Hysteria: An Alexander Gregory Thriller (The Alexander Gregory Thrillers)

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In Hysteria Alex finds himself assisting on a case involving the murder of a fashion model and the attempted murder of another. Set in Paris during fashion week, Alex is called in as a profiler initially, but soon finds himself working with the surviving victim as her psychologist. Her story is absolutely fascinating. I was totally captivated and couldn’t wait to find out where her story might lead. What transpires is so sad, but also heart-warming and quite inspirational. The human mind is so complicated and totally fascinating! (I know I’ve used that word three times already, but I can’t think of a better one.) Hysteria is well named as it felt like my brain was being put through the wringer whilst I was reading. I was struggling to see how some parts of the story fit and couldn't for the life of me work out where the story was heading. It's not my first LJ Ross book though, so I knew that everything was there for a reason. All I'll say is well played, LJ Ross. Very well played indeed.

The author LJ Ross’ work is synonymous with Northumberland and Tyneside, where she sets her DCI Ryan mysteries. Hysteria is the second outing for Dr Alexander Gregory, an elite forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler and this time she has him heading for Paris. The first novel in her Alexander Gregory Thrillers series, Impostor, was shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2020: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year. The audiobook of Impostor, narrated by Hugh Dancy, was also selected as a finalist in the New York Festivals Radio Awards, Best Fiction Audiobook of the Year Category. To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’. Having been blown away by the first book in the Alexander Gregory series, I couldn’t wait to jump into this one.Gregory is a careful, perceptive and methodical man when he is working on his investigations. In his personal life, however, he is a tormented soul and he can often find himself distracted by issues from his childhood that can overwhelm him – invariably in his dreams. His early years’ experiences have conditioned him to believe that he cannot rely on others, his work is his be-all and end-all. His head and his heart are often in conflict and he really struggles with the split nature of his emotional personality. Eva Bisset’s life was a world away from the glitz and glamour of those involved in the world of fashion. Eva’s father had run a successful restaurant, and since his death her husband had taken over. Eva was never sure what kind of mood he would be in and if she would be sporting more bruises. The setting of Paris fit well with the modelling story but I've never been to Paris so I'm not familiar with the various arrondissements. It is clear that the author knows the area well, but maybe too well as I couldn't really conjure a vivid picture of the setting in my mind. Not that it bothered me too much, as I was more interested in the storyline than the Parisian sights. Something else to note in relation to the setting, there are a couple of phrases in French that some people might have difficulty with. I grasped most of it but anyone who hasn't studied French will struggle. Don't let it put you off though; just remember, that's what Google Translate is for. As soon as I finished reading the brilliant 'Impostor', the first book in the Dr Alexander Gregory series by LJ Ross, I couldn't wait to start reading book 2, 'Hysteria'. This time the author took me to beautiful Paris. It was great to catch up with Dr Alexander Gregory again. I do have a bit of a soft spot for him (don’t tell DCI Ryan!), he is a fascinating character.

Dr Gregory is proving to be more fascinating with each book. His expertise, although essential, never cuts him from the world and his peers. He finds himself spiraling with everyone else in a mysterious and somehow tragic investigation. That ending!! I totally did not see that coming! Genius writing, once again, by one of my most favourite authors ever. I SO wish I had your talent for storytelling, Louise.What was really interesting, was not only to see Alex in work mode but we get to see more of how events from the previous book have affected him. This being said, I would highly recommend reading that one before this one. There is no wonder he is fighting his own demons and it adds a little something to the story, making it darker and deeper. The author's diversion to Paris as a setting was distracting, especially with French comments that added little to the characters or the storyline. As such, the first half of the book was slower but did contain most of the forensic, criminal profiling, while the last part of the book was more interesting.

Hysteria is an enthralling read filled full of mystery and suspense. I’m enjoying the different settings that the author takes her readers to as well as the tangled web she weaves, ensuring we are kept on our toes, not knowing how things are going to conclude. LJ Ross is an internationally bestselling author, whose books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide.

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan

L.J. Ross peels our skins to reveal the vulnerable and fragile parts of ourselves. Gregory doesn’t escape this. Throughout the book, everyone is scrutinized, and truths appear.

With a bigger dose of romance than the first one, (well, what do you expect in Paris - the city of Love!?), the mystery in this book kept me hooked from start to finish. Even though I had numerous suspects in my mind, I couldn't be sure of any one in particular. When the truth was revealed, I was left open-mouthed. I could never have envisaged what happens in the end. Whenever I recommend books, one author springs to mind time and time again: LJ Ross. As much as I love the DCI Ryan series, I'm really enjoying the Alexander Gregory books and Hysteria is the second instalment of that series. Don't worry if you haven't read Imposter though; Hysteria works very well as a standalone. Again, we saw another, more vulnerable, side to Alex in his relationship with a certain lady, who is another brilliant character.

Having read and loved Imposter I was SO excited to read Hysteria and I don’t know how LJ Ross does it, but each book is as awesome as, if not better, than the last! ABOUT LJ ROSS LJ Ross is an international bestselling author, whose books have sold over 8 million copies worldwide.