Clara’s Verdict
The Hermitage does something bold for a series so rooted in one region. It sends its detective abroad. The ninth DCI Ryan Mystery splits its attention between Northumberland and Tuscany, and LJ Ross uses that geographical stretch to test her characters in unfamiliar ground. I admired the ambition, and mostly the execution too.
The clever wrinkle is that Ryan spends much of the book off his home turf and away from his team, chasing a very particular quarry, which forces the ensemble back home to prove they can carry an investigation without their star. That structural gamble gives the book its distinctive shape. It is a confident, well-travelled entry that trusts its supporting cast, and rightly so.
The Italian detour also does something quietly clever with the villain. By making Nathan Armstrong a feted thriller writer, all money and connections and public charm, Ross turns the pursuit into a study of how celebrity can armour a dangerous man against justice. Ryan’s frustration abroad, hemmed in by a slower system and a suspect the world adores, gives the book a satisfying friction.
About the Audiobook
The ninth DCI Ryan Mystery opens with a body. When an old man is found dead inside the ancient hermitage at Warkworth Castle, Northumbria CID are called in to investigate a killing with no apparent motive. This time, though, they must do it without their star detective, because Ryan is thousands of miles away and has sworn not to return until he has his man in custody.
That man is Nathan Armstrong, a dangerous psychopath with one considerable advantage. He is also an international celebrity, a world-famous thriller writer with money and connections that make him maddeningly hard to touch. Ryan is a stranger in a foreign land, hampered by a slower system and Armstrong’s status, but he will not give up. Ross sets the pursuit across the spectacular landscapes of Northumberland and Tuscany, keeping the murder and mystery peppered with her familiar romance and humour.
The Narration
Jonathan Keeble reads a listen of just over eight hours, and the change of scene gives him fresh colours to work with. He shifts from the cool of the Northumberland coast to the warmth of Italy without losing the through-line, and he keeps Ryan’s single-minded pursuit taut even as the pace of a foreign investigation frustrates his detective.
Just as importantly, he lets the home-front team hold their own. With Ryan absent for long stretches, the supporting cast has to carry real weight, and Keeble gives each of them enough distinctness to make that plausible. Armstrong, meanwhile, gets a smooth, self-satisfied menace that made my skin crawl in the best way. It is a well-judged performance for a book that keeps changing its ground. Across just over eight hours the change of country never trips him up, and he paces Ryan’s foreign frustration so that the slower rhythm abroad becomes part of the tension rather than a drag on it. It is a reading that travels as confidently as its detective.
What Readers Say
The Hermitage holds an average of 4.6 stars across 39 ratings, one of the higher marks in this run, and the reviews are largely delighted. One reader noted that although you can enjoy the book in isolation, you gain far more having read the earlier titles, especially Dark Skies, where Armstrong first appears. Another praised the way Ryan is hampered by the slower Italian system and Armstrong’s celebrity, which raises the tension nicely.
The reviews reward close reading here. Several point back to Dark Skies, where Armstrong first appears, and note how much more this book means once you know that history, a reminder that the series increasingly repays being heard in order. Readers also praise the way the home team is made to shoulder an investigation without their lead, and the smooth aplomb with which Ryan finally closes in.
There is a gentle caveat in the mix. One four-star reviewer, while thoroughly enjoying the series, found this particular plot a touch far-fetched at moments compared with its predecessors, though they finished it eager to start the next book. Most, though, describe it as brilliant from start to finish and a totally satisfying story, with Ryan getting his man through a mix of aplomb and the help of his team. The affection for these characters is unmistakable.
Who Should Listen?
This one suits the reader who likes a crime series willing to leave its comfort zone, and the follower who wants to see the ensemble prove themselves without their lead. It rewards those who have met Nathan Armstrong before, so ideally you will have heard Dark Skies first, but the Northumberland-to-Tuscany sweep gives it a flavour all its own. Come for the pursuit and stay for the team.
If a cross-continental manhunt appeals, you can Listen to The Hermitage on Audible and follow Ryan wherever the chase leads.
