Once again 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--any references to previous cases are briefly explained.

This is a police procedural set in the Nidderdale dales of Yorkshire, England. Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd and his team are called from Harrogate to investigate the shotgun shooting of a wealthy landowner outside the local inn. The case seems pretty straight forward as the murder was observed by one of the employees of the inn. But the man she saw has vanished without a trace! And once they begin digging for a possible motive, the case becomes more complicated and darker than they first thought.

This story had an old-fashioned feel to it. Perhaps it was the atmospheric setting of the Yorkshire dales. The beauty of the landscape really comes through in Ellis' descriptions. The characters are interesting, especially Oldroyd and his personal life, how he handles his young team, and how he comes to figure out the whodunit, channeling a bit of Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes. I would definitely be interested in reading more in this series.

This was my first book in the series, and I wanted to read it because I admire Yorkshire landscape and this is a Yorkshire mystery. And, it was quite a satisfying one with the setting and the characters: a small, isolated village in the middle of wilderness; various characters like artists, activists, farmers, retired city people; and a lot of action around grouse moors, follies and caves. It has occasional references to the previous books in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone story.
In this whodunit book, calm and peace is broken by a shocking murder, and the killer is known but nowhere to be found. It is a case difficult to crack for the police force, and they have hard time finding any lead to pursue.
To be perfectly honest, it starts rather slow for my taste. The first few chapters are a bit monotone, like a case report. Yet, it picks up later, and gets really interesting, turning into a challenging puzzle.
All in all, as a Yorkshire fan, it was a quick read and I enjoyed it.

The Nidderdale Murders is a well-crafted mystery with a wonderful sense of place. The author has an obvious love for the setting of this book - the Yorkshire Dales. Grouse Moor Owner and retired judge Alexander Fraser is shot outside the village pub. DCI Oldroyd and his team are called in to investigate. The mystery was complex with plenty of suspects, clues, and red herrings. The characters were well-drawn and interesting. I am very interested in reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for sending me a copy for review.

The Nidderdale Murders is part of a series, but it was my first book by this author, and you can easily dive right in without feeling like you've missed something. I found the characters and the story interesting. A judge, who is not very well-liked is murdered, and there a plenty of suspects, including one who an eye witness saw committing the crime before vanishing. Despite their best efforts, the detective team is not able to make much progress in the case, until a 2nd murder is committed. Once again there is an eye witness, and the accused is another well known villager who disappears. Will there be more murders in this tiny village?

I enjoyed the way the author painted the beauty of Yorkshire, a place I am not very familiar with, but would now love to see! The Nidderdale Murders also felt very Agatha Christie-esque at times, and I would completely forget the story was set in modern times until someone mentioned a laptop. The story did move at a slow pace early on, but once it got going it was difficult to put down.

A solid 4 stars, and I look forward to reading more! A special thanks to Amazon Publishing UK & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review

You’ll Never Be Able To Guess

A retired judge who owns the local grouse moor hunt club is shot dead outside the local inn. The victim wasn’t well liked, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone who wanted him dead. There is a witness, though, who saw the killer so it’s an open and shut case you think. But no one can find the man, not even the very capable DCI Oldroyd. And there doesn’t seem to be any motive, either. As the DCI and his two detectives set about interviewing virtually the entire town’s population, they find individual stories of life and shortcomings in this quaint village but no sign of the killer. Then another person is gunned down.

An intriguing English police procedural, The Nidderdale Murders will have you doing your own mental investigation of the village population, trying to outsmart the DCI and discover the solution. But you’d be wrong, guaranteed. I really enjoyed this novel, the characters are well developed, and the DCI’s method of returning to question the same people again contributes to the story as new information into all of their lives is revealed. The ending is unique and unexpected, and extremely well done.

Thank you, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the fifth book in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series. Once again Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd is called to solve a murder in a small village called Nidderdale. A man is shot and their is a witness to the crime. But who kills someone and then doesn't try to hide their idenity. Oldroyd is puzzled but he has help from Andy and Steph again.
I really enjoy this series. There is just the right amount of mystery and humor thrown in,

It's been so long since I've read a traditional British police procedural that starting this book was just like slipping into a nice hot bath. I mean, I've read my fair share of British crime novels with DCI protagonists in the years since I first picked up my dad's copy of Martha Grimes' Jerusalem Inn, but lately they've been more thriller than cozy-adjacent. Perhaps the most recent traditional was Anne Cleeves' <a href="https://www.criminalelement.com/review-the-seagull-by-ann-cleeves/">The Seagull</a> back in 2017, tho The Nidderdale Murders, for someone new to J. R. Ellis' work, was a much better introduction to the series than Ms Cleeves' had been to hers.

The Nidderdale Murders finds DCI Jim Oldroyd called in to the small Yorkshire village of Niddergill to investigate the bizarre shooting death of local landowner Alexander "Sandy" Fraser. A former judge who'd retired to play at gentry and run a grousing moor, Sandy had no shortage of enemies, due in large part to his high-handed manner. When an eye witness sees him shot point blank with a shotgun by Alan Green, a local handyman, it seems like it ought to be an open and shut case. Only Alan had no seeming motive to shoot Sandy, and has since disappeared into thin air.

While local police go on the hunt for the missing murderer, DCI Oldroyd begins asking uncomfortable questions of the people who knew Sandy in life. He's the sort of thorough, thoughtful investigator that is far too rare in policing, fictional or otherwise. It's refreshing to see him not merely take the word of a single person in order to embark on what could be a fruitless manhunt, but cover all his professional bases. So when a local shopkeeper is murdered by a shotgun at point blank range, again by someone with seemingly no motive who proceeds to vanish, he's caught less off-guard than a more single-minded, less intellectually curious detective might be.

I actually gasped out loud at the who/howdunnit reveal, so lulled was I by J. R. Ellis' clever prose. Admittedly, there is something lulling about painstaking police information gathering -- the book did feel like it dragged towards the middle as DCI Oldroyd interviewed every single person connected to the case. I also found his Detective Sergeants to be more annoying than interesting after a while, since they seemed to be there only to express admiration for how intelligent their boss was when not serving as middling comic relief. The rest of the cast of characters was pretty interesting tho, quietly defying stereotypes in ways I enjoyed. It's nice to see so many people cooperative with the police, but I suppose that just indicates the higher level of trust in British policing than American.

This was an above average introduction to the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries, and I know I'll definitely be turning to this series the next time I want my fix of smart, entertaining police detection in the vein of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series, with the added bonus of some really lovely depictions of the Yorkshire area. Gosh, I miss being able to travel: luckily, this book helped whet my appetite for that, too, if only for a little while.

I found this to be a clever cozy mystery. It is fifth in a series, and I hadn’t read any of the others before, but it was fine as a stand alone. I liked the main detectives. The setting was beautiful and woven into the plot. I didn’t figure out who the murderer was until it was revealed at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this story, but I probably continued partly due to it being a review copy. Pace wasn't quite fast enough in early chapters. I also don't enjoy women being mostly in secondary roles. However I'm now completely hooked into the series and its scenery, and will be reading them all.

DNF
Will not leave any reviews anywhere

Thanks for granting me access to this book
Not my cup of tea

I received the book through NetGalley Read Now Program.

This story is one where the investigation leads you step by step to discover who the killer was. It follows DCI Oldroyd and his team as they try to discover who killed Judge FRaser and later on who wound up killing the Newsagent. Their list of suspects was small and they had witnesses of the event as well. The individuals who were identified as the killers did not lend themselves to being found. It was only after DCI Oldroyd went to a stage performance where everything started to click.

If you want to find out who the real killer was and what led DCI Oldroyd to his conclusion, then you must read this book. The ending will surprise you.

There has been a murder in a village in Nidderdale. To Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd and his assistants this should be an easily solved case_- there was an eyewitness to the murder. Catching the eluxive culprit is tricky and when a second murder occurrs the case becomes more complicated. Well plotted, Christie-esque story with plenty of red herrings andplot turns. Not a fast read, but worth the time spent to enjoy story and the country atmosphere that is created.

This is the fifth novel in the Yorkshire Murders series by J.R. Ellis and I did enjoy very much! I will go back and read the first four. This novels starts off with retired judge Alexander Fraser ( goes by the name of Sandy). He had bought land in Niddersgill for grouse hunting. DCI Jim Oldroyd shows up to figure out who the shooter was. The bar worker named Kirsty had seen a local man that did yard work and odd jobs. But he disappears off the grid it appears. DCI Oldroyd has 2 sergeants helping him with the questioning so plenty of help but tons of twist and turns. Then a shop owner gets shoot in this small village. Such a small village but so many to question. What did they have in common? J.R. Ellis does a magnificent job of keeping you guessing clear to the end of this novel. Also, a wonderful job of description of the land and the surrounding villages.
Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an e-galley of this novel.

This is the fifth book in the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd and his two team members solving the difficult cases in the Yorkshire Dales of England. This is a modern police procedural but the technology bit is toned down quite a lot so the reader rides along with the officers as they work out why this specific victim of murder was chosen. The motive is the stumbling block for the murder because there is an eye witness to what happened. That would seem to bode well for a quick resolution except that the murderer has disappeared and police wonder how accurate their witness really is.

This was my first book in this series and I enjoyed it quite a lot. The Yorkshire landscape is marvelously described and it brought back the vivid memories I have of exploring that area when I was visiting Britain. Oldroyd and his team are well developed characters by this time and I liked watching as they worked their way through solving the crimes. There was a pretty big segment where no progress was being made regarding a motive for the first murder and that went on for longer than seemed strictly necessary. Still, I'm looking forward to reading the previous books in the series.

DCI Tom Oldroyd is called out to the village of Niddersgill where there has been a murder. A witness can identify the killer but he seems to have disappeared. Soon motives can be found for this unlikable victim. DCI Oldroyd and his team investigate. Then there is another murder.
An enjoyable well-written murder mystery with its likeable characters and where the plot keeps you guessing.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Nidderdale Murders is a very English detective mystery. I love the little glimpses into all the characters, not just the main ones. The mystery is incredibly clever and one I did not guess at! It seemed like this was a book that used characters from other books and i would be interetested to read earlier ones.

Sandy Fraser is hosting a hunting party on the “Glorious Fourth” – the start of grouse season. Sandy’s a retired judge, loud and boisterous, not exactly enamored by all, especially by those who don’t like the carnage caused by his shooting, and that he doesn’t exactly pay his bills. So, when Sandy turns up shot dead and a witness sees the shooter -- Alan Green, a local gardener and odd job man -- it seems like a pretty cut and dried case. But in “The Nidderdale Murders” DCI Oldroyd and his crew will have their hands full.

Oldroyd thinks something isn’t quite right about the whole thing. Nobody in the village thinks that Alan Green is capable of murder, but since they can’t find him, no one can be sure. Speaking of the village, you’ll recognize these folks; our author, J.R. Ellis, presents people you’ve read in crime books from the past, present and surely in the future. However, Ellis has made sure that these villagers are just different enough that their thoughts and feelings and motives for murder are unique. You’ll want to keep reading.

It’s beginning to look like the “alleged” murderer is a ghost. Or at least, that Alan Green didn’t do it. The author is pretty adamant about it, actually.

During the investigative scenes, which are extensive, we get looks into Oldroyd’s personal life as he deals with his ex-wife and daughter, and as he decides to give himself something other than police work “to do.” And we find out what the chapter heading are.

Then – there’s another shooting, and the shooter is again identified easily. And the past becomes the present. “And all the world’s a stage.” Oldroyd sees it clearly, then, and can’t help but be impressed, as the reader will be.

Even though we’ve started out over the shooting of grouse, everything is summed up during a vegetarian meal. J.R. Ellis makes sure that “The Nidderdale Murders” will keep you turning the page.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

Great mystery! I’m quite a fan of mysteries set in the United Kingdom and this doesn’t disappoint. What starts out with a seemingly senseless murder (though the victim a retired judge and really hateful person) morphs into a wider array of unexplained events and the list of possible suspects continues to grow.
The setting is the idyllic little village of Niddersgill in the farthest reaches of Yorkshire. DCI Oldroyd and his team are called to investigate what seems to be a clear case with a reliable witness but as they continue to interview the locals and start putting the pieces together nothing is as it seems.
Before Oldroyd and his team can solve the crime there is a second murder. Time is running out to conclude the investigation before all of the suspects slip away.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, my comments are my own and unsolicited.

Another great thriller by J. R. Ellis! Pulls you in from the start and keeps you guessing the entire story. The plot twist at the end was a great addition and had me surprised! Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Yorkshire, but was hoping for more. The writing style is quite simple, with lots of pedestrian dialogue and not much description of the characters or landscape, which would have made the story so much more vivid. Two-thirds of the story Is red herrings and dead ends for the police, which made it pretty easy to figure out. A fun enough, quick read.