In Ballyfinny, Ireland, a quiet and remote town, there is brutal murder that shakes the entire town. The murder is so awful, so horrendous, that a special investigator, Dr. Alexander Gregory, is called in to see if he can find the perpetrator of the crime.
Dr. Gregory has his own set of problems, but he is good at what he does. At the moment, he is treating a woman with Munchausen syndrome, and she seemingly doesn’t know why she is being accused of murder. What makes this tale even more twisty is a revelation given at the end of the book that I should have seen long before, but well, there are several pages between the prologue and the end of this captivating book.
Anyway, this psychologist is called away to Ballyfinny, Ireland, to find a murderer. The murder is pretty awful. The victim is found by her young daughter who believes that her dead mother, curled up on the young daughter’s bed, is just cold and needs covered up. And she is only the first of several victims.
When Dr. Gregory reveals that murderer is local and was known by all the victims, he is met with disbelief. Such s person couldn’t be from their little town! But Dr. Gregory knows just what he is talking about. Clues run rampant. But it is still hard to figure out just who the killer is until it is almost too late. The very end of the book made me want to pace the floor while I read. The tension is so high that it is almost impossible to sit still. It is not an ending that will easily be forgotten.
Between the lady being “treated” for Munchausen syndrome and the murderer running loose in Ballyfiinny, this is an unputdownable book that is definitely worth reading. L J Ross is a very talented writer.
Amazon Link: Impostor
Favorite Sentences:
Last year, his baby sister had died too, before she’d reached her first birthday.
And, while the mourners tutted and wept and put ‘a little something’ in envelopes to help out, he’d watched his mother’s eyes and wondered why she was so happy.
But inside. . . inside was a festering mass; a rotten core that must be cut out, before it was too late.
As they continued on to the hotel, he was left with the overpowering impression that he’d just been gifted an important piece of the jigsaw puzzle, if only he could figure out where it went.
New Words Learned:
lough – a lake
mercurial – changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic
mullion – a vertical member, as of stone or wood, between the lights of a window, the panels in wainscoting, or the like.
Munchausen syndrome by proxy – Psychiatry – a form of Munchausen syndrome in which a person induces or claims to observe a disease in another, usually a close relative, in order to attract the doctor’s attention to herself or himself.
pedalo – paddleboat
pro-forma – made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality
requiem – any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead.
snug – British. a small private room or compartment in a pub
tannoy – a sound-amplifying apparatus used as a public-address system esp. in a large building, such as a university
tranche – any part, division, or installment
About the Author:
LJ Ross is an international bestselling author, best known for creating atmospheric mystery and thriller novels, including the DCI Ryan series of Northumbrian murder mysteries which have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Her debut, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and reached number one in the Amazon UK and Australian charts. Since then, she has released more than twenty further novels, all of which have been top three global bestsellers and most of which have been UK #1 bestsellers. Louise has garnered an army of loyal readers through her storytelling and, thanks to them, most of her books reached the coveted #1 spot whilst only available to pre-order ahead of release. Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story and is also available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong.
In addition to her DCI Ryan series, Louise has created a new series of thriller novels based around the central character of Dr Alexander Gregory, whose work as a psychological profiler takes him around the world. The first three books (Impostor, Hysteria, and Bedlam) were #1 bestsellers and the fourth book was released in March 2022 (Mania).
Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write. Now, she writes full-time and lives with her family. In Northumberland, where she enjoys reading all manner of books, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.
