High Force

By: LJ Ross

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Hell has unleashed a demon - and he's coming for you....

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan's worst nightmare has just become a reality. Notorious serial killer The Hacker has escaped prison and kidnapped one of his best detectives from her own home. His brutality is the stuff of legend - Ryan lost his sister and nearly his own life bringing the man to justice first time around. Can Ryan do it again to save his friend?

There's a nationwide manhunt underway but the trail has gone cold and fear spreads like a virus. Ryan and his team must find The Hacker before he takes another life - but are they too late?

The clock is ticking....

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

©2016 LJ Ross (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Critic Reviews

"A literary phenomenon." ( Evening Chronicle)

Awesome read and Awesome narration..

So, 5th book in the series and they just get better and better but I hated it because book 4 was a cliffhanger and I read it 9/2/16 and had to wait all this time to read the next. That wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t read 50 or 60+ books in between then and now. That’s why I hate cliffhangers and I wouldn’t have read book 4 if I’d known it was one.

However, I’m glad I did read this. It was awesome. Although, Keir is just so sick and what he does to people is beyond gruesome. And I doubt it has to be described in such detail. Poor MacKenzie was his prisoner through the whole book and he just loved to play with her. He didn’t rape her or anything like that but every time you turned around he reminded her he could kill her any time he wanted to. And once he let her escape, only to be watching her from the roof with a rifle aimed at her. He loved his mind games.

Here’s my only problem with the book: A word was found on Beth’s palm that said “Invictus.” When Lowerson asks what it meant the BOOK said “unvanquished,” but the READER said “I remain.” And that happened 3 times. Then when “Maneo” was written in with the entrails of 2 victims in was READ as “unvanquished” but the BOOK said “I remain.” The whole thing was crazy and needs to be fixed.

As with every book I loved the secondary characters: Anna, Lowerson, Phillips, and MacKenzie. They were all terrific.

WOW! What an ending! I loved it! With 3 guns aimed you just don't know who it was that pulled the trigger, or if that all did at once. Spectacular ending.

There was no sex in this book but the romantic feelings between Ryan and Anna was so sweet. And the F-bomb was used 2 times.

As to the narrator: Jonathan Keeble was wonderful. His voices from book to book are exactly the same, Ryan’s was sexy as hell and Phillips’s was gruff and raspy and Lowerson sounded as young as he was supposed to and Keir Edwards sounded as crazy as he was supposed to be. And he read with great emotion, too. And the women sounded just as they should.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Suspenseful and Gratifying Read

I'm an avid LJ Ross fan. I became such for one reason; she's a master storyteller. High Force is a well-told well-crafted story. Don't miss it! One caveat, read her first four books first. Jonathan Keeble is an amazing narrator and his performances in all of LJ's books captivates.

A great Book and wonderful reader. The plot is great as well

Like all these books by LJ Ross that I read, this is well plotted, well written and with a wonderful reader

DCI Ryan Mystery

I liked this audiobook because of the tension the author creates & how the characters have evolved since the 1st book in the series. The listener learns more about who DCI Ryan is & he is less starchy than in the previous books in the series. I would not recommend this story for anyone who is very sensitive to violence because of the nature of the murderer & the way he murders his victims. I especially like that the author creates women who are competent, intelligent, & strong (both physically & mentally). I think the narrator does a great job & reads as if he is actually watching what is happening, his voice heightening the tension & action. I really like British detective stories & have enjoyed this series.

Fantastic!

This was fantastic! There's one scene that was so suspenseful I almost cried out in fear. This was very well done. This series does indeed get better and better.

As usual, the narration was perfect.

An old nemesis returns and no one is safe. Ryan and Frank - and Anna - work to solve this. We already know who did it but it's a race to find him. Good stuff!

Great Read

Loved the book and the narrator. Let's do have one where none our people get suspended, please.

great book series

great narration and author, love the series, makes my one hour commute to work go much smoother and not as boring

A Masterful use of suspense!

The best book of the series!
Some really good twists and a truly gripping finish! I had this book finished within 24 hours! First class narration just made the book that much more enjoyable.

High Force

My first book I have read of this series, fantastic, will definetly be reading more.
Narration was excellent, kept you in suspense.

I didn't want to leave my car

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend that if possible the books are read in order.
They build and get better as the series moves along.

What was one of the most memorable moments of High Force?

Don't want to spoil the plot but when the title makes more sense there is a really nail biting few "pages" that light up the entire book.

Which scene was your favorite?

Got to be the High Force !!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not cry!
However I was feeling deep concern about the policemen and women that over the series I feel that I have come to know, like and care for.

Any additional comments?

I hope that this isn't the end and that Ryan will be back with Frank tagging along.

Wow, really enjoyed that!

Another really enjoyable murder hunt for Ryan and his team. This time it has a personal aspect for Ryan, and Phillips in particular.
LJ Ross really delivers with High Force. I'd rate it as in every of the best stories I've listened to for quite some time.
No need to listen to the Ryan Series in order a day they're standalone, though you may find the gist easier to follow if you do.
Really can't recommend a High Force enough.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Really good detective yarn

Once again a compelling listen. Very solid series and top notch narrator. Perhaps the best of the first five I have heard so far.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent; simpler but compelling

This is a good follow up to the previous DCI Ryan trilogy, completing the story of The Hacker (no spoilers if you haven't heard it or read it yet)
It's a far simpler story than the previous trilogy, because there are no mysteries about who the 'baddie' is, and no strange quasi-religious groups to stretch credulity.
It's simple in that at the end of the last book The Hacker kidnapped Denise McKenzie, and this takes us through the next couple of weeks. The writing takes you into the heads of all the participants and keeps you on a knife edge.
I was disappointed that the book came out so long before the Audiobook, but if that was to wait until Jonathan Keeble was available, I have to concede it was a good decision. His narration is as excellent as the previous books and seems a flowing continuation.
Definitely recommend, and will be interested to see where Ryan and Phillips go from here.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Nail biting!

This book is almost impossible not to listen to in one sitting! It grabs you at once and wraps you in its web. It's a fabulous detective series Not to be missed.

Lucky to find this author when his first book in the DCI Ryan series was released by Audible. They are all stand alone novels but it makes it more enjoyable if you get in on the first novel Holy Island.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

gripping book

yet again a gripping story with strong characters love all the regional mentions too especially good when you know the area

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Terrible writing but excellent narrator

It is fortunate that the narrator can breathe life into this corpse of a book as it makes bearable, even enjoyable, what would otherwise be a dull plod indeed. The writer invents decent enough plots for the genre but seems to want to explain everything as we meet it and never leaves anything to clarify itself as we go along. it reminds me of the old Skippy the Bush kangaroo series where some character would interpret a few tut-tuts with "What's that Skippy? John's fallen down a mine about two miles North of here as the crow flies, and although he's not conscious may have a broken leg which could induce internal bleeding and be life threatening? we'd better get going....". Actually I think Jonathan Keeble could probably make a better story out of something Skippy wrote than this. The embarrassing thing is I quite enjoyed this tripe and I'm now listening to another load of old rubbish by the same author. So Author 1 - Sarcastic Critic 0.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Totally caught up in the story line

Kept me listening all day for the ending ... DC Ryan a recent discovery for me and am really enjoying the series

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Seat gripping story

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat - brilliant- you are never quite sure where it is going

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Absolutely wonderful!

Any additional comments?

I'd had a rubbish week and thought I would listen to a DCI Ryan book, because I loved the books I'd read previously. This was certainly good for my soul and really uplifted my mood. LJ Ross never fails, this was another brilliantly written book. The story line is tightly woven and moves along at a brisk place. The characters are beautifully drawn; the relationship between Ryan and Phillips being especially moving.Jonathan Keeble narrates the book wonderfully. LJ Ross is a superb author and makes me appreciate the joy of reading/listening. About time we saw DCI Ryan on the small screen. Authors deserve much more credit for the way their creations can sooth one's mind, body and spirit. Thank you LJ Ross for easing my mind

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

Where does High Force rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best

What was one of the most memorable moments of High Force?

The last hour, I was on tenterhooks even though I had already read the book on my Kindle.

What about Jonathan Keeble’s performance did you like?

A really good narrator, I hope to listen to more of him in the near future

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It gave me palpitations, followed by a huge cheer at the end!

Any additional comments?

I have enjoyed all the other books in the series, but I reckon this one tops the lot. I just wonder what the author will come up with next.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful