“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.

The Nidderdale Murders is about two seemingly unrelated murders that were committed in the same manner. DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team were assigned to the task of solving those murders.

The author did a nice job of creating suspicion and added a bit of mystery at the end of each segment. Even though there was a huge cast of characters, the writing was concise and all those characters were clearly defined.

SPOILER ALERT!!

The flaw with this book is that it was extremely contrived. Too much was not believable. (Really? Someone was able to pull off being three different people with three different disguises for three years with no one suspecting? Not believable.) Too much had to come together at the end with very improbable twists. Again, not believable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

law-enforcement, murder-investigation, England, small-town

Excellent mystery with an ending worthy of Conan Doyle--a perfect twist!
The sleepy village in the Yorkshire Dales was the perfect antidote to city life but for those who protested game shooting just for sport. Then came the first murder. It was witnessed by a reliable person and the named suspect was not only a very nice man (unlike the victim) but he disappeared without a trace! the assignment goes to DCI Jim Oldroyd of the Harrogate Police together with Sergeants Johnson and Carter and local Inspector Gibbs who really have their hands full with this one. Lots of misdirection and red herrings seem to thwart their due diligence even before the second murder. Along the way we readers get to know all of the police characters as well as the civilian ones.
I found it riveting and hope for more with Oldroyd and his team in Yorkshire.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley. Thank you!

DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team are called in to investigate a murder in the small village of Niddersgill in the Yorkshire dales. A retired judge and owner of a grouse moor is murdered and a witness claims the shooter was a local handyman and gardener. Oldroyd and his team keep searching since Green has no motive. What at first looked like an open and closed case gets complicated and more facts and more suspects are uncovered and it’s up to Oldroyd’s team to solve it.

This is the fifth book in this series and even though I haven’t read any of the prior books, I had no trouble getting to know the characters. Oldroyd is an interesting main character. He is a great detective, inspiring leader to his two detectives, and has been going through changes in his personal life. There are a few times when his detectives Stephanie Johnson and Andy Carter each question witnesses on their own which allows the reader to learn more about those characters.

The book starts out strong and I was very intrigued by the investigation. Then it slows down as the detectives seem to be going in circles. Things do pick up as there is a new development in the case, although the solution is ultimately very complicated and slows the momentum that had built up the last part of the book. I like the main characters and the Yorkshire setting. I really enjoyed the clever poem that is included that uses names of places in the Yorkshire Dales area. Some of the dialogue, especially between Stephanie and Andy who work closely together and are dating, is very stilted. Oldroyd’s interactions seem more natural and realistic. Overall, this is an interesting procedural that I would rate 3.5 stars. I would be interested to read further cases featuring Oldroyd and his team.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Thomas & Mercer. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

DCI Jim Oldroyd and a pair of detective sergeants are called in to investigate when a retired judge is shot to death outside a pub in a Yorkshire village. A barmaid saw the whole thing, and she recognized the killer, but the case is far from solved at that point. Matters are further complicated when another resident of the village is murdered under strikingly similar, but not so clear-cut, circumstances. Can Oldroyd and his team crack the case before another life is taken?

This was a fun and satisfying read for me, as my affinity for all things British continues to grow. The author's familiarity with and fondness for Yorkshire shines through in his descriptions of the landscape and lifestyle. I found the main characters to be a bit shallow, but I also realize the focus of this book is more on the mystery and less on the people involved. It's the fourth in a series, which I hadn't heard of before coming across this book, but is easy to follow as a stand-alone. It piqued my interest enough to add the rest of the series to my TBR.

this is a good story, a judge is killed and they need to find out how did it. it does have adult words. but the story line is good i was given a copy of the book by net galley if you like suspense and is set in Scotland you will want to read the book

Quick, easy read but with rather improbable plot twists. Nice descriptions of Yorkshire dales. Surprising little theological discussion at end.

Review of eBook

The murder of a retired judge in the remote Yorkshire village of Niddersgill baffles Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd. There’s no apparent motive and the gunman’s disappeared.

Although the investigation reveals motives for many of the people in the tiny hamlet, nothing quite clicks into place. And then there’s another murder.

Although this book is fifth in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series, it stands well on its own with the English countryside serving as a strong anchor for the unfolding mystery. Believable characters keep the story on track as the police search for answers. Unexpected twists take the story in surprising directions as it offers readers a clever twist they’re not likely to predict.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley
#TheNidderdaleMurders #NetGalley

Publication Date: August 20, 2020

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

This is my first read of J.R. Ellis and his Yorkshire Murder series. Now, darn it, I have another series to dive into. I'm actually not disappointed about that, although the saying goes, "So many books and so little time." I will pass from this earth with a long list of books I truly wanted to read but didn't have enough years in life to do so. But I digress.

In a quiet little dale village, a horrific and clearcut murder takes place. It's clearcut because the witness saw the offender who seemed to make sure that she saw him. DCI Oldroyd isn't sure what to make of the crime or the murderer who didn't bother to hide his identity. He and his two Sargeants start making the rounds and nothing is adding up. Maybe people didn't like Sandy Fraser, but nobody disliked him enough to kill him. Oldroyd and his team are hitting dead end after dead end. While running out of ideas and options another murder, almost identical to the first, takes place. This is a quiet, out of the way dale village - what could possibly be going on? But with the second murder, tiny bits and pieces are starting to emerge and Oldroyd and his team explore those tiny bits hoping they will bear some fruit. Jackpot. They lead to breaking open the case in the most intriguing of ways.

J.R. Ellis lists his influence as Agatha Christie and it shows. Not that he is a copycat of her works, he is far from that. But he includes intrigue, masked characters, and small village drama as she did. I loved it. I also loved his character portrayal of DCI Oldroyd and his two Sargeants. Because this is the fifth book in the series I am assuming he has been building on and drawing their characters from book 1 so I am excited to go backward and read books 1-4. Ellis also is quite descriptive of the Yorkshire countryside, so much so that it was easy to imagine myself walking the moors. Well done, J.R. Ellis, another fan has been added to your club.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC.
This is a decent-enough murder-mystery/police procedural; simply-, but well-written, with a unique plot-line that keeps the reader guessing. Set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and centred on the small fictional village of Niddersgill with excellent characterisations.

We're introduced to all the main characters during a grouse shoot on the moor, hosted by Alexander (Sandy) Fraser, a retired Judge living in the manor house. Traditionally the shoot ended with a sumptuous dinner at the Dog and Gunn Inn in the village, owned by Rob and Sheila Owen. In their bar we are introduced to the 'locals'. who have nothing pleasant to say about the shooting party guests. When Fraser leaves the Inn after midnight a sleepless barmaid witnesses his shotgun murder and recognises the murderer, who then disappears.

Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd, together with Sergeants Johnson and Carter begin their investigation but, although no-one liked Fraser and his arrogant and bullying ways, they can't find the motive. However, the team begin to look into Fraser's finances as well as any prominent cases he judged. When Peter Gorton, the local shopkeeper, is also shot dead on his doorstep - again the murderer identified by another passing barmaid, they have to try to connect the two cases, especially when the second murderer also disappears.

Gradually the strands of the investigation come together through twists and turns, and dogged police work.

We're in the world of environmental saboteurs. disgruntled tenant farmers, a game keeper who can't afford to lose his job and a struggling village Inn in desperate need of custom - as well as Fraser's rich and influential friends. All have motives for Fraser's murder, but not Peter's, so who's out for some kind of revenge?

This was my first foray into the Yorkshire Murders series, and although I think this may be book 5, I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone. Other than a few references to past cases, I didn't need any background knowledge to totally follow the story. A disclaimer: I lived in Scotland for three years where I developed a deep and abiding love for anything that brought up a romanticized, cozy vision of the British Isles. This book certainly delivers here, and it is obvious that the author has a real love for the Yorkshire countryside. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of this through the reading. I also thought he did a good job of touching on both sides of hunting, in this case, grouse hunting, which is controversial. He has characters that represent both sides of the issue.

As to the story, it is deeply atmospheric so far as plonking you in this English village and introducing you to a whole cast of local characters. I enjoyed getting immersed into village life. The detective, Oldroyd, is happily very capable and ends up solving the case through an unusual means. I admit the mystery is a bit slow moving, like real life, so if you need a murder or something huge happening at the end of every chapter you may be frustrated. I like both styles of mysteries, and in fact I enjoy reading a "cozy" with it's lack of blood and grit, between more realistic stories, partially as a means to relax and as a palette cleanser. I won't go into the mystery, as it would be hard not to have spoilers, but the ending is unexpected and clever. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will be seeking others in the series.

The Nidderdale Murders - J.R Ellis

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Amazon Publishing and Netgalley.

I must admit, as a book reader I did the terrible thing and picked this book based entirely on the title as I live just outside of Nidderdale.

When ‘Sandy’ Fraser is shot dead outside the local pub after a day of shooting, Jim Oldroyd is brought in to investigate. In what should have been an easy case, as there was a witness who knows who the killer is, there are many twists and turns.

A very cleverly written mystery that will keep the reader guessing right up until the end.

Rating: 4/5
I throughly enjoyed reading this book and have purchased the first four books in the series. As someone that lives locally, the detail of the local area has made this book more enjoyable to read.

Niddersgill is a fictitious village in the Yorkshire Dales, where everybody knows everybody and life is in the slow lane, it has a pub/restaurant and a village shop as with all villages. Among the residents is a retired judge, an artist an up and coming chef, but it's not without its saboteurs when it comes to blood sports. The retired judge has made his home after years on the bench and he bought a house situated on a grouse moor so a little extra income in the shooting season. A village pub and restaurant where all the locals congregate does very good meals and the judge Sandy Fraser all dressed up in a kilt after one of his shoots commandeers the restaurant to give all his cronies a good send-off, but that night on leaving the restaurant just outside somebody decides to shoot him with a shotgun and was seen by the head waitress who just happened to be looking out the window and by all accounts the shooter not bothered as he looks straight at her, creepy. then the shooter runs off never to be seen again but this person is known throughout the village.
The case goes to DCI Jim Oldroyd and he and his team start to investigate. The judge though retired must have made some enemies but none can be found that would warrant a killing so Oldroyd has to look further a long way back in time to try and find a motive... After not really getting anywhere the local shopkeeper is gunned down outside his shop as he is shutting for the night, and again a different witness and a different killer is seen and seemed not to bother to hide, and again the shooter runs off never to be seen again.and is known in the village. It's a riveting read a must for finding out the truth and so many locals that could have done it but what was the motive? My thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy to review a good tense read.

This is book 5 in the series, that also takes us to England! It seems so simple, but nothing ever is. When the suspect an eye witness saw literally seems to vanish in thin air, DCI Oldroyd, knows there more than a simple death. As he spends more time in the village, he realizes many people seem to good to be true, and in fact they are all keeping secrets. As those secrets start coming out, more people are in danger and it is a race to solve before the death count goes too high. Add in an interesting backstory that weaves throughout, and you have a mystery that's a real page turner!

J.R. Ellis writes traditional detective stories that don't sacrifice the quality of the writing for the sake of creating an over elaborate plot.
One of the pleasures in reading this novel was the evocative picture of rural Yorkshire in all its beauty.
The murder of a local landowner, a man with fine manners and unpaid bills, starts off a case full of red herrings and a most satisfying twist in the denouement.