of Sunderland |
| 14 | 13 | Borderlands | 2019 (September) | 978-1696737326 | Northumberland National Park |
| 15 | 14 | Ryan's Christmas | 2019 (December) | 978-1650141237 | Chillingham, Northumberland; Chillingham Castle |
| 16 | 15 | The Shrine | 2020 (April) | 978-1912310166 | Durham; Durham Cathedral |
| 17 | 16 | Cuthbert's Way | 2020 (November) | 978-1912310173 | Durham; Durham Cathedral |
| 18 | 17 | The Rock | 2021 (June) | 978-1912310180 | Northumberland; The North Sea |
| 19 | 18 | Bamburgh | 2022 (April) | 978-1912310197 | Bamburgh |
| 20 | 19 | Lady's Well | 2023 (April) | 978-1912310203 | Holystone |
Alexander Gregory Thrillers Series
Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory becomes involved in murder investigations.
| Pub. order |
Series order |
Title | Pub. date | ISBN | Locale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Imposter | 2019 (31 October) | 978-1912310517 | County Mayo |
| 2 | 2 | Hysteria | 2019 (10 December) | 978-1912310524 | Paris |
| 3 | 3 | Bedlam | 2020 (4 June) | 978-1912310531 | Catskill Mountains |
| 4 | 4 | Mania | 2022 (3 March) | 978-1912310548 | London |
The Summer Suspense Mysteries Series
A suspense series set in rural Cornwall.
| Pub. order |
Series order |
Title | Pub. date | ISBN | Locale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | The Cove | 2021 (31 July) | 978-1912310920 | Cornwall |
| 2 | 2 | The Creek | 2022 (4 August) | 978-1912310913 | Cornwall |
| 3 | 3 | The Bay | 2023 (28 September) | 978-1912310937 | St. Ives, Cornwall |
The Reivers Series
A new book series reported to be "coming soon".[20]
Other Books
| Title | Pub. date | ISBN | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday Kindness: A collection of uplifting tales to brighten your day | 13/11/2021 | 978-1912310005 | Everyday Kindness is a charity anthology of short, fictional stories of kindness, edited by LJ Ross. These uplifting tales of hope and of small, everyday kindnesses are intended to support wider, positive mental health goals and foster wellbeing through the act of reading tales of goodwill inspired by others.
All proceeds from the book are donated to Shelter, a charity that helps millions of people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness.[21] |
References
- ↑ Moore, Hannah. "North East author tops the bestsellers lists again - but this time for audiobooks". nechronicle. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "Meet the Kindlepreneurs". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ Midgley, Dominic. "50 Shades of self-publishers: Fame and fortune through publishing yourself online". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ Marsh, Michael. "Ponteland lawyer-turned-author on swapping life in the City to pen Holy Island-inspired crime novel". nechronicle. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "lovesuspense". lovesuspense. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "Holy Island murder mystery wins book prize". www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- 1 2 "LJ Ross: The self-published crime writer making a killing". BBC News. 19 September 2021.
- ↑ "L J Ross Author". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ↑ "Local lass LJ Ross tops the charts with thriller Cragside". www.morpethherald.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ↑ "Author notches up 100,000 book sales in just two years". Morpethherald.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "Louise sets the scene for murder". Hexham-courant.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "Crime novellist [sic] LJ Ross is writing her own destiny". Express North. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "NorthEast Connected: LJ Ross launches Hadrian's Wall murder novel".
- ↑ "Crime novel launch party to be held this weekend". JesmondLocal. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ↑ "Author celebrates 'UK's third best-selling e-book of 2021' victory". 13 February 2022.
- ↑ Ross, L. J. (2021). "The Cove: A Summer Suspense Mystery (The Summer Suspense Mysteries)". Dark Skies Publishing. ISBN 978-1912310913.
- ↑ "Bio". LJ Ross. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ↑ "Shortlist for LJ Ross' Northern Photography Prize announced". BBC News. 16 August 2022.
- ↑ "Crime writer LJ Ross reveals what she's been working on in lockdown". Chronicle Live. 26 December 2020.
- ↑ "The Reivers Series". LJ Ross. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ↑ "Everyday Kindness". LJ Ross. Retrieved 13 January 2024.