The 8th in the Yorkshire Murders series, this book returns to find DCI Oldroyd and his team investigating a murder on the railway during the filming of a movie. There are the usual cast of suspects and the plot is constructed in a way that the clues are only revealed slowly.
Overall it is a good easy to read mystery. What sealed it for me was the setting. Having spent many hours around Yorkshire, it brings back enjoyable memories

Enjoyed this novel and will be looking for others in this series to read. I really like this genre of novel

I enjoyed this book, even though it wasn't one I normally would read. I was pleasantly surprised, I would definitely recommend this book.

Another great read. I loved the mystery and the suspense and solving the clues as the story unfolded. It was well written and can't wait to read more by this author. I will be recommending this book to my family and friends.

It’s always good spending time with Oldroyd and his team, and this book was no different.

This is a great locked room mystery with someone being shot in a train carriage whilst the cameras rolled for a film production outside. As the story progresses we meet some of the characters, and it’s fair to say one or two don’t exactly endear themselves to the reader or Oldroyd.

As well as working out who carried out the murder, Oldroyd also has to figure out how they did it. To do this Oldroyd needs to dig into the past of the suspects, and the more he digs the more he finds especially in relation to one tragedy. The storyline also puts someone close to Oldroyd in danger,

I love the feel of these books set in Yorkshire, as well as the team that work will Oldroyd. As always Oldroyd shows great tenacity to uncover the murderer.

If you haven’t read any of this series, I do recommend this book and the rest of the series to you.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A very well written murder mystery. Kept me guessing till almost the very end. Good characters and plot.

A man has been shot dead in a vintage railway carriage and it’s up to DCI Jim Oldroyd to try and uncover the mystery behind it
This book is set from various points of view, the main being the police but I enjoyed the variety of the other characters and seeing things from their perspective. The police team have worked together in the past and Jim has a habit of solving mysterious crimes that seem impossible which is mentioned and why he is bought onto the case. He is the main character and I enjoyed reading about his thoughts and processes but at the same time, the other members of the police team bought it all together and made it feel more rounded
I loved the heritage railway setting and it showed an aspect that may not normally be thought of, how they run and the business behind the heritage front. The railway volunteers play a huge part in the story and seeing their passion for what they do made the railway come alive for me and reminded me of how much I enjoy travelling on heritage railways, especially steam trains!
I enjoyed this book, it was a relatively quick read that had me hooked from the beginning. One of the reasons that I hesitated in giving it five stars was that randomly the characters would be referred to by their last names, even though most of the time they use first names, which made it confusing and more complicated than it needed to be. It didn’t spoil the book but it was something that I wasn’t a fan of and it would make more sense to me if the author kept the names consistent throughout
This book has a fabulous mix of intrigue, drama and personal relationships which came together to make a gripping read that I loved. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a detective story that is slightly out of the ordinary but which will catch your attention and have you hooked

I enjoy J.R. Ellis books and this one was entertaining and well written.
Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.

Typical of J R Ellis, a really good mystery author who keeps you guessing right up to the end. Looking forward to the next in the series.

First book I’ve read in this series. Look forward to reading more.
Good old murder mystery story set on a scenic Yorkshire railway. The plot involves people with secrets, motives and opposition to other peoples plans. This inevitably results in murder along with an unexpected twist.
Very easy to read story which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I didn’t know this series and enjoyed this book. It’s a locked-room (locked train carriage!) mystery. The good guys were wholesome and sweet – almost too sweet –, but I really liked the snippets about some classic books and movies before each chapter, the Yorkshire setting, the Agatha Christie-like mood: even if the story takes place today and the author mentions cell phones and laptops, they don’t intrude enough to mess with the cozy feeling. The victim was despicable, which always means many suspects and makes reading more enjoyable!
This was my first copy from NetGalley and I really appreciate it. Thanks, NetGalley! I had some trouble downloading it to my Kindle; that was my own fault and the reason it took me some time to get to this review.

I really enjoy this series and was pleased to get an arc.

I ALWAYS say this but will once again say it... why do the men get referred to by their surname but the women are always referred to by their first name?! This needs to get edited.

However overall I found it enjoyable and there were lots of twists and turns in this cosy murder mystery.

A movie is being filmed in a small village railway station but then the main actor is found murdered in a locked carriage car. How did the killer get in the train car, commit the murder then disappear without being seen? DCI Oldroyd and his team are called in to investigate and then another body turns up. They have no idea what is going on but when DCI Oldroyds companion Deborah is kidnapped, they realize they must be getting closer. Now the situation is getting tenser and the stakes higher.
An cozy read but I just had a hard time staying interested in it. The story seemed to drag for me but others may enjoy that slow paced build up. I will definitely read another by this author too because one story is too little to judge all his books on.

This belongs to the locked room mystery category. The story is set on a train. I haven't read any other books by the author. But after reading this, I'm excited to read some other books by the author.

It was a good read. I loved how the author maintained a sense of mystery throughout the book. All the characters were made equally suspicious. I loved how all the characters were represented. The mystery intensified as the story progressed. Even though the plot is made simple, the reader won't feel bored because of the narrative style.

I really like this series....so much so, that I've purchased the 1st few books in the series! It's a quick, easy, fun read. I think the returning characters/investigators would be nice people to know in real life! The Yorkshire countryside is kind of a returning character in itself, & I think it would be nice to know too.....so this might be a bit of a tour/vacation! The quirky characters remind me of Louise Penny's mystery series....so that is great company to be in! In this story DCI Oldroyd's team is called to solve a sort of a 'locked door' mystery involving a railroad car, & it expands from there. I didn't figure out the mystery on my own, & appreciated the explanation at the end. This is something everyone can enjoy....there's no sex, bad language or gore......but very curious detecting!
I received an e-ARC from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley for review purposes. These are my own honest opinions.

The Railway Murders by J.R. Ellis

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

When a film shoot on Wharfedale’s vintage railway turns into a grisly crime scene, DCI Oldroyd’s idyllic visit to the countryside with his partner Deborah is well and truly stopped in its tracks. One of the film’s stars has been shot dead in a train carriage while the cameras rolled outside. But nobody else went in—or came out. Has the killer really pulled off the perfect, impossible crime?

Scouring the victim’s past for clues, Oldroyd soon unearths a string of heartbroken lovers and a mountain of unpaid debts, each adding to the growing list of suspects. But before he can determine who the culprit is, there’s the small matter of figuring out how they did it. A potential connection to a previous tragedy offers Oldroyd a much-needed lead…

Whoever the perpetrator is, they are ruthless and determined to avoid detection, and when a railway worker starts joining the dots, they are quickly silenced—for good. But as Oldroyd gets ever closer to the truth, it’s only a matter of time before he is given a chilling warning to back off.

My Opinion

This is a well-constructed murder mystery. I have read a few books in this series and I have enjoyed everyone so far. Living in the area it is nice to see recognisable places in these books. A lovely cosy mystery that is easy to read in one sitting.

Rating 4/5

DCI Oldroyd loves solving puzzling murders, and the one before him was no exception. He found himself up against a challenging puzzler with lots of tangled vines. To make matters worse, his partner has become part of that deadly tangled puzzle, and time was running out for her. It was exciting, gripping, and intriguing with a host of excellent characters.

Love this author! Love the Yorkshire setting, and the plotting was truly first rate. The locked room mystery was by far the best I have read in the last several years and I look forward to the next installment.

This was a good mystery with an unusual locked room type of murder. I found Ellis' writing style straight forward and not sophisticated. There were a few oddities, such as characters addressing each other by name in almost every statement during a dialogue. That seemed odd as most people do not talk that way. Also, the police detectives laughed many times at the murder seen. I can take detectives smiling or even chuckling when coming upon a murder but laughing just did not seem right.

There is quite a bit of the story taken up with side issues, about the railroad, birds, and so on, not pertinent to the plot. As to the plot, past information comes to light late in the book, sort of out of the blue, which allows the murder to be solved quickly. Readers are precluded from figuring it out as the clues are few.

This is a good mystery for readers who don't mind distractions in the plot and an unsophisticated, straight forward writing style.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

What a wonderful, easy to read book!! I couldn't turn the pages on my Kindle quickly enough, lol All the best bits of an Agatha Christie, think I've read most of her great books............but I still couldn't work out who the murderer was!! So many twists and turns and so may red herrings!!
1st of J.R.Ellis's books I have read but I will be proactively searching for his others!
Absolutely loved this book!!

Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.