Louise Ross (born 10 February 1985), known by her pen name LJ Ross, is the author of the DCI Ryan, Summer Suspense and Doctor Gregory series of mystery thrillers. Her debut novel, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and, by May, it had reached number one in the Amazon UK chart. Its sequel, Sycamore Gap, released in September 2015, is also a UK bestseller. She released further books in the DCI Ryan series, amassing more than twenty UK No. 1s and selling over ten million copies. In 2024 Amazon reported that she was the second most read author on Kindle Unlimited in the UK in the decade 2014-2024.
Early life Ross was born and grew up in Ponteland, Northumberland, England. 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.
Publishing career
Ross wrote Holy Island having been inspired by the atmospheric beauty of Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England she knew well from childhood. Following its instant 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 and subsequent DCI Ryan novels continue the Northumbrian locations, with stories set in Northumberland, County Durham and Newcastle.
A multi-cast audio drama version of Ross's eleventh novel in the DCI Ryan Mysteries Series The Infirmary, a prequel, was performed by a number of high-profile actors including Kevin Whately, Tom Bateman, Hermione Norris, Alun Armstrong. Hugh Dancy and Richard Armitage narrated the audiobook versions of the Doctor Gregory novels.
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.
In 2022, Amazon UK reported that the DCI Ryan Mysteries series was its second-bestselling book series of all time.
Ross has twice been shortlisted for the British Book Awards 'Crime and Thriller Book of the Year' for her books Impostor (the first book in the Doctor Gregory series) and Bamburgh (book 19 in the DCI Ryan Mysteries series). She was also shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers' Association "Dagger in the Library" Award in 2021 and 2024.
Ross published all of her works independently through Dark Skies Publishing, a publishing imprint set up and managed by Ross and her husband until 2025 when she signed with Penguin.
Personal life Ross lives with her husband and two children in Northumberland.
Philanthropy Ross has founded several prizes to celebrate arts in the North East of England. She set up the Northern Photography Prize for images captured in the North East of England, the Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Fiction and the Northern Film Prize. In 2021, LJ Ross brought together 55 fellow authors from across the spectrum of publishing to produce Everyday Kindness, a charity anthology of short stories, the proceeds of which were donated to Shelter. The audiobook version of Everyday Kindness was narrated by several high-profile actors including Dame Julie Walters and Richard Armitage.
Novels
DCI Ryan Mysteries series Police procedural mystery/romantic suspense series set in Northumbria, England following Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. Pub.orderSeriesorder Title Year ISBN Locale11Holy Island2015 (January)Holy Island22Sycamore Gap2015 (September)Sycamore Gap33Heavenfield2016 (March)Heavenfield44Angel2016 (August)Angel of the North55High Force2017 (January)High Force66Cragside2017 (July)Cragside77Dark Skies2017 (December)Kielder Forest88Seven Bridges2018 (May)Newcastle upon Tyne99The Hermitage2018 (October)Florence; Warkworth Hermitage1010Longstone2018 (December)Farne Islands11PrequelThe Infirmary2019 (February)Newcastle upon Tyne1211The Moor2019 (April)Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne1312Penshaw2019 (July)Penshaw, City of Sunderland1413Borderlands2019 (September)Northumberland National Park1514Ryan's Christmas2019 (December)Chillingham, Northumberland; Chillingham Castle1615The Shrine2020 (April)Durham; Durham Cathedral1716Cuthbert's Way2020 (November)Durham; Durham Cathedral1817The Rock2021 (June)Northumberland; The North Sea1918Bamburgh2022 (April)Bamburgh2019Lady's Well2023 (April)Holystone2120Death Rocks2024 (April)Dunstanburgh Castle2221Poison Garden2024 (September)978-1912310722Alnwick Gardens2322Belsay2025 (January)978-1912310234Belsay2423Berwick2026 (February) 978-1529978940Berwick-upon-Tweed2524Raby2028 (February)978-1529978797Raby Castle
DCI Ryan: The Met Years The story of a younger Max Ryan. Pub.orderSeriesorder Title Year ISBN Locale11Time of Death2027 (February)
Alexander Gregory Thrillers series Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory becomes involved in murder investigations. Pub.orderSeriesorderTitlePub. dateISBNLocale11Imposter2019 (31 October)County Mayo22Hysteria2019 (10 December)Paris33Bedlam2020 (4 June)Catskill Mountains44Mania2022 (3 March)London55Panic2024 (2 May)Cambridge and London66Amnesia2024 (24 October)London66Obsession2026 (03 December)
Summer Suspense Mysteries series A suspense series set in rural Cornwall. Pub.orderSeriesorderTitlePub. dateISBNLocale11The Cove2021 (31 July)Cornwall22The Creek2022 (4 August)Cornwall33The Bay2023 (28 September)St. Ives, Cornwall44The Haven2024 (15 August)Cornwall55The Lizard2026 (30 July)Cornwall
Short story anthology +TitlePub. dateISBNSynopsisEveryday Kindness: A collection of uplifting tales to brighten your day13/11/2021Everyday 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.
References
External links Official website