Clara’s Verdict
By its fourth outing a crime series has usually shown you its hand, and Angel is where the DCI Ryan Mysteries prove they can still unsettle. LJ Ross steps away from the overarching threat that shadowed the earlier books and gives us something colder and stranger, a killer with a grotesque signature and a fresh wave of dread. I thought it a genuinely eerie entry, and a clever one.
What holds it together is character. After a turbulent stretch, Ryan is finally allowed a little ordinary happiness, and Ross uses that fragile calm to sharpen the horror when it arrives. The result is fast, dark and propulsive, with a plot that folds back on itself more than once. It is not the place to begin the series, but for those already invested it is a satisfying, page-quickening listen.
There is a craft to the structure that I want to flag. By splitting the team across what look at first like two very different scenes, one an unmistakable murder and one an apparent death by natural causes, Ross keeps the reader off balance and the detectives stretched. The way those threads eventually knot together is the sort of plotting that rewards attention. It is grislier than some earlier entries, certainly, but the darkness serves the story rather than merely decorating it.
About the Audiobook
The fourth DCI Ryan Mystery finds Ryan’s life finally returning to normal as he looks forward to an uneventful Easter bank holiday weekend with his fiancee. That calm does not last. On Good Friday morning he is called to a crime scene at one of the largest cemeteries in Newcastle, where the body of a red-headed woman has been found buried in a shallow grave, her killer having given her wings, like an angel.
Soon another woman is found at a different cemetery, then another, and panic spreads like wildfire as a new serial killer is born. Ryan’s band of detectives must work around the clock to unmask him before he can strike again. Ross sets the hunt against the spectacular Northumbrian landscape and, as ever, peppers the murder and mystery with romance and humour. Regular listeners will notice the story stepping out from under the long shadow of an earlier arc into a self-contained nightmare of its own.
The Narration
Jonathan Keeble carries a listen of a little under eight hours, and he leans into the religious menace of the premise without ever overplaying it. The angel motif could tip easily into the lurid, but he keeps his reading controlled, which makes the discovery scenes all the more chilling for their restraint.
He is equally sure with the lighter material, the wedding plans and team banter that Ross threads through the darkness, so that the tonal shifts never jar. With multiple victims and a plot that jumps back and forth in time, clarity matters, and Keeble keeps the threads distinct and easy to follow. It is a poised, confident performance that trusts the listener to feel the chill for themselves. Across a little under eight hours he keeps the multiple victims and the shifting timeline perfectly clear, and the restraint he shows only sharpens the horror when it comes.
What Readers Say
Angel holds an average of 4.5 stars across 47 ratings, and the reviews are strikingly enthusiastic. Several readers describe being unable to stop turning the pages, with one long-time follower confessing the book had her gasping and left her needing her next fix of the author’s work. Another praised the intricate plot that throws you back and forth in time to bring the characters to life.
The reviews are revealing about how this book sits within the wider run. One reader noted with relief that although it steps away from the overarching threat of the earlier books, it loses none of its grip. Another welcomed the return to something like normality for Ryan and his fiancee before the horror intrudes, praising the way the ordinary is made to feel precious.
Interestingly, one four-star reviewer admitted almost skipping this book because of a single negative comment they had seen, only to find it a good, fast-paced read that left them keen to continue with the next title. Others note that it works perfectly well as a standalone, with just enough reference to earlier cases to reward the faithful without confusing newcomers. The clear consensus is that the fourth instalment does not disappoint.
Who Should Listen?
This is one for listeners who like their crime fiction with a genuinely dark, almost gothic edge, and for anyone already following Ryan who wants to see the series reinvent its sense of threat. It rewards those who enjoy a serial-killer puzzle with a strong regional flavour and a likeable detective at the centre. You can follow it alone, but it hits hardest if you already care about these people.
If a chilling Northumbrian hunt appeals, you can Listen to Angel on Audible and step into Ryan’s darkest Easter yet.
