I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Murder at Redmire Hall, the third novel to feature DCI Jim Oldroyd of the Harrogate police.

When debt ridden Freddy Carstairs, Lord Redmire decides to revive his father's locked room illusion to raise much needed funds he invites DCI Jim Oldroyd to witness it on live TV, but nothing goes to plan and when the room is unlocked Freddy is found stabbed to death. Freddy wasn't a nice man, being a compulsive gambler and womaniser so all the invited friends and family had a motive but no means as they were all filmed watching the illusion. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Murder at Redmire Hall which is an intricately plotted novel with some excellent misdirection and sleight of hand. The plot has two mysteries - how and who, both of which have ingenious solutions. I must admit that the technicalities of the how rather passed over my head (not being of a technical bent) but I can admire the idea behind it which is very clever. As the explanation is short it didn't impinge on my reading pleasure. The who is much more to my taste. I didn't have a clue and spent the whole novel trying to work out who among the many suspects had the strongest desire to see Freddy dead. In retrospect many of the clues are there but I failed to put it together. It's very well done and had me turning the pages furiously.

With a limited cast of suspects characterisation is more important than in many whodunits. The Carstairs family, led by the loathsome Freddy, are not a likeable bunch so each one of them is a viable suspect. Oldroyd has a fun time offending their aristocratic sensibilities because being in that environment brings out his inner socialist. He is still battling loneliness after his wife left him and nurturing false hope of a reconciliation without changing his workaholic ways which is why she left him in the first place. 

The Murder at Redmire Hall is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

J R Ellis gives us here the third tale in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series and here we find ourselves at Redmire Hall, outside Ripon (modelled on Newby Hall).  In 1980 the then Lord Redmire pulled off an illusion with him disappearing and reappearing from a locked room.  Now it is the present, and the new Lord Redmire, the son is once again going to do the stunt, this time as a televised event, with the family gathered around as well as other guests, including DCI Oldroyd and DS Stephanie Johnson.  But when the trick goes awry, and Frederick Carstairs, Lord Redmire appears stabbed to death in a locked room, who did it – and how?

Thus we find our two intrepid detectives on another case, one that is full of intrigue, with a family that does not get along very well, and a lot of things going on between different members and others.  As the detectives start their investigation so they have a lot to sift through, and as this is not the only murder that took place that night, so they have to determine if there is any connection.

With Oldroyd himself in possible danger so there is a lot to take in here, with one death reminiscent of something from Midsomer Murders, and a locked room mystery that Jonathan Creek would just love to be involved in.  This has the obvious appeal of an old school style tale, with the locked room and a country house, and due credit must go to the author who also gives this a more modern feel, and thus opens up the field when it comes to suspects.  In all this is something that should appeal to a large number of people, and makes for an entertaining read, what with a good mystery, and family members bickering at each other all the time.  Indeed, this would make a good TV drama.

I was kindly provided with a review copy of this by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes.