English countryside murder crime story. A moor owner is shot by a local resident, But why? Then another resident is shot as well. Both times, the shooter seemed to deliberately show his face. As the investigation unfolds, it begins to uncover unforeseen motives. A really interesting story with a few well placed characters and an ending that holds a nice surprise. solution. Very good read, I recommend.

This mostly got four or five stars from reviewers. I’m giving it 3…It was a fairly standard police procedure book, and although the plot was a bit twisty in places, it didn’t really hold my attention. I skipped bits of it, and was a bit bored, I’m afraid. I read it quickly, not because I wanted to finish it because it was so gripping, but because I wanted to finish it.

The characters were believable, on the whole, but I’ve read two of this author’s novels now, and wasn’t really blown away by them. If I remember, I probably won’t choose any more.

A short review I know, but there’s not much else to say. It’s a rather workmanlike book, with nothing to hate about it, but neither is there much to like.

This was my first foray in this series and was very satisfying, a bit edgy and really kept me guessing.  Just as I felt I was figuring things out, yet another plot twist happened.

In a sleepy Yorkshire village, shocking and surprising events take place, including murder.  DCI Oldroyd is in charge of the baffling case which has us riding roller-coasters with fascinating turns.  We meet many characters I could visualize.  I am smitten with the Yorkshire Dales so was thrilled with the location descriptions.  

Also enjoyable are the writing style and use of the local dialect.  Unexpected endings appeal to me, too.

All in all, the author's unique story is strong and enthralling, difficult to put down.  I'm replaying scenes in my mind at this moment!

Another good book from JR Ellis!  If you like old English cozy mysteries, you will love this one.  Many strands to the web of the story, and I really like the characters in this book.

DCI Jim Oldroyd is sent to the village of Niddersgill, site of a puzzling murder witnessed but with no apparent motive and few leads.  The murderer is known in the local pub but disappears without a trace immediately after the crime.  Oldroyd and his team struggle to learn anything about the murderer when a second murder is committed in similar circumstances but no apparent connection.

I hadn't read any of the previous books in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries so I didn't recognize references to previous cases.  It reminds me of British TV's Midsomer Murders although there a fewer red herrings to confuse the reader here.  The characters are not as well developed as in other mystery series I've read, e.g., Inspector Gamache, but perhaps that's because the characters have been developed over the course of the previous four books.  I enjoyed references to the Yorkshire countryside so perhaps I'll go back to the first in the series to catch up on the career of DCI Oldroyd and his team.

Enjoyable police procedural set in a small village in Yorkshire.
Having a clear witness should help the lead detective DCI Jim Oldroyd but of course things aren't that simple.
Lots of atmospheric visits to the Yorkshire countryside and an engaging mix of possible suspects.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is the fifth book in the series, although I must admit it is my first. I shall be adding the others to my to-be-read list though, as I found this to be a good read. The highlight, which was completely unexpected, was the revelation of what the headings to each chapter turned out to be – genius, and beautifully written.

Set in the wild and beautiful countryside of Yorkshire, bringing a vision of a rural community who have outsiders visiting for shooting grouse. There is the usual haves and have-nots split, exemplified by their behaviour in the local pub. An unhappy calm, shattered by the murder of the local landed gentry, which starts unravelling the status quo. The author does a good job of highlighting the social dynamics of country and town, and uses the visiting police to emphasise the disconnects.

I will have to go back and catch more of the ongoing plot lines – like Steph and Andy, and Jim and his ex-wife, and new partner – but it did not affect this story at all.

Find yourself a quiet corner and enjoy this entertaining read.

I pride myself on my honest reviews, therefore, I must say, I found this slow going at times. This is an old fashioned English who dunnit, it tells the story of the country side as well as two shocking murders. The first person murdered was a retired Judge, he obviously had many enemies, including locals who did not like him, however, there was an eyewitness, only the killer has disappeared into thin air. A small village is rocked by another murder, The police need to find out who, and where is the killer?
I recommend! Thank you Netgalley
carolintallahassee

A great mystery read! What looks to be a cut and dry case of who did it turns out to be an interesting plot of who didn't do it.

Even though they had an eye witnesses who identified the murderer the pieces of the case did not fall into place for DCI Oldroyd.  As the investigation proceeds it seems that there could be many suspects and no answers. It will keep you guessing right up until the end!

The author did a wonderful job of describing the Yorkshire countryside. The dialect of some of the villagers was a joy to read.

The book is a little long and drawn out but the author does an excellent job of pulling it all together in the final chapters.

I would highly recommend this book if you love a good mystery.

it was very long winded and hard to follow I wasn't really crazy about this book.  It was hard to follow because of the language. sorry but I didn't really like it. I like more exciting adventure not from out of the country its not my style

I couldn't really get into this book. There were too many descriptions of people and settings and not enough actual plot.

This book is a very well written murder mystery.  A great plot with believable characters and a good setting.  I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I love a good murder mystery!  This one was written very well.  You had to suspend belief a bit near the end but I did enjoy the plot twist.  All in all I would say this is a worthwhile read for mystery and JR Ellis fans.

Jim Oldroyd is the current day version of Sherlock Holmes in this wonderfully written mystery. The hills of Yorkshire are the scene of two strange murders. An enjoyable read for thruller lovers like me.

What a charming and refreshing police procedural mystery this was. I was captivated by the Yorkshire Dales setting, the relaxed country vibe, the quirky characters and the small town feel. Our main protagonist, DCI James Oldroyd has completely won me over. He's highly respected and admired by his colleagues for his amazing ability to resolve the most difficult of cases. He is thoroughly committed to his job and can never seem to turn off his analytic brian when it comes to solving a mystery. That's great for the police department but a bit rough on his loved ones. There's a tremendous depth to his character. On one side, he's incredibly good at his police work without any display of arrogance. He is a leader by example. Yet, there is also a touch of humility and introspection to his character. He enjoys stories of Sherlock Holmes as well as the wealth of Shakespearean literature and finds inspiration for resolving mysteries by opening his mind to disciplines outside of police work. There is also a touch of philosophic pondering, which I found absolutely delightful.

The writing in the earlier pages of the book is fairly straight forward police procedural language - not too desciptive. "Just the facts, ma'am." As the solving of the mystery becomes less cut and dry, the language becomes more descriptive, more painterly and rather philosophic. The cast of characters is tremendous and well developed. The pace is steady up until the last quarter of the book at which point the urgency accelerates and one's heartbeat rises, with the story resolving into a satisfactory conclusion when all is said and done. 

Although this fifth book of the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series was my first foray into this much admired series, I did not find myself at a loss for having missed the previous four books.There was enough background information provided on each of the long-standing characters to set the tone and provide firm-footing. However, as enjoyable as this one was, I'll definitely be going back to catch the earlier books. 

I am grateful to publisher Thomas & Mercer for having provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Drew me in from first pages.Well written interesting characters a storyline that kept me guessing to the end,#netgalley#amazonuk

Thanks to #NetGalley and #ThomasandMercer for the advance copy of this book - the following opinions are my own.

Though this is the 5th in a series and I haven't read anything else by this author, this could totally be read as a standalone. I always appreciate when the author of a series doesn't spend half of the current book explaining back story. There are a couple of prior events referenced, but only in passing, and they don't impact this story at all. Well done!

This is a strong police procedural with red herrings everywhere but Oldroyd, the main detective, keeps pushing and eventually solves the puzzle. Almost as interesting as the murder investigation is the great descriptions of the dales and fells and general landscape of the area - clearly the author loves this part of England. And the town names! I actually went onto Google maps to see if they're real, and sure enough - there they all were.....a bunch of little villages in the back of nowhere in the middle of GB.

So, a good cozy murder mystery with a good variety of characters, very evocative of a place, and a satisfying ending - what else could you possibly want?
Review soon to appear on my blog, Bookshelf Journeys

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It is about a policeman that was called to a small village to try to solve a murder. While there, another murder occurs and he must try to determine if the two are related. The only problem that I had with the book was trying to figure out some of the dialect that some of the people used. I would recommend this book as it is a good mystery boo

I have read 3 or 4 books by J. R. Ellis and really enjoy his writing style. This book is a traditional style mystery/ police procedural, with a fine sense of place and some interesting characters.  

First we have the murder of a retired judge and there seem to be plenty of motives for his murder.  However, the murder was witnessed and the murderer, who doesn’t seem to have a motive, subsequently disappears.  Before that murder is solved, there is another murder.  Again, no sign of the murderer, and surprisingly, this is a different suspect than the one who was seen committing the first murder.

DCI Oldroydand his team do finally solve the murders, but I would never have guesses the solution.  This was a book that kept me turning the pages and I read it in one sitting.  I hope that there will be more from this author.

With out reading the previous books, I still enjoyed this one.  I am now looking forward to starting with the first book and reading them. This story had me guessing until the end. The main characters are interesting and well developed.  Good mystery and no smut.