Cover Image: The Nidderdale Murders

The Nidderdale Murders

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Very enjoyable would read more from this author. First I have read by this author. Won’t be the last.

Was this review helpful?

I took a while to get through this book and I couldn’t put my finger on why until I was about halfway through. The dialogue is pretty unnatural and pulls you out of the story as you read it. It doesn’t flow the way dialogue does in real life. I’ve read plenty of books by British authors that don’t have this problem, so I don’t believe that’s why it bothered me with this book. I liked the story enough, but the pacing was very slow. The book is called The Nidderdale Murders (plural) but the second murder doesn’t take place until two thirds of the way through the book. I was also turned off a little by the author patting himself on the back for his poetry. He had his main character write a poem using the features of the landscape in the north country and had multiple other characters compliment the poetry earnestly, which came off to me as the author writing a poem and then telling his readers how good his own poetry was. I don’t think I’ll read another in this series.

Was this review helpful?

A slow burning mystery that didn’t fully capture my attention until close to the halfway mark. There are a lot of characters to track, lots of internal thoughts, and some personal anecdotes to work through. The ending had a nice conclusion and the culprit is not so obvious. A good read for those that like the slow build in a mystery or English countryside as a backdrop.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book, it was a really fun read. The characters were very interesting and the author did a good job of giving each one a distinct personality. There were a lot of characters in this book which made them a little hard to keep straight at times because they'd come up and then we wouldn't hear about them again for awhile so a lot of other things happened in between. This was the first book in the series that I'd read and while there were some references to the previous books I didn't feel lost or like I was missing crucial information. I'm looking forward to picking up the other books in this series. I felt that the dialogue was a little light-hearted for a crime novel and the ending was a little far fetched which is why I had to give the book four stars. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, light read.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

An intriguing mystery, which captivates you early on. The author has written a story, which pulls you in and keeps you guessing. A thoroughly stimulating and arresting read from an author I was not familiar with.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

Was this review helpful?

Lovely landscape and a steady (if a little slow) paced mystery to solve. Although this is the fifth book in this series, it is my first introduction to Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd and his team in Yorkshire. This murder should have been easily solved. Of course, it is complicated. It is worth it to keep reading to the unexpected end.

Was this review helpful?

I love a good murder mystery, this one is set in a small town where everyone knows everything yet knows nothing.

It’s a slow burn read with a pretty decent ending. Nothing too shocking or depraved.

Was this review helpful?

First time reader of this author and the Detective Oldroyd series...need to read the other four books! A murder has happened in a quiet village in the northern countryside of the UK. There is a witness to this horrible crime, but apparently no motive and the killer is missing. Oldroyd and his sergeants work to solve the crime with many twists and turns. You will think you have it figured out, but you don't. Fabulous descriptions of the area around the charming village and a very enjoyable cast of characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in the review are my own.

Was this review helpful?

An intriguing mystery in a lovely "Murder She Wrote" setting. I love the validation that motive matters.

Was this review helpful?

I've jumped into a mystery series with both feet because of the offer to read an advanced readers copy of the latest book via NetGalley! This mystery works fine as a stand alone. The Nidderdale Murders is the fifth book in the excellent DCI Oldroyd series set in Yorkshire. Each of the mysteries stands alone, and doesn’t spoil the others, so you could easily read this first, although I have enjoyed the character progression and relationships from reading them in order.. Oldroyd and his team are called to investigate a murder in the small picturesque village of Niddersgill, because the victim was a retired judge and his senior officers want their best man leading the case. Disliked by almost everyone, even those calling themselves his friends, Sandy Fraser had bought the local manor house and was leading lucrative grouse shoots, but avoided paying his bills and lorded it over everyone else. A witness got a good view of the killer, who then disappeared. This is a rather slow paced mystery that only picks up here and there. The characters are intriguing, deftly drawn.

My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

Another mystery with Detective Oldroyd. I have to say this book didn't draw me in quite like the others had but by the end I was unable to put it down. This is another classic 'whodunnit' with outstanding world and character building.

I rate this book a solid 4.5 *s. I greatly enjoyed it and will continue to read more by this author. I'd also recommend this book easily to anyone interested in police procedurals.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a Yorkshire girl, and the author of true crimes in Yorkshire I found this book enjoyable. The description of Yorkshire was wonderful, a well-written procedural book. Recommended.

Was this review helpful?

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

I found this book to be an enjoyable mystery with likeable characters. The story was well-written and kept me guessing and my attention to the end. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

When a retired judge is murdered in plan sight with several witnesses JIm Oldroyd the detective in charge of the case is one of the few people unconvinced that this is an open and shut case. As he and his team investigate the list of possible suspects mounts. He is not a well liked individual.

The story is a bit dry for my tates. The characters are well developed. The story itself is constructed in a believable manner. It is a traditional British mystery. I would recommend it to fans of Agatha Christy or Sir Conan Doyle.

Was this review helpful?

The Nidderdale Murders is a great read all in all, the author's unique story is strong , interesting and spellbinding, This book was difficult to put down. I'm replaying scenes in my mind at this moment! I loved it. I highly recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

In this murder mystery featuring DCI Jim Oldroyd, it seems as though the death of retired judge Sandy Fraser should be pretty clear. After all, a witness outside the Dog and Gun inn claims to have seen the gunman, who of course fled the scene.
Oldroyd discovers that while Fraser had many enemies, the man who supposedly shot him had no motive. A second murder, this time of a shopkeeper, puts another new spin on the mystery.
Plenty of twists and turns in this story.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first foray into the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries, and I enjoyed it. Good central characters and a good mystery. I haven’t read any of the prior books in this series. Other than a small anecdotal nod that didn’t contribute to the story at hand, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I read a lot of mysteries and it takes a lot to surprise me, but I admit that I didn’t quite have this one figured out by the end, though I did suspect a few things and at least one of my suspicions was correct.

The setting was atmospheric, a quaint village in Yorkshire where everyone knows everyone, or do they? One of the villagers inspires the chief investigator to rediscover his love for writing poetry. Oldroyd also finds himself inspired by Shakespeare and old Sherlock Holmes movies that often lead him to connect the dots during his investigation. There were quite a lot of suspects and villagers, which led to a little confusion on keeping some of their names straight especially when some characters referred to them by first name and some referred to the same person by last name.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Ann Cleeves.

Was this review helpful?

When given a chance to review this book I jumped at it as have wanted to read this author for a while.

This was the fifth book in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery Series starring DCI Oldroyd, and I quickly grew to love the lead character in the book. This book was set in the wilds of North Yorkshire, which was a great setting for the story.

It also has a great plot with the inexplicable Murder of an objectionable man, which was witnessed late at night. A quite intriguing plot with some fresh ideas thrown in, and a range of characters; the author keeps you guessing about who is the guilty party.

This was an easy and good read and I loved the main set of characters, and the interactions between them , always a good indication of a good detective series. I will certainly be going back to read the rest of the series as have fallen in love with the feel of them.

Based on this happy to recommend this series to others, if not read them give them a go. I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book to me for an open and honest review.

Was this review helpful?