The story also encompasses relevant issues concerning women in the working environment where men are in positions of power. I thought I knew what had happened and why as that is where the story was leading you to but nope, I was completely wrong. 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.

The sale of customised goods or perishable goods, sealed audio or video recordings, or software, which has been opened. Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst London’s vibrant Theatreland. How much the story reflects what really happens behind the scenes in the fashion world I don’t want to guess. Alex is in Paris for a conference when he is pulled into an investigation as a young woman has been brutally attacked and left for dead in a hotel room. Without her help, the police are powerless to stop the killer before he strikes again - can Gregory unlock the secrets of her mind, before it's too late?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. There is quite a lot of French woven into the narrative, which has been included presumably to give the story a fulsome flavour of France and lend authenticity to location. Sign up to the LJ Ross Book Club to receive the latest book updates and exclusive content directly from LJ. I can recommend this book and this series to anyone who enjoys a good mystery that will keep them guessing.

With bodies piling up and no new leads, Gregory and Hope realise they must look to the past to uncover the truth―before it’s too late. I read the first couple of chapters, but this series is just too dark, and the H is a wee bit depressing. Hysteria is book two in the Alexander Gregory series and every bit as exciting and engrossing as book one. With the police struggling to understand a motive, or to obtain any information about the victim, and turn to Gregory for his help in breaking through the wall of silence. He is a very troubled soul – understandably so – and it takes a lot to penetrate that hard protective shell he has built up.When another woman is murdered, it is a race against time to solve the case before there are anymore victims. At the end of gregory's lecture, they are summoned by the Brigade Criminelle, the French equivalent of a Major Investigation Team, to attend the main Police Headquarters where they are asked to consult on the case of a vicious attack. Don't get me wrong - I love Ryan and co and want to keep seeing them too, but Gregory is slowing worming his way into my heart and it is a series that has a lot to offer.

With this being fashion week in Paris and the victims being models, the investigation leads Alex into the high pressure world of fashion and down paths he could never have guessed at. The astounding lack of self care, and non adherence to the ethics of his profession make for stomach churning reading. Comely Camille has been left without speech and he must determine whether she can’t or whether she won’t speak. After the big revelations about his past in book one, you’d think there was little left to learn about him as a person, and yet LJ Ross still manages to drip feed new tidbits into the story all along the way, and the more I know, the more I warm to him and understand what drives who, and how, he is. With his occupation as a forensic psychologist and criminal profiler it means that his scope for interaction with new people and places is wide open.

When the dust has settled, and all becomes clear, nobody could have guessed at the story that emerged. 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. After reading two books by LJ Ross, I find both endings abrupt and somewhat incomplete, wishing the author provided more satisfying and developed conclusions.

At the end of gregory’s lecture, they are summoned by the Brigade Criminelle, the French equivalent of a Major Investigation Team, to attend the main Police Headquarters where they are asked to consult on the case of a vicious attack. Needless to say it did, with the author using her skill to pull all loose ends together in a very satisfying way.It’s not a natural inclination however, he is still challenged by internal struggles and his self control is still very much in evidence. His head and his heart are often in conflict and he really struggles with the split nature of his emotional personality. One of the book's strengths was the lack of explicit profanity, sexuality, and violence, thereby allowing the story to stay focused.