HOLY ISLAND - Book review

LJ Ross’s debut novel Holy Island was published in 2015, and since then she has published another twenty-one DCI Ryan mysteries, as well as books in other (shorter) series. Prolific, averaging two books a year. Holy Island has garnered over 50,000 reviews on Amazon, most being favourable.

The DCI Ryan books centre round the north-east of England, an area rich in history, castles, landmarks and beautiful scenery. Living in the area and knowing it, the book added an added interest for me – and legions of north-easterners.

It’s December, close to Christmas, on Holy Island, and the weather is cold and bleak – and a young islander called Lucy Mathieson is found murdered, her naked corpse left like a sick sacrifice in the ancient Priory.

As it happens, DCI Maxwell Charles Finley-Ryan is on leave on the island following a traumatic case that brought him close to a breakdown. As the murder has suggestions of a pagan sacrifice, Dr Anna Taylor is brought in from Durham to assist Ryan.

The narrative is omniscient, so within a scene the reader jumps from one character’s thoughts to another. While this technique is frowned upon by many, it’s a legitimate way of conveying tension between characters and involving the reader. The main thing is that at no point does the ‘head-jumping’ cause confusion.

This was a page-turner and a quick read, with several apt metaphors, and enough varied characters to hold the interest. It does not fall into the cosy crime bracket. The interaction between Ryan and his team works very well. In classic style, the relationship between Ryan and Anna begins with antagonism from both sides, yet they gradually appreciate the strengths and knowledge of the other, and perhaps inevitably their situation turns romantic. There are a number of suspects to keep you guessing; and two more murders occur before the case is resolved.  The Epilogue provides quite a shock, signifying that the ripples from this case may taint Ryan’s life later on...

A remarkably successful first novel.  I’m certainly inclined to read the next book in the series, Sycamore Gap.

THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS - Book review

 Jen and I went to the exhibition of The Lindisfarne Gospels at the Laing Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne. Its usual home is the British Library, London; however it has been on loan for display in Durham in 1987 and 2013 and in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1996, 2000 and this year.

This book about the ancient tome was published 2022 by the British Library, written by Eleanor Jackson, Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts, and comprises 96 full-colour pages, relating the history of The Lindisfarne Gospels, and, for any book-lover, is a minor treasure in itself.

The Lindisfarne Gospels was hand-written and decorated over 1,300 years ago. Considering its age, it is in remarkably good condition.

As you’d expect it comprises the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, inscribed in Latin. In the tenth century an Old English translation was added between the lines, which is in fact the earliest surviving translation of the Gospels into the English language.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, the lands formerly under Roman control fragmented into a series of kingdoms. Although there were small groups of Christian Romano-British people in the far reaches of the north of the British Isles, they were mostly displaced by Germanic-speaking settlers who brought with them their pantheon of pagan gods – among them, Tiw, Woden, Thunor and Frig, from which we derived certain days of the week.

In Northumberland – the lands north of the River Humber – the pagan people here did not possess books. The arrival of Christianity – a religion of the book – stimulated book production, ‘culminating in the period of heightened artistic and literary achievement sometimes known as the Golden Age of Northumbria’ (p16).

In the British Isles there were several centres where books were produced, and the monastery of Lindisfarne was but one. Others were in Durham and Ireland. The monastery’s first bishop was Aidan (died: 651AD), who effectively established Christianity in Northumbria with the help of his missionaries. However, it was not until the new bishop of Lindisfarne, Eadfrith (died: 722) took up the post that The Lindisfarne Gospels were written (taking him from five to ten years). It has 518 pages each measuring 34x25cm; the parchment pages are probably calfskin (velum). ‘All inks were handmade from natural sources – animal, vegetable or mineral. Some of the pigments include red lead (orange), indigo or woad (blue), orpiment (yellow), verdigris (green), carbon (black), white lead (white), and chalk (beige)’ (p35). And, noticeable in small quantities, gold was also used. There are also highly decorated pages of the evangelists, and so-called carpet pages – exquisite full-colour block patterns in the Islamic style, though creatures are inserted in amidst the tangle of interlaced designs. Then there are the incipit pages, opposite the carpet pages, which are effectively the opening words of the text, beautifully illuminated.

The early months of 793 featured a series of alarming omens: lightning, whirlwinds and fiery dragons flying in the air. Famine followed and then, on 8 June, heathen men landed their ships on Lindisfarne and raided the monastery. They destroyed the church, stole many treasures and killed many of the island’s inhabitants. This was only the beginning of the invasion of the Northmen. Remarkably, certain artefacts escaped the marauders’ notice – including the body of St Cuthbert, the revered remains of others, and The Lindisfarne Gospels. The surviving monks fled inland with whatever they could carry. And, amazingly, The Lindisfarne Gospels have endured to this day – though its original binding was lost and only replaced through the efforts of the Bishop of Durham in the 1800s.

You can visit The Lindisfarne Gospels online at:

www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Cotton_MS_Nero_D_IV

(An explanation for this numbering is contained in the book).