Best-selling thriller writer, LJ Ross, is introducing a new character this Halloween. The lawyer-turned-author, who is best known for her chart-topping DCI Ryan series, is unveiling a trilogy based around a new protagonist, criminal profiler Dr Alex Gregory.
An audio edition will also be released, narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Hugh Dancy, who is best known for his role of criminal profiler, Will Graham, in the hit NBC television series Hannibal. It is the first new main character for LJ, whose popular DCI Ryan mysteries have sold more than four million copies since she released her debut novel, Holy Island, in 2015.
The new Dr Alex Gregory trilogy, which starts with Impostor, also marks a change in scenery for LJ. While her DCI Ryan books are set in her home county of Northumberland and the wider North East, Dr Alex Gregory is called upon to catch a serial killer terrorising a tiny rural community in Mayo.
LJ said: "I’m always drawn to places which have a strong sense of their own identity and traditions and I’ve visited Mayo several times where I love the village of Cong."
Following in the successful footsteps of the books in the DCI Ryan series, Impostor has already stormed the Amazon best-seller charts, going straight to number one even before its official release date, with fans downloading on pre-release so they can read it the moment it becomes available.
Impostor follows Dr Alex Gregory, who will already be familiar to eagle-eyed readers of DCI Ryan, as he features as a minor character in the series in both High Force and The Moor.
After an elite criminal profiling unit is shut down amidst a storm of scandal and mismanagement, only one person emerges unscathed. Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory has a reputation for being able to step inside the darkest of minds to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden there and, soon enough, he finds himself drawn into the murky world of a murder investigation.
In the beautiful hills of Mayo, Ireland, a serial killer is on the loose. Panic has a stranglehold on its rural community and the Garda are running out of time. Gregory has sworn to follow a quiet life but, when the call comes, can he refuse to help their desperate search for justice?
Murder and mystery are peppered with LJ’s signature brand of dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst the spectacular Irish landscape.
LJ said: "I’ve had this idea for a new character in my head for a long time now, so I’m thrilled to be able to share Dr Alex Gregory with my readers.
"I’m been absolutely blown away by the reaction so far. For the first book in the new Gregory series to go to number number one on the first day of pre-order is phenomenal. I just want to thank everyone who has supported me. I really appreciate it and hope readers enjoy the story when it comes out on Halloween.”
The first book in the trilogy, Impostor, will be released on October 31, followed by Hysteria on December 10, and then the final instalment, Bedlam, in February 2020. Impostor can be pre-ordered now at Audible and Amazon.
