Impossible crime mystery on a train - it doesn't get any better than that! The Railway Murders is the 8th Yorkshire Murder Mystery by J.R. Ellis. An actor is shot on a train during filming. I love the setting of this mystery. The author has an obvious love for Yorkshire and I enjoyed the descriptions of the area. I love locked-room/impossible crimes and this was a really good one. I did find the speech a bit formal at times. It didn't always sound natural. The characters were well-developed though and made for good suspects. I really liked the description of a book or film set on a train at the beginning of each chapter. That was really fun.

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

A complicated murder in Yorkshire.
I enjoyed the rustic setting of an Edwardian railway station which was well-described and atmospheric. The surrounding nature of the Dales was also captured. Each chapter began with mention of other movies and books that feature mysteries at railways/trains.
Overall an interesting read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. The story was very entertaining and I enjoyed it a lot. I have not read the previous books in this series, and I will be seeking them out.

The Railway Murders is the eighth Yorkshire Murder novel and is yet another great. Wharfedale’s vintage steam railway is enjoying a little financial boost being selected as the setting for a period drama, on the morning of the big shoot on the train The caste are all ready, the lead character is ensconced on the vintage carriage, the train steams into the station and then. - nothing, no actor appears and every one waits thinking he’s milking his big moment, only the director moves to open the door and discovers the actor has been killed. Yet how was it possible, the vintage carriage has a door at each end both locked, and now way to get in or out into any of the other carriages? Detective Inspector Bob Craven at the Skipton police station who feels overwhelmed and decides he needs the help of his friend and colleague Detective Chief inspector Oldroyd. Oldroyd arrives with his DI and there’s another shooting the next morning. DCI Oldroyd decides as he’s going to have some long days working, he will get his partner, Deborah, to join him and she can enjoy some pampering while he is working and then they can enjoy the evenings together. A nice idea of Oldroyd’s that doesn’t quite go to plan.
A wonderful murder mystery that, just like all the previous novels by J R Ellis, each time you’re sure you know who did it, you realise that was just what the writer wanted you to think but actually , you’re wrong. Highly recommend this lovely series with its beautiful descriptions of Yorkshire.

I absolutely love the DCI Oldroyd series and I read them all.
DCI Oldroyd is a very likable character with a wonderful and supportive partner Deborah and a great team.
The mystery plot is as ever well written is enjoyable to read. The author's written work is always high standard indeed.
For me the star of the show is the amazing picturesque description of Yorkshire to the point that I have been nagging my husband to go there on a long weekend break!

Really great book, in fact really wonderful series :)

In the railway murders detective chief inspector Oldroyd and his team, including his trusted assistants Stef and Andy, have to solve another "closed room" murder mystery. Only this time the closed room is actually a train compartment on the Wharfedale’s vintage railway.
During the recordings for a movie at the Wharfedale’s vintage railway one of the actors is killed in a closed compartment. As it turns out the victim wasn't at all popular amongst his colleagues, friends and family so the chief inspector is spoiled for suspects. When he decides to invite his partner Deborah to join him at the village where the murder has taken place so they can enjoy the scenery and take some hikes, things take a turn for the worse and the suspense is rising.

Like the previous episodes I liked this instalment in the Oldroyd series. There is a real development in the characters throughout the series and I love the descriptions of the landscape and the quaint places. Makes me want to visit the Yorkshire area.
Full marks for this one

I thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I have read a lot of books over the years and the only one I’ve struggled with; started and given up many times, was Emma (Jane Austin).
The Railway Murders came close to being the second - so Mr Ellis you are in very esteemed company!!
I can’t quite work out why - there is nothing inherently bad or wrong - it just couldn’t hook me in and it’s taken me two months to work through as I just had many other books that gripped me more.
Set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and based around a film in production and action focussed on a steam railway station, I felt this murder mystery lacked depth in the characters- they felt contrived and stereotypical. Too much description resulted in it feeling slow paced for me.

As I read this book I compared it to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. There has been a murder on a train of someone who is not very likable at all. But that is where the similarities end. In Ellis’ book, we have a locked room mystery during a short scene of the making of a movie.

What I liked about this story was that I was working alongside DCI Oldroyd in figuring out motives, suspects, and other clues. The story felt a bit slow paced, but every now and then there was an exciting discovery that came out of nowhere. Those moments were particularly fun. Sometimes the reader got a special sneak peak that the detective didn’t get.

I did have a few criticisms, which is why I gave this book 3 stars. I felt that some of the dialogue was unrealistic and perhaps a little robotic. I had a hard time remembering a lot of the characters, especially in the beginning as there were a lot of people – from the cast to the police force to the train workers. I had a hard time remembering all the names. I also think that since there were so many people, I never really felt attached to anyone. Lastly, I wasn’t sure how realistic the police work was. Perhaps I’m ignorant, but I felt in modern day police work that this case would have been able to be solved a lot sooner. If simple background checks were used, this would have been a much shorter book!

This book is still special. It makes you ask yourself what is right and what is wrong. You have an unlikable character who gets killed. They are disrespectful, demeaning, rude, and a drunk. No one cared that he died. Did the killer do the world a service? Is revenge always a bad thing? What is justice? This story makes you question what is moral.

I would recommend this book for people who like detective novels, locked room murders, and crimes that take place on trains.

There's nothing wrong, really, with these Yorkshire Murder Mysteries, but wow are they slow moving. A bit of adrenaline would do wonders.

A movie is being filmed on a historic train. The whole town is excited...except for one interesting person. The actors aren't the top of the heap, but they are name-brand authors. All is going well until one of the actors turns up dead on the train. It turns out that he's not a finalist for Person of the Year. He's made lots of enemies. Which means lots of suspects.

DCI Oldroyd has his work cut out for him and his team. But when his partner, Deborah, is kidnapped and the ransom is that he has to withdraw from the case, things get very interesting.

The story moves along at a wonderful pace. The characters are well developed. The author is able to bring in other elements of the main characters' lives without diverting the story. I highly recommend this book for lovers of a good English mystery.

I am loving this series, it gets better with every new book. A story with many twists which had me gripped throughout

Entertaining and easy to read.

While making a film, actor Dan Hayward is shot dead in a railway carriage - but how did the murderer get in and out? The case is a tricky one, so the local police call in DCI Jim Oldroyd to help out.

I like mysteries set on trains, and I also like locked room mysteries, so this was right up my street. I liked how the author gave the reader pieces of information that the police didn't have as it made me feel part of the investigation. I did find a couple of things frustrating, but on the whole the story was well done. The resolution was satisfying, and I found it an exciting read.

This was the 8th book in a series and I haven't read any of the others, but I think it works well as a standalone. There are a few references to earlier books but at most they are minor spoilers so I don't think it's necessary to have read them all before you read this one.

Overall a very competent mystery and one that I enjoyed reading. 3.5☆

I'd like to thank the publishers, Amazon Publishing UK, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy. All opinions are my own.

In this eighth novel featuring DCI Oldroyd set in rural Yorkshire, a film shoot on Wharfedale’s vintage railway turns into a deadly crime scene. The actors and film crew are kept in place as the investigation proceeds, with personality clashes and suspicions bubbling to the surface. The locked room mystery provides a challenge to DCI Oldroyd and his team, but it is the varied cast of characters that proves to be the most challenging and interesting component of this fascinating mystery.

An intricate plot with a “locked door” mystery is the highlight of this 8th entry of the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries Series by J.R. Ellis. DCI Oldroyd receives a call to investigate a murder on the set of a period film at a railway museum. As is often the case, the seeds of this murder spring from the past.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Thomas&Mercer for my copy of #TheRailwayMurders by JREllis
This is the 8th book in the DCI Jim Oldroyd series.
A film is being made on one of Wharfedales historic railway stations, when in full view of everyone one of the actors is murdered..
And no one saw anything ! Jim’s talent at working out bizarre crimes is well known in the area and he and his team are called in to help.

A clever mystery with reminders of great Golden Age locked room/impossible crimes set on a train. Set in the modern day but on a vintage train being filmed for a historical piece when an actor is killed in a carriage while moving. Of course, there seems no way the killer could get in or out without someone seeing them.

Filled with red herrings, multiple suspects with hidden motives, suspense and well-developed characters that face emotional dramas of their own keep, along with tidbits of crimes novels and movies that take place on trains, the novel is a nod to the Golden Age of Mystery but still is very modern.

Plus, there are beautifully written scenes of the wonders of Yorkshire in the Springtime. These bucolic passages are very poetic.

I definitely recommend this and look forward to reading more in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

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. 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. A potential connection to a previous tragedy offers Oldroyd a much-needed lead. 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.
The eighth book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. I’m loving this series as the characters are well portrayed & have depth, the pace is good & I’m kept guessing whilst loving the authors descriptions of my home county. There are plenty of twists, turns & red herrings & I found myself engrossed in the whodunit & burned the midnight oil to finish it. I recommend not only this book but the whole series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is book 8 in the series, and offers a good update on the relationship between Oldroyd and Deborah. In this case, he is called in to help an old friend on his case, but soon finds himself and Deborah in the middle of the case, that seems to be one that Agatha would love, for it's closed train setting! As another body happens, Oldroyd soon finds himself searching for motif in the unlikely of places- the past. It's a pageturner that fans of the series will love, and newcomers will appreciate as well!

A puzzling locked-room mystery that puts someone Oldroyd loves in terrible danger. One of the film’s stars has been shot dead in a train carriage while the cameras rolled outside. 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. This was not my first book in this series. I have also read book 1 of the series which was a great introduction to the series. I enjoyed this book as much as book 1. This book was a locked-room mystery which was most interesting and really threw them a curve ball. I did enjoy the beginning of each chapter where they described different movies with railways in them. In the end, the mystery was solved and I was satisfied how the book turned out. If you like locked-room mysteries then you will love this book. I would like to thank Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for a copy for an honest review.

The Railway Murders is the eight book in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series about DCI Jim Oldroyd and his loyal team of detectives solving old fashioned locked room crimes inspired by the Golden Age classics, but set in the present. I’ve read them all in order so know the characters well, but in this case this was a disadvantage, as this one seems to follow much the same formula as some of the others, so I was unfortunately rather bored by it.

Oldroyd is called in to investigate the murder of an actor inside an old steam train being used in a scene from a historical movie. The killer somehow got inside the compartment while the train was moving towards the station, shot his victim, then escaped despite the scene being filmed and the station being full of witnesses. The deceased was a known womaniser and debtor so lots of people could’ve wanted him dead - but who could’ve pulled off this apparently impossible crime?

These books are nicely written cosyish mysteries where the Yorkshire setting is a major feature. I like Oldroyd and his partner Deborah, who plays a bigger role here - although dislike the overused trope of the detective’s family being targeted - especially when it actually made no sense. Steph also features more than her work and romantic partner Andy, and while she’s a good hardworking police officer, it’s Oldroyd who makes all the key deductive leaps. The plot moved slowly and there’s an awful lot of talking. The reveal was a bit underwhelming - information is serendipitously revealed late which opens up the case and it’s all then solved rather too easily. There’s also too much coincidence holding the plot together (in both senses of the word.) I’ve enjoyed this series so far but am not sure that I’ll continue it as it’s getting too repetitive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
The Railway Murders is published on November 9th.