"The Brewery Murders" takes readers on a delightful journey to the town of Markham, where DCI Jim Oldroyd and DS Andy Carter find themselves embroiled in a captivating British cosy mystery. The story unfolds when a body is discovered in the Yoredale Ram Brewery's vat, belonging to Brendan Scholes, who possessed a valuable formula for the long-lost Wensley Glory Bitter beer. As the team investigates, the plot thickens with another murder at the Scholes home, leaving them puzzled about the motive behind the killings.

The novel's charm lies in its well-crafted characters and the camaraderie between DCI Jim Oldroyd and DS Andy Carter, which draws readers in from the start. The quaint setting of Markham adds to the cozy atmosphere, making it an inviting read for fans of the genre. With a touch of nostalgia surrounding the award-winning brew, readers are kept guessing until the final reveal. The seamless blend of mystery, intrigue, and British charm makes "The Brewery Murders" a quick and enjoyable page-turner.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance e-galley of this compelling mystery, which has left me eager for more adventures with this endearing team. #TheBreweryMurders #NetGalley

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of The Brewery Murders, the ninth novel to feature Harrogate based DCI Jim Oldroyd.

In Markham a brewing rivalry runs deep with Richard Foster running the family business while his sister Emily and her partner Janice run their startup. Town bad boy, Brendan Scholes returns to Markham, offering the long lost secret recipe to the beer that made the Foster family famous to the highest bidder. Then Brendan Scholes is found dead in a vat of beer with his head caved in.

I enjoyed The Brewery Murders, which is another well constructed plot with some good twists and turns. It is told mostly from the investigative side, mixing the professional and domestic, so it has a well concealed perpetrator and motive as no one believes that the recipe exists.

The plot is fairly standard for the series, not that this is a bad thing, an eminently readable story with several twists and some clunky dialogue. Oldroyd is somewhat at a loss in this novel as there are several suspects and motives and nothing seems to gel, especially with the rivalry between the breweries and an undercurrent of misogyny and homophobia. It’s perplexing until a cunning ruse saves the day and solves the case. I must admit that I did guess one of the big twists early on, so it was fun watching the detectives flounder slightly from a position of knowledge when not screaming at them to get with it. There is an old fashioned feel to the series as a whole as it prizes deduction and brain power over technology.

The characters are moving forward as they always do. Oldroyd is house hunting in the villages around Harrogate while his subordinates, DS Andy Carter and DS Steph Johnson have their own concerns with Andy thinking about promotion away from the team and Steph reconnecting with her abusive, alcoholic father.

The Brewery Murders is a good read that I can recommend.

The Brewery Murders is the ninth novel in this J. R. Ellis series. Although the topic is murder, this novel is a essentially a cozy mystery. Readers follow along as Inspector Oldroyd and his team work to solve multiple murders. Like any familiar British mystery, the murders either occur off stage or with a minimum of trauma to the reader. As these murders are investigated, readers will follow multiple narrators, whose stories will link together by the end of the novel.

I have read all the books in this series and find them entertaining. One of Ellis' strengths is his ability to bring these characters to life. There are the usual stock group of characters found in all of the Ellis novels--Andy, Stephanie, and Deborah, but in each novel readers soon grow accustomed to a series to new and sometimes familiar characters, whose lives are actually quite real. These are characters, who are just trying to get through their lives and overcome challenges, often of their own making. Since the action takes place in small villages in Yorkshire, it is reasonable that some of the same background characters appear.

Ellis creates a familiar trope with this series. Oldroyd and his team are on the case, and so readers are comforted that all these crimes will soon be solved and life set back in order. For readers who are not fans of thrillers, Ellis' series is the perfect way to spend a quiet weekend.

Thank you to the author, and Amazon Publishers UK for sending the ARC of The Yorkshire Murders. Thanks also to NetGalley for making these novels so accessible.

This is my kind of crime novel. J. R. Ellis always writes a good book you can really escape into. The descriptions are so beautiful you could be on holiday in the Yorkshire dales they are discribed so well.

Because it's a series you really get to know and love (or loathe) the characters and watch them grow. I look forward to reading more in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series.

I found this book to be very descriptive. It's detail focused and slower paced, but still overall enjoyable. I loved how the characters each had a motive for the murders and kept me guessing.It was easy to read and a solid mystery!

This is book 9 in the series and I found it to be one of the best I have read so far.

I would like to have had more Steph but overall I enjoyed all the characters, the plot and the landscape building is so good. Takes me right back to my hometown.

Thank you for the arc.

DCI Jim Oldroyd and DS Andy Carter were called into the town of Markham at the Yoredale Ram Brewery, when a body was found in one of their vats. The man was Brendan Scholes and he was trying to sell a formula for Wensley Glory Bitter beer. This award winning brew wasn't made for thirty years because the recipe was not pasted down, and now worth a fortune. When another man was killed at the Scholes home, the team wondered what he was searching for.
A quick, enjoyable British cosy mystery in the series with all the familiar characters, as the team works together to find the killer.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-galley of "The Brewery Murders".

A really great gentle read with Oldroyd and his team set to solve the murders. It was full of the usual red herrings, but it was interesting that same sex relationships were introduced and dealt with in an extremely positive manner. A very interesting brewery setting with family relationships also well covered. Thoroughly recommend it.

Thanks to both Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Brewery Murders, by J.R. Ellis.

The unwelcome return of the town’s former bad boy, Brendan Scholes, threatens to ignite the sibling rivalry between Richard Foster and his sister, Emily. They each run competing breweries, following the death of their father and the long-lost recipe for his beer that made him famous.

The Brewery Murders is #9 in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries Series. I requested it from NetGalley when I saw the faithful and well-loved following for the series, but I'm not sure I would have finished it had I not felt I owed it to NetGalley and the publisher. It had a slow pace and was more folksy than the books I usually read. The minute details made my eyes cross a bit. An example would be when two couples are out to eat and someone is asked a question. The person who was asked first had to finish chewing, and swallow, before he could answer the question. It even described the toppings that were on the pizza he was eating. He finally answered the question but when he asked a question in return, THAT person had to chew and swallow before HE could answer. Have you guessed it, yet? Yep ... the toppings on the pizza HE was eating were also described. It's undoubtedly a case of "It's not you, it's me" because it looks like no one else seems to mind all of the details.

On the positive side, I liked the ending - especially where Oldroyd said: "Whenever we get to this point in a murder inquiry and the murderer is going to prison, I never feel any sense of triumph. The dominant feeling for me is what a tragic waste it is. Amen to that.

I liked this book, as the story unveils the suspense heightens which had me hooked to discover the truth behind the brewery murders. The author introduces several complex characters which at times can be overwhelming to get to grips with however as the story continues you realise each character has a ‘whodunnit’ motive. The writing style is very simple and allows for readers to be drawn in from the very beginning.

The plot of ‘The Brewery Murders’ is very intriguing having said this certain aspects of the plot came across very predictable but this can be brushed aside due to the excellent suspense the book was able to build up from the very beginning.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a suspenseful thriller which is easy to read or to help get them out of a reading slump!

Fermentation Fatalities..
The Yorkshire Murder Mystery series returns with the ninth instalment which finds Oldroyd’s latest investigation steeped in Yorkshire ale when brewery battles and family rivalry lead to a series of particularly gruesome, bizarre and ale related deaths. With a solid puzzle at heart, a cast of well crafted and credible characters and a nicely plotted tale peppered with red herrings this is a gentle mystery in traditional vein and a delightful addition to this very enjoyable and reliable series. Particularly entertaining this time around are the historical snippets making reference to the history of Yorkshire ales.

The suspenseful and deftly plotted crime fiction book "The Brewery Murders" by J.R. Ellis will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Ellis provides readers who enjoy the genre with a gripping and rewarding book thanks to its interesting characters, well-written tension, and a perplexing enigma at its centre.

The plot follows DI Jim Oldroyd as he looks into several killings that occur in the sleepy community of Leesworth. Oldroyd finds himself caught up in a complicated web of reasons, secrets, and undiscovered connections as the bodies start to mount up. As the story takes unexpected turns, the suspense grows, and readers are carried on an exciting quest to learn the truth behind the Brewery Murders.

The author developed complex and engrossing characters with the protagonist, DI Jim Oldroyd is likeable and relatable due to his commitment to cracking the crime. The supporting cast gives the narrative depth with a good "whodunnit" vibe because each member has a secret motive. The writing is simple but compelling, hooking readers on the first page. The suspense is kept up throughout because of the well-timed revelations and tense periods in the pacing.

Additionally, "The Brewery Murders" provides an immersive atmosphere with its atmospheric portrayal of the Leesworth village, enhanced by the attention to detail when describing the brewery and its surrounds. The investigation takes place against an intriguing backdrop created by the merging of the rural life in the area with the criminal underworld.

The plot and character development in "The Brewery Murders" are interesting and enjoyable, yet in some places predictable or commonplace in stories of this genre. Any slight flaws are, however, made up for by the compelling tale, well-constructed mystery.

Readers will be engrossed in "The Brewery Murders" until the very end thanks to its gripping and suspenseful writing. So sit back, relax and get ready to solve murder.

The Brewery Murders by J.R. Ellis is book nine in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries, published by Thomas & Mercer, Amazon Publishing.
Brendan Scholes is back in his hometown, claiming her found the original recipe, the cause of the family's wealth.
But Barry, Janice and Emily have other concerns.
A fast paced, complex read, told in a multiple povs that is best read in order- you might be lost a bit if not. All in all, entertaining, well written, a cover to cover in one sitting read, 4 stars.

Cozy mystery set in a quaint British town. Rivalry between brother and sister has been elevated to the two local breweries and the townspeople have chosen sides. The big question, aside from two suspicious deaths (one in a fermenting tank) is this -- Did their Dad pass away with his secret award-winning beer recipe hidden? If so, whomever can find it would garner beer brewing success. Did this quest lead one of the siblings to commit the murders?

Yorkshire, law-enforcement, procedural, family-dynamics, family-history, family-drama, sequential-murders, friendship, friends, investigations, secrets, lies, extortion, small-business, small-town, hate-crimes, witty, sly-humor, entitled-attitude, addictive-behaviors, misogyny, mysteries*****

Fantastic fast-paced read with realistic characters and life situations. Easy to stand alone but I really like this bunch of coppers, especially DCI Oldroyd! In addition to being a wonderful mystery/procedural read, this history geek really loved learning about the basic terminology of beer making and lots about the brewery history in Yorkshire.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you!

Complex murder mystery with a solid cast of characters and well-paced plot. Almost genteel in the small-town atmosphere where everyone knows each other, forever, and there is history everywhere. Great element of diversity and shouting out bigotry. Great series, and can stand alone.

Excellent story. Lots of action and twists and turns. Well worth reading.

Number nine in the series and one of the best. If you haven't read this series you really should.

Looking forward to more from J.R. Ellis
Many thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC and opportunity to enjoy this wonderful book

Set in the Yorkshire Dales this story quickly gains pace. In the mid 1990’s a family owned brewery repeatedly won awards for best beer but the recipe is lost when the owner dies. Thirty years later the son manages the established family brewery, the Yordale Ram Ales, whilst his sister has set up in competition the Ewe’s Ales brewery. There is sibling rivalry, claims that the lost recipe has been found, illicit affairs, misogynistic behaviours, the son of the former head brewer is found dead in a vat of beer and another murder victim is found hidden in a drainage pipe. The scene is set very quickly for a story of intrigue with suspense and drama.

The characters are well rounded and the relationships build on previous encounters in earlier books. The story maintains a good pace throughout with nice historical snippets about various traditional Yorkshire beers.

I’ve read previous books by this author and this book did not disappoint. An enjoyable story with unexpected plot twists.

This book was a good read, it had light suspense, drama, a good mystery, heavy focus on addiction, great police work and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! It was a very mild story and a nice read! It's worth reading and I will recommend it but it wasn't one of my top favorites! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The brewery murders by J R Ellis.
A Yorkshire Murder Mystery, Book 9.
The unwelcome return of the town’s former bad boy, Brendan Scholes, threatens to ignite the sibling rivalry further. Scholes claims to have found the long-lost secret recipe to the beer that made Richard and Emily’s father famous, and he wants money.
Really good read. Barry I didn't trust. The way Janice and Emily acted I didn't trust them. So many suspects. Langford and Sophie were suspicious too. I liked Dci Oldroyd and Andy. Wasn't who I thought it would be. 5*.