Once again, access to books has me reading a series out of order. I enjoyed the first in this series, The Body in the Dales. DCI Oldroyd is an astute, older detective, determined to teach his two detective sergeants the proper way to research a crime. In some ways, he reminds me of Armand Gamache, Louise Penny’s wise soul of a detective.
This time, the crime should be an open and shut case. A retired judge is shot in front of the local pub and a witness sees who fired the shot. But the suspect can’t be found and there’s no clear motive for him. Oldroyd knows not to accept things on face value.
Ellis uses an omniscient third person POV, so we are granted access to info denied the detectives. Everyone seems to know more than they’re telling.
Ellis does a wonderful job of painting the landscape, which comes across as a character in its own right.
But the book moves slowly and at times drags. The victim wasn’t liked by anyone but yet no one seems to have a serious enough motive to want him dead. I wanted a little more action than this one delivered, despite a second murder in the same manner. I found the ending to be entirely too far fetched and unbelievable. Still, points to Ellis for thinking up something so unique.
I do enjoy the characters, so I still intend to go back and read the intervening books. I was sorry Allison didn’t play a larger role in this book as I enjoyed her in the first.
My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

I love this series of books.

Consistantly good writing, very strong believable characters.

The backdrop of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales makes them all the better.

The plots are dramatic and full of surprises.

Keep writing Mr Ellis!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I am writing my honest opinion. I have to give only 3 stars to this mystery. The plot is excellent but the writing is terrible. Any budding writer learns the first rule of writing is "show don't tell". Mr. Ellis keeps telling and telling and telling. He writes interesting dialogue and then doesn't trust the reader to interpret on his/her own where it's going. He has to tell us. It got to the point where I just wanted to put the book down.
Because the plot was interesting and because I'm committed to finishing all books that I've been granted access to by Netgalley, I did finish it but it was a trudge.
Since this is Mr. Ellis' 4th Yorkshire murder mystery, I'm guessing he has a devoted audience. But there are so many well written, fascinating mysteries out there......
Mr. Ellis clearly loves the area of which he writes. That comes across quite well.
I'm going to leave it at that.

Book five in an excellent British themed mystery series. Detective Jim Oldroyd has a witness who observed the murder of a retired judge. The suspect he had no obvious motive, and old judge wasn't an invent. There are several villagers who have plenty of motives to kill him. And then... another murder. This is wonderful classic "whodunnit" novel. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the plot and the well developed characters. If this is the first in the series that you read, I highly recommend going back and reading them all.

I would like to thank J.R. Ellis, Amazon Publishing U.K. and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange free fair in honest review.

299 pages

4 stars

One evening, following a shooting party, a retired judge and promoter of grouse shooting parties, Alexander “Sandy” Fraser is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun Inn in Nidderdale.

DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team are called to the scene since the dead man was of some importance. They begin to interview the occupants and employees of the inn, including one woman who says she witnessed the shooting and can name the killer. Sadly, the person identified has disappeared.

They soon discover that Fraser was a difficult man whom no one really liked. There are a wide variety of reasons. He was also known to be arguing with one of his shooting party members during dinner at the inn earlier that evening.

Further interviews don't reveal anyone with a clear motive. Even the main suspect looks blameless. The people who have been sabotaging the grouse shoots on Fraser's land don't seem to be combative enough. It's a real puzzle for Oldroyd and team.

When another seemingly motiveless killing takes place, with another witness, the tension in the story increases.

Ellis' writing reminds me so much of an episode of “Midsomer Murders.” The reader gets to drop in now and then on the principles to witness what they are thinking and saying to one another. It is during these private moments away from the police that we learn there were motives aplenty for murder.

It was nice visiting once more with “old friends.” Oldroyd's sister, Alison is always a delight, as is his team from work. I remain suspicious of Julie and what exactly she wants, however.

I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for forwarding to me a copy of this very entertaining book for me to read, enjoy and review.

DCI Oldroyd is called in to investigate the murder of retired judge Sandy Fraser. While there is a witness to the murder the suspect cannot be found. In addition, Fraser was disliked by many of the villagers. As Oldroyd and his team are investigating all possible suspects, another person is shot. Again, there is a witness who identifies the shooter - however, the shooter for the second murder is not the same as the first one. How are the murders connected. Will a case the judge presided over provide the answer.
Unexpected ending.

I've been watching a TON of Midsomer Murders lately on TV, and this just fit right in with that feeling. A cozy mystery that has a wonderful backdrop of rural Yorkshire.

A retired judge is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun inn in the remote Yorkshire village of Niddersgill. There’s a witness who saw everything, but the suspected murderer had no motive for wanting the judge dead and no trace of him can be found. This then follows the plot of a basic detective murder mystery. There are lots of twists and turns, and in the beginning it takes a little bit to get everything going, but once it does it picks up pace quickly - a lot like the Midsomer Murders TV show.

I really enjoyed the plot and the characters, but I was able to figure out who the murderer was well before the detectives did. It still was fun to watch them come to the same conclusions (and how they came to them!) as I really enjoyed the detectives and their own quirks. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the description of this little Yorkshire village and its surroundings. The visual landscape was amazing - I really feel like I have a better understanding of what life might be like there.

Definitely worth the read if you're in the mood for a little British murder mystery!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this advanced reading copy!

3.5 Stars
In a Yorkshire Dales village everyone has a motive for murder—except the killer.
A retired judge is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun inn in the remote Yorkshire village of Niddersgill. There’s a witness who saw everything, and the gunman’s on the run; the case should be open-and-shut for DCI Jim Oldroyd. But the murderer had no motive for wanting Sandy Fraser dead and, what’s more, no trace of him can be found. As Oldroyd and his team cast the net wider, they discover that Fraser wasn’t without enemies in Niddersgill. As the wealthy owner of a grouse moor, he’d clashed with farmers, debtors, hunt saboteurs and blackmailers. When a local shopkeeper is gunned down in a second senseless attack, it’s clear that these killings are anything but random.
Oldroyd faces a race against time to connect the crimes and find who’s behind them.
This is the fifth book in the series & is very easily read on its own. A well written book that had plenty of twists and turns but I did find the pace very slow to begin with so much so that I was skimming through pages & it was only after the second murder that the pace increased & I was glued. I didn’t work out who the murderer was, which is always a bonus. I just wish it had been more evenly paced. Not my favourite of the series but still an enjoyable read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Bizarre Murders Shock a Small Yorkshire Town
This is a wonderful cozy mystery that takes place in the rural Yorkshire area. The murders are out of place and have the police baffled. The story follows the police as they try to solve the murders before anyone else is killed. It is a riveting book that I could not put down. I loved the final resolution. I can't wait to read more of this series and more of this author's work. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

"The Nidderdale Murders" by J.R. Ellis
I did enjoy this story, although it is not a genre that I usually read. It was a really good Sherlock Holmes style story with lots of false clues. Until the case is busted wide open with the true perseverance of a good detective story and a satisfactory conclusion is written. Leaving the reader wanting to be around for the next case.
If you like contemporary mystery stories without graphic gore and violence. I think you will like this story, too! Happy Reading ! !
note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley with the request I post my honest review.

3.5 stars raised to a 4. I found this to be slow, methodical reading. It was also two separate stories, one the murders, the other the backgrounds of the multitude of characters in the stories. There were descriptive passages of the Yorkshire countryside that were amazing. I’m sure most readers would appreciate them and actually find themselves mentally in Yorkshire. The murders and the way they were solved was fascinating. All in all, a good read. Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC for an honest review.

When a murder happens in a rural Yorkshire village where everyone knows each other, residents and police believe a murderer is in their midst. Detective Jim Oldroyd and his two sergeants must solve the crime. Although the last part of the book races to the finish with an unexpected twist, I was thrown by the first ten pages, where we’re introduced to a multitude of characters. I had to write down names and occupations to keep track of them. Halfway through, I was hooked and eagerly read ahead, wanting to learn the identity of the murderer.

Interesting read

I enjoyed reading this book because I always love a good whodunit to keep my mind occupied trying to find out who committed the crime and this one kept me interested. Definitely would recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I received a free electronic copy of this excellent British police procedural on August 13, 2020, from Netgalley, J. R. Ellis and Thomas & Mercer, publisher. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. If you have an interest in Yorkshire or British police procedurals, this is a good one. J. R. Ellis takes you there, visiting all the sites that make Yorkshire special which are, coincidentally, part of the chapter headings. His story is intricate and intriguing, his protagonists personable and his prose crisp.

Nidderdale is very small, with a newsagent/grocery store, one hotel with a renowned restaurant, and the area's only pub, attached to the hotel. They don't even have a cop shop. Hard to imagine an intricately presented murder, much less two of them, that would outfox the experienced police personnel in Nidderdale's outlying communities. Even harder to imagine more than one person about the dales and fells who needs killing. J. R. Ellis could and did imagine that, and spoons information out delicately. You are gonna like this one. I sure did.

“The Nidderdale Murders” is a mildly entertaining murder mystery set in a small village in Yorkshire, England. The first murder occurs shortly after a retired judge, Sandy Fraser, organizes a grouse shoot on his land. Fraser is an unpleasant man with many enemies, so when he is shot at point blank range with a shotgun outside the village inn, there should have been many suspects. However, a witness who resided at the inn saw Fraser’s apparent murderer, who quickly disappeared. Local police as well as a team from Harrogate led by Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd investigates the murder. The investigation is complicated when a second victim is shot in the same manner by a different murderer, who is also observed by a witness.

Although the descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside are poetic, the dialog and interactions among the characters feel stilted and awkward. The only exceptions to this were the passages involving Oldroyd and his daughter when he and his sister Allison, and Oldroyd ex-wife attend the daughter’s graduation from Oxford. The awkward prose described earlier kept this book from receiving a 4 or 5 star rating. If the reader is only interested in an entertaining read and the prose style is not an issue, others might enjoy the book more than I did. (Incidentally, the author essentially admits that he essentially copied the plot from an old Sherlock Holmes movie from the forties. This “borrowed” plot further diminished my appreciation for the book.)

Murder in a quiet village. There was a witness, but the person she identifies as the assailant has disappeared. There are plenty of other people who strongly disliked the victim. DCI Oldroyd is on the case, picking at it over and over in an effort to unravel what happened and why. The characters, many of whom have secrets, are nicely drawn. There is plenty of misdirection, twists, turns and surprises, It makes for an enjoyable read.

If you enjoy British police procedural you will enjoy this book. Great sense of place. Light on gore and heavy on characters. Enjoyed.

I throughly enjoyed this police mystery set in the Yorkshire countryside. Chief Detective Inspector Oldroyd is a gentle, thoughtful CDI. The interaction between him and his officers is good, as they look up to him, and he seeks to make them think deeply and grow in their positions. The mystery kept me guessing. This was the fifth in a series, but the first I have read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
A retired judge, Alexander 'Sandy' Fraser is shot dead outside an inn and the barmaid sees the perpetrator. DCI Jim Oldroyd, when looking for the murderer, finds he's disappeared. Soon a second murder occurs, with the perpetrator again seen and recognized. He too disappears. Both men were in a grouse shoot held by Sandy Fraser, who was universally disliked. But enough to be killed?
This was a pleasant, but at times slow read; I didn't feel fully invested in the story and therefore can't give it more than 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Wow! This was the first book by J.R. Ellis I have read and I want to say it was wonderful! It is a part of a series but, I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone.
A retired judge is shot down in front of a witness in front of the Dog and Gun Inn in the village of Nidderdale. Why did the shooter make sure his face was seen? DCI Oldroyd and his team are called to help the local station investigate. There were a lot of secrets and then there is another death, seemingly unrelated, again, a different shooter was seen by a witness and made sure he was seen. Finally, pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together and the ending will surprise you! I sometimes have trouble with British mysteries because I can't follow along to the places well or sometimes the local languages are harder to understand. Not the case here. Go out and grab this book if you enjoy a good mystery with some interesting characters.
Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and J.R. Ellis for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.