The Nidderdale Murders

Murders in Yorkshire village. Detective Oldroyd has a witness who saw a murderer od retired judge but he had no motive to do it. And the old judge wasn't so innocent too. Many villagers had plenty of motives to kill him. And then another murder.

Classic "whodunnit" novel. I enjoyed the atmosphere and characters.

It is a decent Police Procedural, with reasonable and believable characters and a clever plot. It is certainly worth a wet afternoon read, even if it does not keep you up until 4am to finish it.

I enjoyed it and would happily read more by the author.

An enjoyable read and an interesting twist in the tale. I had no idea who did it until the end - the story pulls you in and keeps you guessing. Really good book

Retired judge Sandy Fraser is shot dead outside the local pub. He's not a popular man locally. And there was a witness to his murder - but the number one suspect has vanished into thin air.

DCI Oldroyd has plenty of disgruntled locals, but nobody can be placed at the scene. And when the local shopkeeper is killed in an identical attack by a different perpetrator who also vanished. Oldroyd and his team really have their work cut out

Excellent, a real page turner

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.
This is a cozy mystery read.

This story really pulled me in from the first chapter. It's a great "who did it?" type of read.
I was very thrillerd when I was able to read this book and write my review on it.
The writing in this book just fabulous!

This is book is a solid 4.5 read.

Thank You!

#TheNidderdaleMurders #NetGalley
J R Ellis has done it again.
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. But none of them were at the scene of the murder. And when a local shopkeeper is gunned down in a second senseless attack, it’s clear that these killings are anything but random.
Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, Oldroyd faces a race against time to connect the crimes and find who’s behind them. But with all the evidence sending him down dead ends, can he get one step ahead before someone else is killed?
Narration of the story is good and so are its characters. J R Ellis has given another thriller
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me an advance copy of this awesome thriller.

Very well written mystery with a good setting in rural Yorkshire
The solution seem a open and shut, but of course isn’t, and the ending provides a real twist
Characters, including the Chief Inspector, are very appealing, and the portrait of the beauty of Yorkshire makes me want to put it on my list of places to go!

Another enjoyable installment from the author. The plot was interesting and engaging, and it took a while to guess the twist. Discovered J R Ellis via Kindle Unlimited and happy to keep following new books.

This was the first book that I have read by this author, although part of a series I enjoyed it as a stand alone. An unexpected murder of a retired judge is witnessed by a young woman who works as a barmaid in the local pub. She is obviously shocked and even more so because she recognised the man who pulled the trigger. I found the book a very easy read, no gratuitous violence or bad language which I don't object to in the right setting but I'm aware that some people are offended by it.

Very enjoyable book with well done interesting characters, a good and believable plot and lots of delightful details regarding the settings. Highly recommend, from a very picky reader. If you like English characters and settings, this book is a winner.

This series gets better with every book. A fantastic story set in a great atmospheric part of Yorkshire. Looking forward to reading the next book

The Nidderdale Murders is the latest book in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series by J R Ellis and it is another very enjoyable, easy read murder novel.

The underlying storyline is very interesting and has a nice little twist or two at the end

Overall a recommended book

Another twisted case for DCI Oldroyd. Once again set in Yorkshire initially the team have to solve a murder that takes place outside a pub in a small village called Niddersgill.

As usual for Oldroyd this is not as simple as they initially think.
Easy reading and very enjoyable.

This was the first book in this series that I read by this author, and I look forward to reading more. To my mind this is a classic cozy mystery/police procedural set in a lovely area of Britain. The landscape really acts as another character. Good plot, the requisite red herrings, and an intelligent policeman to figure it all out.

As much as I love Agatha Christie, I’m not such a fan of cozy mysteries. The Yorkshire Murder Mystery series is an exception. DCI Oldroyd, like his admired Sherlock Holmes, is a quirky but effective detective and his cases are always tightly plotted and unpredictable. This fifth volume is no exception. We know who was killed and by whom, what Oldroyd and his crack team lack is a motive. Or a suspect, who has disappeared. As always, everyone in the little town where the action takes place is hiding something. This time, Andy and Steph are both involved in the same investigation, which is great because I love their dynamics and their constant loving competition to impress their boss. There are also other cops involved in the case who bring interesting interactions with the usual characters. I also loved the explanation to the mystery, I was blindsided completely, even if it made a lot of sense. The one thing I didn’t like was that the dialogues were a little repetitive at times. We kept getting recaps of what had happened and all the theories. Unless you’re not an attentive reader, they were unnecessary in my opinion. Other than that, it’s a great, solid mystery.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Amazon Publishing UK!

A Yorkshire Dales village where everyone knows their neighbours, a friendly village where a retired judge is killed outside the local pub, a young woman witnesses the murder and is shocked by the killers identity

For those who like cosy murder mysteries this is one for you

The evocative book cover and the Yorkshire setting is what drew me in to this book.
Niddersgill, in the Yorkshire Dales, is the setting for the murder, and DCI Jim Oldroyd is tasked with finding the murderer. The first victim is a wealthy grouse moor owner, and the murderer, clearly identified by a witness, disappears into thin air. Sandy Fraser is not a popular member of the community and many people in the village have reasons to want him dead. There are many conundrums to negotiate before the mystery can be solved. I loved the clever and unexpected twist at the end.
This is book 5 in J R Ellis’s Yorkshire murder mystery series. It is a good stand alone mystery but, having read this one, I’d quite like to read the first four.
Thank you to J R Ellis, Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a digital copy of The Nidderdale Murders. I was attracted to this book because of my dual passions for the Yorkshire Dales and detective novels. I hadn’t read any other books in this series and although there is reference to previous cases in the book you do not need to have read them to enjoy this. I instantly felt at home in the landscape as familiar Dales scenery is described, place names punctuate the narrative and the inn at the heart of the story reminded me of happy holiday visits to similar hostelries. Every time sandwiches were served I felt hungry! A murder shatters the peace of a sleepy Yorkshire village and Oldroyd and his team are sent in to unravel the crime committed in full view of a witness yet seemingly impossible to solve. I loved the sense of place, the observations of a rural community and police force which all brought a gentleness to the read. It reminded me of the later Midsommer Murders. A lovely read for lovers of the Dales, intriguing crimes, likeable detectives and not too much blood!

I really enjoyed this book. I have read others from the series, but it would work well as a stand alone novel too. There is a strong sense of place, the Yorkshire Dales is lovingly described. The cast of characters is not so large that the reader loses the thread of who is who. There are a few excellent and unforeseen twists at the end. I can’t wait for the next volume in the series.

It was a Friday in mid-September when the shoot was held on the grouse moor near Niddersgill. The shooters at the butts were a strange mixture: Alexander Fraser (Sandy to his friends) was the owner of the moor and a retired judge. James Symonds was a local landowner and Henry Saunders was a banker. He and Fraser had known each other since their school days. The fourth member was Gideon Rawnsley, who dealt in exclusive cars in nearby Ripon. Rawnsley had a gripe with Fraser: he'd sold him an expensive car and Fraser was being slow to pay. Other people had reason to comment on Fraser's attitude to money: his gamekeeper, Ian Davis thought he was stingy and very difficult to work for.

That evening the people who had been at the shoot had a celebration meal at the Dog and Gun. Rob and Sheila Owen ran the pub and restaurant and whilst Sheila knew that the shoots brought a lot of money into the village she resented the way that Fraser always criticised her cooking. Fraser lived in a manor house on the edge of the village and as he was walking home in the early hours of the morning he was shot and killed. One of the bar staff, Kirsty Hemingway, was looking out of the window and saw exactly what happened: she told the police that someone who did odd jobs around the village, Alan Green, was the man behind the shotgun. She'd seen him clearly. The problem is that Alan Green, regular at the Dog and Gun, a man who has worked on various properties in the village has disappeared. No one knows where he lives and he seems to have disappeared into thin air. There's fear in the village.

DCI Jim Oldroyd is on the case: it's a local bigwig so the case has been assigned to him and he has his two sergeants in tow. DS Steph Johnson and DS Andy Carter are a couple as well as partners. Andy does seem to do some useful work - he spotted the fact which put the team on the right track, but Steph is woefully underused. She seems to be there to do the womanly thing of talking to the victim's widow, provide admiration for Jim Oldroyd and ask obvious questions:

This is getting more and more complex and sinister, isn't it, sir?

There's only one star in this show and that's Oldroyd himself. All will ultimately rest on his brilliant mind and investigative powers. You could almost send the rest of them home.

Yes - I know - I'm being very critical about what is obviously intended to be an easy read. I should get over it. I did enjoy the trip into the Yorkshire countryside: J R Ellis brings it to life perfectly. I first came to this series when I saw the last book in the series: I was born in Harrogate and this was too good to resist. The Nidderdale Murders tempted me because I went to school in Nidderdale. I wonder where Jim Oldroyd will find himself next? And will he make more use of DS Steph Johnson?

I'd like to thank the publishers for making a review copy available to the Bookbag.

Although this is part of a series it works as a stand alone. It’s a well written police procedural set in Yorkshire. The story held my interest and had an interesting twist that kept me from guessing who the killer was.

When Alexander Fraser former High Court Judge arranges a grouse shoot on the fells close to the Yorkshire village of Niddersgill he finished off the day taking the shooting party to the local inn the Dog and Gun. Then after the meal as he was leaving Alexander Fraser was shot outside by a local character. DCI Oldroyd and his team were called to investigate but then the suspect disappears and another murder takes place leaving them with a mystery and many red herrings.
This is an enjoyable read in the series.

The Nidderdale Murders was a really great read. It's a bit of a classic "whodunnit" mystery combined with police procedural. The Yorkshire Dales with the mist made it a bit of an atmospheric read at times, which made it even better. The plot was engaging and had a nice pace to it and lots of local characters that gave it a bit of a flair. Of course I also really liked Oldroyd, Steph and the rest of the family and police.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of The Nidderdale Murders, the fifth novel to feature DCI Jim Oldroyd ofHarrogate Police.

A retired judge is shot dead outside a pub in the fictional Yorkshire village of Niddersgill. Barmaid Kirsty witnesses it all and can identify the gunman but he promptly disappears. There is no shortage of people who are glad to see the back of Alexander “Sandy” Fraser but the questions remain, is their motive strong enough and what is their link to the alleged gunman? A second murder provides the links.

I found The Nidderdale Murders to be a bit of a mixed bag. As ever in this series the plot relies on misdirection and an ingenious solution which is lying hidden, waiting for Oldroyd to discover it. Whether it’s familiarity with the process or it’s not as well done in this case I found the majority of the novel quite boring as Oldroyd and his team flounder around looking for a motive and a missing suspect. It goes nowhere until the second murder at more than three fifths in when it takes off in a flurry of activity and discoveries. If the second murder had taken place earlier in the novel and the resulting developments more evenly spaced it would have made the novel more engaging. I understand that this is a work of fiction, not designed to be massively realistic but the author obviously realises that his solution is overly reliant on coincidence as he spends paragraphs explaining that coincidence does exist. Highly unlikely. Still the solution is ingenious and I defy any reader to guess it correctly.

The Nidderdale Murders is a competent novel that will have readers puzzled.

Sandy Fraser, former judge, owns shooting rights on the fells. He has a shooting party, and then they all go to the local pub, the Dog and Gun for a dinner which includes the grouse they shot. After dinner, several of the shooting participants and several locals gather at the bar. When most of the crowd has cleared out, Fraser leaves. A man suddenly appears with a shotgun and shoots him. The shooting has been observed by the bar maid from her bedroom window, and she clearly sees the shooter and recognizes him as Alan Green.

The case is assigned to DCI Oldroyd, who is helped by his team, Steph and Andy, as well as the local Inspector Gibbs. Gibbs job is to find Alan Green, and Alan has disappeared. Although he has been doing odd jobs in the area for some time, no one knows where he lives. As they begin investigating, the detectives find that several people didn't like Fraser; he was not nice to most of the people around him, owed money to several people; was blackmailing someone; and environmentalists didn't like his hunting parties. He hadn't paid his bills at the pub, and then complained about the food. They begin investigating Fraser's past, and find that he gave very stiff sentences to two robbers. And then, a local shopkeeper, Gorton,is gunned down the same way. Another female worker at the pub clearly saw the shooter, who was Vic Moore, a recent comer to the village renting a room from the local painter. Oldroyd finds Gorton had been a prison guard in the same jail where the two with heavy sentences resided. Of course Vic Moore also disappears.

This case has been a very difficult one for Oldroyd and his crew, but they keep plugging away. The final chapter is both exciting and surprising!

Shooting In Remote Village.....
Book five in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series. Oldroyd finds himself in a rather remote village - Nidderdale, Yorkshire Dales. The scene of crime - the Dog And Gun Inn. The victim - a retired Judge. The suspects- numerous. It's an engaging read and one I read in one sitting - definitely of the more relaxed and gentle reading variety despite the murders. Characters are credible and Oldroyd a likeable protagonist. A standalone mystery despite being part of a series in terms of characters. Well drawn plot with some nicely engineered twists. This series as a whole has been very enjoyable thus far and has made for entertaining reading.

Ellis gives the reader a baffling police case in atmospheric and beautiful rural Yorkshire. The characters are engaging and I love the interaction between the police officers. The author does a good job in depicting a modern English village that has changed from Agatha Christie's classic portrayals and brings in contemporary concerns such as the many different sides in the argument of grouse hunting. Surprise twists and a number of possible suspects will keep the reader guessing--it did me!--and satisfied with the conclusion. Sign me up for the rest of the series!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for a impartial review.

A murder happens outside an inn on a grouse moor; however, the bar maid sees the murder from her window, so there should be no problem apprehending the killer. Or will there be?

Oldroyd and his team come over to find there is no sign of the culprit, and no apparent motive. They try every route to resolve the crime, then discover another man is killed - again with a witness, and again with the murderer disappearing after the crime.

The whole thing is set convincingly in the Yorkshire Dales, and makes for a good read. Oldroyd is clearly held in high esteem by his team, and they work well together.

Overall a good read, with enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Always to catch-up with Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd and his team again. As always an intriguing storyline to keep the reader guessing throughout the story even more so in this particular case. With a knife edge climax. Also as usual great descriptive tour of the Yorkshire Dales.

It was a nice "whodunit" book. Some parts dragged a bit but the characters were all very likable. It would appear this is one in a series as there was some history there among the characters. Not sure I will read another one, it was nice, but a bit slow for me.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

Setting means a lot for me in terms of how easily I engage with the characters and story. I loved the setting and the author really painted a clear picture of the dales. The characters were appealing and I honestly didn’t manage to solve the mystery before the end, which is always exciting!

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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

The beginning of this mystery novel is unique. We’re shown who the murderer is right away because we look through a character’s eyes and see Alan Green. The problem is that nobody can find Alan Green, who, until this point has been a fairly regular visitor of the town pub.
I’d say this feels like a fairly standard English mystery, nothing wrong with that, except for that opening. Also the author does give us a strong setting, Yorkshire moors. Setting, particularly English settings, are right at the top of my list for what makes a good book. I did find it hard to keep track of some of the characters. Part of my problem my have been that this is a series book and well into the series. Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this mystery.
Thank you to Netgalley and all concerned who allowed me to have a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book set in the Yorkshire dales of England, a location I have never encountered before. Some of the local dialogue was difficult to understand but this police procedural was well crafted and the solution was a surprise with a great ending. The main character Oldroyd is one I would enjoy looking for more to read as this is volume 5 of the series. I didn’t feel as if I was reading out of sequence however. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this ebook of #thenidderdalemurders to read and review ahead of publication.

The Nidderdale Murders is a whodunnit with an unusual twist. I kept getting the feeling of an old tv detective much of the time that I was reading, and the case kept me guessing until the end. However, the story is dragged down by flat characters and clunky sentence structure.

This book was hard for me to get into initially because of all the British jargon thrown at you from the get-go. As an American, I don’t know what a DCI is other than what the context gives off as clues. It also took me longer than I care to admit to come to the conclusion that a grouse butt was a type of hunting blind, not a bird’s rear end. A couple of times, I had to look up a term because I wasn’t familiar with what an item would exactly look like. This disconnect doesn’t affect my rating but did make it harder to get immersed in the story.

The case is the star of the story as it should be. Everyone is hiding something, and Oldroyd and his team must figure out what is pertinent to the case before it goes cold or the killer strikes again. Especially towards the end, it was a fun ride to the final reveal.

The characters never really came to life to me, though. There are sparks of personality, but nothing really sets anyone apart. A lot of this, I consider part of the clunky structuring. “It was...” is one of the most frequent starts to sentences and often where more detail in the proceeding sentence could have made the characters more real. There is also extraneous detail added that doesn’t add to the story. What type of house Henrietta has in London doesn’t add anything to what is happening in Nidderdale and is just dumped in seemingly out of nowhere.

Overall, if you are a fan of slow-paced police procedurals and mysteries, it is worth reading.

Apparently, this is the 5th in a series, it the first I’ve read. Even though I knew nothin about the characters or their previous histories, I was able to pick this up and follow the story. What I didn’t like about the novel is that there seems to be a lot of extraneous information that went on at quite some descriptive length at times and I found myself skimming and skipping over quite a bit of this. However, it was after I completed the book that I realized it was the fifth in the series. So, some of the information I found extraneous could have been interesting to someone who had read the four previous novels and was invested in the characters.

This book kind of reads like a Midsomer Murders television show in that there’s a DCI and his constables solving a perplexing case in a little village. The constables, of course, think the chief inspector is brilliant and he is- solving an otherwise baffling case. (Don’t they have any female DCI’s in the UK?) There’s a whole host of characters that feed into the story as witnesses and suspects and it can be rather difficult to keep track of all of them. This seems somewhat easier on a television show.

The premise is very much like Midsomer Murders. I love that show and I really liked this book. I only didn’t like a lot of the descriptions that went on or what I thought was extraneous but perhaps wasn’t to an avid reader of the series. That made parts of it boring for me and is why I gave it four stars. Still, it was a good mystery.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and publish my review; the opinions expressed were my own.

In a small remote village in 'England, a retired Judge is murdered, there is an excellent eye-witness, but the suspect cannot be found. DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team, Andy and Sheph are the investigating crew, their insights and personal chatter is spontaneous and witty. After a second eye-witnessed murder the situation really gets interesting and the townies and environmentalist throw a added spice to the mix!!! I was enjoying a simple pace thru the countryside and loving the characters and scenery then the plot takes a super fast twist, the pace speeds up and you can't put this book down until you know whats the outcome!! I loved the cultural aspect, and the dialect added "I feel like i'm there!!" effect. Take a break and really give this book a try, you will love it!!! #NETGALLEY#THENIDDERDALEMURDERS

This was a cute mystery. It’s a very easy read with likable characters and entertaining story. It is part of a series but stands on its own.

I love Yorkshire, but was hoping for more. The writing style is quite simple, with lots of pedestrian dialogue and not much description of the characters or landscape, which would have made the story so much more vivid. Two-thirds of the story Is red herrings and dead ends for the police, which made it pretty easy to figure out. A fun enough, quick read.

Another great thriller by J. R. Ellis! Pulls you in from the start and keeps you guessing the entire story. The plot twist at the end was a great addition and had me surprised! Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Great mystery! I’m quite a fan of mysteries set in the United Kingdom and this doesn’t disappoint. What starts out with a seemingly senseless murder (though the victim a retired judge and really hateful person) morphs into a wider array of unexplained events and the list of possible suspects continues to grow.
The setting is the idyllic little village of Niddersgill in the farthest reaches of Yorkshire. DCI Oldroyd and his team are called to investigate what seems to be a clear case with a reliable witness but as they continue to interview the locals and start putting the pieces together nothing is as it seems.
Before Oldroyd and his team can solve the crime there is a second murder. Time is running out to conclude the investigation before all of the suspects slip away.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, my comments are my own and unsolicited.

Sandy Fraser is hosting a hunting party on the “Glorious Fourth” – the start of grouse season. Sandy’s a retired judge, loud and boisterous, not exactly enamored by all, especially by those who don’t like the carnage caused by his shooting, and that he doesn’t exactly pay his bills. So, when Sandy turns up shot dead and a witness sees the shooter -- Alan Green, a local gardener and odd job man -- it seems like a pretty cut and dried case. But in “The Nidderdale Murders” DCI Oldroyd and his crew will have their hands full.

Oldroyd thinks something isn’t quite right about the whole thing. Nobody in the village thinks that Alan Green is capable of murder, but since they can’t find him, no one can be sure. Speaking of the village, you’ll recognize these folks; our author, J.R. Ellis, presents people you’ve read in crime books from the past, present and surely in the future. However, Ellis has made sure that these villagers are just different enough that their thoughts and feelings and motives for murder are unique. You’ll want to keep reading.

It’s beginning to look like the “alleged” murderer is a ghost. Or at least, that Alan Green didn’t do it. The author is pretty adamant about it, actually.

During the investigative scenes, which are extensive, we get looks into Oldroyd’s personal life as he deals with his ex-wife and daughter, and as he decides to give himself something other than police work “to do.” And we find out what the chapter heading are.

Then – there’s another shooting, and the shooter is again identified easily. And the past becomes the present. “And all the world’s a stage.” Oldroyd sees it clearly, then, and can’t help but be impressed, as the reader will be.

Even though we’ve started out over the shooting of grouse, everything is summed up during a vegetarian meal. J.R. Ellis makes sure that “The Nidderdale Murders” will keep you turning the page.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

The Nidderdale Murders is a very English detective mystery. I love the little glimpses into all the characters, not just the main ones. The mystery is incredibly clever and one I did not guess at! It seemed like this was a book that used characters from other books and i would be interetested to read earlier ones.

DCI Tom Oldroyd is called out to the village of Niddersgill where there has been a murder. A witness can identify the killer but he seems to have disappeared. Soon motives can be found for this unlikable victim. DCI Oldroyd and his team investigate. Then there is another murder.
An enjoyable well-written murder mystery with its likeable characters and where the plot keeps you guessing.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an e-galley of this novel.

This is the fifth book in the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd and his two team members solving the difficult cases in the Yorkshire Dales of England. This is a modern police procedural but the technology bit is toned down quite a lot so the reader rides along with the officers as they work out why this specific victim of murder was chosen. The motive is the stumbling block for the murder because there is an eye witness to what happened. That would seem to bode well for a quick resolution except that the murderer has disappeared and police wonder how accurate their witness really is.

This was my first book in this series and I enjoyed it quite a lot. The Yorkshire landscape is marvelously described and it brought back the vivid memories I have of exploring that area when I was visiting Britain. Oldroyd and his team are well developed characters by this time and I liked watching as they worked their way through solving the crimes. There was a pretty big segment where no progress was being made regarding a motive for the first murder and that went on for longer than seemed strictly necessary. Still, I'm looking forward to reading the previous books in the series.

This is the fifth novel in the Yorkshire Murders series by J.R. Ellis and I did enjoy very much! I will go back and read the first four. This novels starts off with retired judge Alexander Fraser ( goes by the name of Sandy). He had bought land in Niddersgill for grouse hunting. DCI Jim Oldroyd shows up to figure out who the shooter was. The bar worker named Kirsty had seen a local man that did yard work and odd jobs. But he disappears off the grid it appears. DCI Oldroyd has 2 sergeants helping him with the questioning so plenty of help but tons of twist and turns. Then a shop owner gets shoot in this small village. Such a small village but so many to question. What did they have in common? J.R. Ellis does a magnificent job of keeping you guessing clear to the end of this novel. Also, a wonderful job of description of the land and the surrounding villages.
Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC for an honest review.

There has been a murder in a village in Nidderdale. To Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd and his assistants this should be an easily solved case_- there was an eyewitness to the murder. Catching the eluxive culprit is tricky and when a second murder occurrs the case becomes more complicated. Well plotted, Christie-esque story with plenty of red herrings andplot turns. Not a fast read, but worth the time spent to enjoy story and the country atmosphere that is created.

Once again I've jumped into a mystery series with both feet because of the offer to read an advanced readers copy of the latest book via NetGalley! This mystery works fine as a stand alone--any references to previous cases are briefly explained.

This is a police procedural set in the Nidderdale dales of Yorkshire, England. Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd and his team are called from Harrogate to investigate the shotgun shooting of a wealthy landowner outside the local inn. The case seems pretty straight forward as the murder was observed by one of the employees of the inn. But the man she saw has vanished without a trace! And once they begin digging for a possible motive, the case becomes more complicated and darker than they first thought.

This story had an old-fashioned feel to it. Perhaps it was the atmospheric setting of the Yorkshire dales. The beauty of the landscape really comes through in Ellis' descriptions. The characters are interesting, especially Oldroyd and his personal life, how he handles his young team, and how he comes to figure out the whodunit, channeling a bit of Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes. I would definitely be interested in reading more in this series.

The Nidderdale Murders is a well-crafted mystery with a wonderful sense of place. The author has an obvious love for the setting of this book - the Yorkshire Dales. Grouse Moor Owner and retired judge Alexander Fraser is shot outside the village pub. DCI Oldroyd and his team are called in to investigate. The mystery was complex with plenty of suspects, clues, and red herrings. The characters were well-drawn and interesting. I am very interested in reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for sending me a copy for review.

The Nidderdale Murders is part of a series, but it was my first book by this author, and you can easily dive right in without feeling like you've missed something. I found the characters and the story interesting. A judge, who is not very well-liked is murdered, and there a plenty of suspects, including one who an eye witness saw committing the crime before vanishing. Despite their best efforts, the detective team is not able to make much progress in the case, until a 2nd murder is committed. Once again there is an eye witness, and the accused is another well known villager who disappears. Will there be more murders in this tiny village?

I enjoyed the way the author painted the beauty of Yorkshire, a place I am not very familiar with, but would now love to see! The Nidderdale Murders also felt very Agatha Christie-esque at times, and I would completely forget the story was set in modern times until someone mentioned a laptop. The story did move at a slow pace early on, but once it got going it was difficult to put down.

A solid 4 stars, and I look forward to reading more! A special thanks to Amazon Publishing UK & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review

You’ll Never Be Able To Guess

A retired judge who owns the local grouse moor hunt club is shot dead outside the local inn. The victim wasn’t well liked, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone who wanted him dead. There is a witness, though, who saw the killer so it’s an open and shut case you think. But no one can find the man, not even the very capable DCI Oldroyd. And there doesn’t seem to be any motive, either. As the DCI and his two detectives set about interviewing virtually the entire town’s population, they find individual stories of life and shortcomings in this quaint village but no sign of the killer. Then another person is gunned down.

An intriguing English police procedural, The Nidderdale Murders will have you doing your own mental investigation of the village population, trying to outsmart the DCI and discover the solution. But you’d be wrong, guaranteed. I really enjoyed this novel, the characters are well developed, and the DCI’s method of returning to question the same people again contributes to the story as new information into all of their lives is revealed. The ending is unique and unexpected, and extremely well done.

Thank you, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book in the series, and I wanted to read it because I admire Yorkshire landscape and this is a Yorkshire mystery. And, it was quite a satisfying one with the setting and the characters: a small, isolated village in the middle of wilderness; various characters like artists, activists, farmers, retired city people; and a lot of action around grouse moors, follies and caves. It has occasional references to the previous books in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone story.
In this whodunit book, calm and peace is broken by a shocking murder, and the killer is known but nowhere to be found. It is a case difficult to crack for the police force, and they have hard time finding any lead to pursue.
To be perfectly honest, it starts rather slow for my taste. The first few chapters are a bit monotone, like a case report. Yet, it picks up later, and gets really interesting, turning into a challenging puzzle.
All in all, as a Yorkshire fan, it was a quick read and I enjoyed it.

This is the fifth book in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series. Once again Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd is called to solve a murder in a small village called Nidderdale. A man is shot and their is a witness to the crime. But who kills someone and then doesn't try to hide their idenity. Oldroyd is puzzled but he has help from Andy and Steph again.
I really enjoy this series. There is just the right amount of mystery and humor thrown in,

It's been so long since I've read a traditional British police procedural that starting this book was just like slipping into a nice hot bath. I mean, I've read my fair share of British crime novels with DCI protagonists in the years since I first picked up my dad's copy of Martha Grimes' Jerusalem Inn, but lately they've been more thriller than cozy-adjacent. Perhaps the most recent traditional was Anne Cleeves' <a href="https://www.criminalelement.com/review-the-seagull-by-ann-cleeves/">The Seagull</a> back in 2017, tho The Nidderdale Murders, for someone new to J. R. Ellis' work, was a much better introduction to the series than Ms Cleeves' had been to hers.

The Nidderdale Murders finds DCI Jim Oldroyd called in to the small Yorkshire village of Niddergill to investigate the bizarre shooting death of local landowner Alexander "Sandy" Fraser. A former judge who'd retired to play at gentry and run a grousing moor, Sandy had no shortage of enemies, due in large part to his high-handed manner. When an eye witness sees him shot point blank with a shotgun by Alan Green, a local handyman, it seems like it ought to be an open and shut case. Only Alan had no seeming motive to shoot Sandy, and has since disappeared into thin air.

While local police go on the hunt for the missing murderer, DCI Oldroyd begins asking uncomfortable questions of the people who knew Sandy in life. He's the sort of thorough, thoughtful investigator that is far too rare in policing, fictional or otherwise. It's refreshing to see him not merely take the word of a single person in order to embark on what could be a fruitless manhunt, but cover all his professional bases. So when a local shopkeeper is murdered by a shotgun at point blank range, again by someone with seemingly no motive who proceeds to vanish, he's caught less off-guard than a more single-minded, less intellectually curious detective might be.

I actually gasped out loud at the who/howdunnit reveal, so lulled was I by J. R. Ellis' clever prose. Admittedly, there is something lulling about painstaking police information gathering -- the book did feel like it dragged towards the middle as DCI Oldroyd interviewed every single person connected to the case. I also found his Detective Sergeants to be more annoying than interesting after a while, since they seemed to be there only to express admiration for how intelligent their boss was when not serving as middling comic relief. The rest of the cast of characters was pretty interesting tho, quietly defying stereotypes in ways I enjoyed. It's nice to see so many people cooperative with the police, but I suppose that just indicates the higher level of trust in British policing than American.

This was an above average introduction to the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries, and I know I'll definitely be turning to this series the next time I want my fix of smart, entertaining police detection in the vein of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series, with the added bonus of some really lovely depictions of the Yorkshire area. Gosh, I miss being able to travel: luckily, this book helped whet my appetite for that, too, if only for a little while.

I found this to be a clever cozy mystery. It is fifth in a series, and I hadn’t read any of the others before, but it was fine as a stand alone. I liked the main detectives. The setting was beautiful and woven into the plot. I didn’t figure out who the murderer was until it was revealed at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this story, but I probably continued partly due to it being a review copy. Pace wasn't quite fast enough in early chapters. I also don't enjoy women being mostly in secondary roles. However I'm now completely hooked into the series and its scenery, and will be reading them all.

I received the book through NetGalley Read Now Program.

This story is one where the investigation leads you step by step to discover who the killer was. It follows DCI Oldroyd and his team as they try to discover who killed Judge FRaser and later on who wound up killing the Newsagent. Their list of suspects was small and they had witnesses of the event as well. The individuals who were identified as the killers did not lend themselves to being found. It was only after DCI Oldroyd went to a stage performance where everything started to click.

If you want to find out who the real killer was and what led DCI Oldroyd to his conclusion, then you must read this book. The ending will surprise you.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but it will definitely not be the last. I enjoyed the characters and the pace of the book, it also kept me guessing till the very end. I am now off to find his other books and read them.

#TheNidderdaleMurders #NetGalley

The Nidderdale Murders is the fifth book in the excellent DCI Oldroyd series set in Yorkshire. Each of the mysteries stands alone, and doesn’t spoil the others, so you could easily read this first, although I have enjoyed the character progression and relationships from reading them in order.

Oldroyd and his team are called to investigate a murder in the small picturesque village of Niddersgill, because the victim was a retired judge and his senior officers want their best man leading the case. Disliked by almost everyone, even those calling themselves his friends, Sandy Fraser had bought the local manor house and was leading lucrative grouse shoots, but avoided paying his bills and lorded it over everyone else. A witness got a good view of the killer, who then disappeared - and was one of the few people not to have a good motive - so Oldroyd suspects something more complicated is going on...

I’ve enjoyed all of these Agatha Christie inspired police procedurals - they have great characters and a wonderful sense of place. The author clearly loves Yorkshire and knows it well - if anything the descriptions risked overwhelming the plot this time. Oldroyd is in a good place with his new relationship and getting healthier, and some readers might find there was a bit too much about his personal life which slowed the pace down a bit; it didn’t bother me since I know and enjoy the characters.

There’s a large number of potential suspects and minor characters, some of whom have quite similar names, so I was glad of the search function on my Kindle that allowed me to keep track of them. There was also quite a lot of anti-hunting commentary, although the author does a good job of presenting both sides of the argument. Personally I think anyone who shoots animals or birds for pleasure is a psychopath so was quite glad to see Fraser experience a shotgun from the grouse’s perspective. It’s not gruesome or violent though, one of the nice things about this series - it’s not too dark.

I didn’t guess the identity of the perpetrator and was definitely curious as to what was going on, but then found the eventual reveal stretched credulity, but it was a satisfying ending nonetheless. My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review, and apologies that it’s a few days late. The Nidderdale Murders is available now.

This was another strong instalment in J.R. Ellis's DCI Jim Oldroyd / Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series.
It's autumn - grouse shooting season - in the Yorkshire Dales and DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team are called out to the village of Niddersgill, where unpopular retired judge and local grouse moor owner Alexander "Sandy" Fraser has been murdered under mysterious circumstances. Not only has the crime been witnessed by a barmaid observing from a window of the Dog & Gun Inn, but the perpetrator seems to have made no effort to conceal his identity from her. The search is on for local odd-job man / gardener Alan Green, but he remains elusive.
As with previous books, the central trio of DCI Oldroyd, DS Johnson and DS Carter are supported by a cast of well-developed new and recurring characters. The unique landscape of the Yorkshire dales makes for an evocative backdrop and, as always, the place names are fantastic!
While the plot stretches credibility at times, it maintained my interest throughout and I found the conclusion quite ingenious - in the vein of Agatha Christie or Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Oldroyd remains an intriguing central protagonist - his resemblance to P.D. James's sensitive and intuitive Commander Adam Dalgliesh continues to grow in The Nidderdale Murders, as Oldroyd takes up poetry as a foil to the immersive nature of his professional life.
An enjoyable read. While part of a series, I feel that The Nidderdale Murders would also prove a satisfying standalone read for newcomers to J.R. Ellis's writing.
My thanks to the author, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this title. #TheNidderdaleMurders #NetGalley

This is the first book I have read by J. R. Ellis. I found the storyline to be interesting and engaging. Mr. Ellis introduced many plot teasers and kept the reader continually questioning the motivation and perpetrator of the murders. Perhaps because this is the fifth book in a series, I could not get a strong sense of the characters in the story. The story progressed primarily through dialog, and I sensed a lack of depth in the characters themselves.

Great cozy mystery set in Yorkshire. This is an author I haven't read before but will look at the back list as I really enjoyed this book. Even with two witnesses to the murders the police were stumped until the end of the book. I love a good mystery when I can't figure out who did it until close to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book all opinions are my own.

This book was okay. I am not sure I didn't like it as much because I haven't read the other books in the series or if the book was just not interesting. You do question who the murderer is and the book keeps you guessing on that. I just found the book to be boring. The murderer was interesting in the end and the whole thing bizarre. The book does reference past cases which I know nothing about so maybe I am missing something. The book wasn't too bad. I did enjoy trying to figure things out. The description of the dales was well written.

Thank you for this advanced copy. I really enjoyed this book. This is part of a series that can definitely be read out of order. The description of the countryside was beautiful & what a wonderful main character!
Definitely going back & reading his other books!
Thank you!

The Nidderdale Murders by J.R. Ellis

Taking place in the Yorkshire Dales of England, this nicely crafted mystery flows very well. You may think you have the murderer pegged by halfway, but no, you’d be wrong. Descriptions of the Dales will make you want to live there yourself.

The author spends too much time at the beginning naming every character with first and last names. I felt like he was showing us his prowess for creating purely British names.
Also, if you like to read the last chapter first, there will be no reason to read the book. The entire story is completely summarized as if we hadn’t figure it out for ourselves. Why?

The characters are likable, and the story is believable. You will be scratching your head a bit to figure out the culprit(s?) and reason for bringing this evil to the village of Nidderdale. Everyone has motive and an alibi. All in all, it’s a four star mystery from this reviewer.

My thanks to #AmazonPublishingUK and #Netgalley for an ARC for my review.

The Nidderdale Murders is an engaging tale of murder in Yorkshire. Inspector Oldroyd is called in to investigate the murder of a judge who has a less than stellar past. Oldroyd must sift through all the guests at the inn as well as the townspeople to find out who has murdered the judge. The small community, where everyone knows everyone, is on edge, and the Inspector and his fellow investigators sift through the evidence.

Delightfully told, with beautiful descriptions of the gorgeous Yorkshire countryside.

I received an ARC of this complex mystery. Lots of twists and turns kept me reading non-stop. Highly recommend.

When a prominent judge is killed by a shotgun blast and a witness recognizes the killer, DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team feel they can solve the case quickly. Unfortunately the murderer has no motive and no one has seen him since. As Oldroyd investigates, it seems no one really knows much about handyman Alan Green. Oldroyd's search for background on Green leads him no where and frustrates his team. When another local man is killed and the murderer is seen by another witness, Oldroyd's frustration elevates when he cannot discover anything about Vic Moore, the second killer. Something about this case seems off and as Oldroyd and his team dig deeper they discover an intricate plot dating back many years. An excellent plot that will keep you guessing until the end.

Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd likes poetry, writes his own, and is tenacious and persistent in his job. But the case under consideration seems pretty straight forward. A retired judge with an almost unhealthy (at least financially) love of grouse hunting with his cohorts, is shot and killed at point blank range. The murder is seen by a witness who recognizes the perpetrator when he looked directly at her and - smiled! But this is only the first of a series of events, that appear connected but no one can determine how or what the motive might be. A conundrum.

This is a intriguing and compelling story, well told. Unlike some mysteries in which the surprise ending is understood only in the denouement at the conclusion, the careful reader can infer or make informed guesses as to the who and why.

I enjoyed the book thoroughly and believe there are many who will agree.

I haven't read the previous books in this series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything, There were a few references to previous cases, but nothing that seemed essential for me to understand about the characters in this book.

I enjoyed the setting - the Yorkshire dales. The descriptions were good and I felt like I was there. The plot was good - twisty in places, and although I began to suspect some things were not as they seemed, I did not guess the identity of the murderer. The way the story was eked out held my interest. It definitely took off in directions I did not expect.

I didn't feel strongly connected to DCI Oldroyd - he didn't seem as strong a character as I would have expected. But I liked the characters of the villagers.

I would certainly be interested in reading the rest of this series.

The Nidderdale Murders is a straightforward detective novel set in rural Yorkshire with an interesting solution. It is the fifth book in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series, but the first one that I’ve had a chance to read. There are some references to earlier cases, but it seemed to work fine as a standalone. In addition to a clever plot, there are lovely descriptions of the countryside and well-developed main characters, as well as some charming secondary characters.

The plot revolves around a retired judge who is murdered after hosting a grouse shooting party on the local moor. It seems there are a lot of people who had reason to dislike or resent the murdered man but no one with an actual motive for murder. Then a second villager is murdered. DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team eventually figure things out, of course, but the novel moved a bit slow in spots. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable journey for the reader.

As a total coincidence, this is the second book I’ve read recently that takes place, at least partially, in the dales area of Yorkshire and has really inspired me to want to travel there one day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance reader copy to read and review.

A Yorkshire Murder Mystery - that is the description and certainly more than the murder or the mystery or the detective work, the Yorkshire dales are so beautifully described in this book that anyone will want to go right now see what it is all about.

The names of the villages themselves are enchanting and add to the mystery of this story. Add a detective that loves poetry and the dales, a mix of very realistic village folk, cautious with "in comers" and everyone who loves a pint the story is very good reading.

One murder at point blank range, the murderer almost wanting to be recognized as so and so and then the murderer disappears. No one knows where he lived, though he worked for many as an odd job man and gardener - the victim was obnoxious and disliked but tolerated because he spent quite a bit around the village (though never paid his bills on time). When a second murder happens in the same manner, where the murderer faces a witness so that he will be identified Detective Oldroyd knows that there is something much more than meets the eye.

Good detective work, plodding book work connects the dots and how revenge is really served cold in this case.

This is the first book I’ve read in this series. There are some references to previous cases but I don’t believe that it’s necessary to have read previous books in the series. The premise of the book seemed interesting but unfortunately the story didn’t grab my attention enough for me to really enjoy the journey to the conclusion. There wasn’t really enough action to keep the story moving and interesting for me. I don’t mind descriptions of place and surroundings because it helps create a visual of the setting, but for me there was just too much of this type of filler and it got boring and bogged down the murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Nidderdale is a small, quiet village where a retired judge, Alexander "Sandy" Fraser is murdered. Jim Oldroyd and his team are called to investigate. An eye witness claims that the shooter was the local gardener cum handyman, Alan Green. Oldroyd continues searching for Green who has mysteriously disappeared and also for a motive to Sandy's murder. Both leave the reader astounded and puzzled.

Even though it was my first book in the series, I managed to connect to and appreciate the characters. Oldroyd is a fascinating main character, his detective skills are put to the test in this case as he encounters several roadblocks in his investigation.

Several surprising twists and a number of possible suspects kept me guessing the end.

Summary: When two murders without motive take place, Oldroyd is left to his own devices to solve the mysterious crimes. Tension rises as Oldroyd seek out the killers, more dead-ends are met when the motive for the murders is still unknown.

Told in a classic mystery style, this book kept me guessing. An unlikable man is murdered yet the killer doesn't hide his face from a witness. DCI Oldroyd is a modern day Sherlock Holmes who slowly unravels the mystery to solving not only this murder but a second. The story is full of characters but the author expertly drops information that reminds us who each person is in the story. I originally found this book available for instant reading on NetGalley. Later, I also found it available on Kindle Unlimited as a read and listen on Audible; which increased my enjoyment of the book.

I usually read heart-pounding, adrenaline inducing mystery/thrillers. This book was an intriguing slow reveal that had my mind working harder than my heart; which is a nice change once in a while. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I grew up reading Agatha Christie so I like a good British police procedural novel. I enjoyed this one. My favorite aspect was the setting. Ellis has done a good job of taking readers into the many Yorkshire locations, from moor to gorge. I liked learning a bit about land used for hunting, in this case a grouse hunting moor. The plot was very interesting, with the murderers clearly wanting to be seen in the act. I like how Ellis slowly and deliberately takes us on the journey of solving the case, revealing background information bit by bit.

The novel is about Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd and we learn a great deal about his life and family. Ellis does maintain a good balance of character development, mystery plot and setting. This is a good novel for readers who like a slow and methodical investigation into puzzling murders.

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

A death in a small village creates a panic. The second murder has folks staying in their homes. Why are people being killed? The detective in charge has a way about him that keeps us guessing as he goes about solving the case. Detailed descriptions gives the story an interesting narrative of the area and the town folks. The case has some twists and turns. The characters are interesting and the case as a good one. I liked the book.

An unusual murder mystery with interesting characters which are well written and believable. Oldroyd is an inspector who investigates a seemingly easy murder since there is a
Witness to the murder. However when they can’t find the perpetrator, nor any information about him Oldroyd feels there is something that he is missing. When a second murder happens, also with a witness, is similar to the first he needs to rethink their hypothesis. The story is about how the police investigate both murders and eventually how Oldroyd solves the case. The antagonist comes as a complete surprise. The suspense is held throughout the novel. Crime novels are not my preferred genre but I throughly enjoyed this novel.

Retired judge, Sandy Fraser is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun with a single close up shotgun blast to the chest. As DCI Jim Oldroyd, investigates the case there appears that there were a lot of people who did not like the judge for various reasons but not enough to have murdered him. While the case is going nowhere and DCI Oldroyd and his team becoming even more and more frustrated, a second murder occurs with the same MO. Now the race is on to try and find out who committed the murders before someone else is possibly hurt. Through every part of the investigation it seems that Oldroyd and his team cannot catch a break because there appears to be no connection between the two victims and no motive for the murders. Then they finally catch a break. But can they catch the killer before the one other person on his list is murdered. This book presented lots of suspects but no real reason behind the murders until the very end of it. I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries. I received an e-book copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Another highly entertaining mystery by this author. It kept me guessing and I liked the plot and the great cast of characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Set in England, this poor American had no idea about many of the names and places in this story. However, there is certainly a good storyline with creative twists.
As two men meet their deaths at the end of a shotgun, their killers, who have clearly been identified by an eyewitness, disappear.
At times the story feels like it is dragging, but honestly, that is also due to a realistic picture of how cops can hit a brick wall and only with time will clues reveal themselves.
The Who did it will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon UK Publishers for allowing me to preview this book.

A good old-fashioned murder mystery solved by a dogged detective and his two officers. The DCI, Jim Oldwyn is called in to solve a murder of retired judge/grouse hunting landowner who no one likes very much, with the exception of his wife. An eye witness identifies the murderer, and no one can believe who it is - a familiar
guy at the local pub who does odd jobs in the area - but a person no one knows really much about, including where he lives...The murderer disappears and massive searches turn up nothing - he's vanished into thin air. Then a second murder happens - to a well liked town grocer. Again there's an eyewitness to the murder and the murderer is once again able to vanish into thin air.....

The theme of this book is nothing is what it seems...and the detectives thoroughly investigate all the townspeople and their backgrounds - meticulously documenting all their findings and facts.....my kind of mystery!

Although this book is part of a series, it's not necessary to have read the previous books. But now that I've enjoyed this one so much, I will definitely go back and read more books by the author - J.R. Ellis!

I have already read one book in this series and I really enjoyed it. However, this book doesn’t live up to the previous book.
I am not going to spoil it for any future readers but I thought it totally unbelievable and the ending completely destroyed what would otherwise have been a great read.
I received my advance copy from NetGalley.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer Publishing for providing this ARC for my honest review.
This is #5 of the Yorkshire Dale Series. I have not read the first four and was okay though it did reference the actions in these kooks but did a good job of giving you a small understanding what happened. This is a murder mystery in the village of Neddergill which is Very small and a close community. Most of the people have lived there all their lives but a few new ones move in and out. DCI Jim Oldroyd has to get his team together to solve a very confusing murder.
The plot was very simple but had quite a few unexpected twists that kept you.interested. It’s a very quick read and was extremely enjoyable to read.
#Netgalley #TheNedderdaleMurders #Thomas&Mercer

A retired judge is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun inn in a remote Yorkshire village. The gunman’s on the run; there’s a witness who saw everything! Open-and-shut case for DCI Jim Oldroyd right? WRONG!

When investigated further it is discovered that Fraser wasn’t without enemies. As a wealthy property owner, he’d clashed with farmers, hunters, debtors, and blackmailers. But when a local shopkeeper is gunned down in a similar attack, it’s clear that these are no random crimes.

Surrounded by the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, Inv Oldroyd faces a race against time to connect the crimes and find out who wants these villagers dead.

I was happy to see that even though it was part of a series I could read it as a stand-alone book.

NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK, thank you for giving me an advance copy of this book.

Within the first few pages, I knew who was going to be murdered (since the author set up motives for several people), but that was pretty much the last time I could anticipate what was going to happen in this book. Although explained, it seemed odd that the police did not take the easy path (there was a witness who told them whodunit), but it soon became apparent that they had good reason to suspect a more complicated solution to the crime. Evocative descriptions of the natural beauty of the Yorkshire countryside counterbalance the darkness of murder as DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team try to solve the puzzle. The characters are well-developed, and I liked how Ellis explored the "behind-the-scenes" reactions of different individuals as events unfold.

This is the fifth in a Yorkshire Murder Mystery series by noted British writer J.R. Ellis, all of which are largely stand-alone novels, all adept at portraying the gorgeous landscape features and weather anomalies, something the author has a great feel for. So, if you enjoy rolling heather covered hillocks, rumbling ocean shores, and glowering wet weather, get your Wemblies on and give it a go.

A couple of seemingly senseless murders at which the assailant was seen and identified with unfailing description, has the countryside in turmoil. One victim was a judge, seemingly liked by all and the other was a selfish wealthy landowner who sponsored yearly grouse hunts that were extravagant self-serving events, not enjoyed by everyone but that were lucrative to the natives even though the lovely birds were missed as their numbers rapidly diminished under the greedy shotguns of the killing advocates. Reliable witnesses that viewed the murders, were able to provide clear descriptions of the murderer, different for each of the victims, but DCI Oldroyd wasn’t able to get a hook in the killer who disappeared after each killing. There were motives galore for nearly everyone in the village, but none fit the descriptions given by the witnesses.

Some confusion was present in the story because of similar names and the large number of potential perpetrators so it would be a good idea to slow down the reading pace and get into the story that is really quite intriguing. There was also quite a bit of anti-hunting sentiment expressed that might also dull the enjoyment for some readers, but I confess to getting a good bit of enjoyment from the story. The ending is somewhat contrived and even a little hokey, but fiction writers can employ whatever technique he or she considers appropriate to their invention. Don’t let that keep you from reading a good, enjoyable who-dunnit.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES

A little slow at first, but captivating through the rest. The turns and twists in this novel kept me guessing until the last second. I loved that the author included characters that are native and inviting.
The fifth installation in the series is by far the best one yet.

A local landowner is murdered and as he's unpopular there are no end of suspects. When a shopkeeper is killed things become more complicated and there's a twist at the end of the book.

The characters are likeable and the descriptions of Yorkshire are evocative. A good police procedural.

Didn't realize this was a series when I requested...so am jumping in mid series. However does work as a standalone. An enjoyable read with an interesting twist....keeps you guessing. Thank you netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really impressed with this one! At first I wasn’t sure if it was going to be up my alley but I am so glad I kept on reading ! Really great storyline and the characters came to life!

A fairly well written mystery with plenty of twists to keep in interesting. I liked the plot and the slower paced fleshing out of it but didn't really care for the characters. None of them seemed to have anything really redeemable about them and their crude language was annoying at times. So while it was a good read, it's not one I would recommend given the content that many would find objectionable. I think the author should have focused more on the murder side of things rather than trying to add in enough shocking behavior and language to pad his story that didn't need those inclusions to be good.

I received a temporary complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

When after a hunting party at Judge "Sandy" Fraser's Yorkshire manor house and then a supper at the local hotel, Fraser was shot and there was a witness who saw who shot him. Since it was an important personage, Detective Chief Inspector James Oldroyd and his team was brought into the case.
As they began to gather information from all the locals in this small town, they can't find the alleged shooter but they do find that Fraser was in financial difficulties and there were also activists, sabotaging hunts.
As different theories are brought up and then discarded, another murder occurs in similar fashion. Oldroyd then begins to get a glimmer of the who and the why of these murders.
A quick and interesting British police procedural with likable characters and descriptive locales.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for this e-copy of "The Nidderdale Murders".

Move over Agatha Christie, there’s a new author in town! J R Ellis’ Nidderdale Murders is a refreshing who dunnit that keeps you turning the page in anticipation of case. Each character leaves you guessing whom could be the murderer while keeping you rooting for the DCI in charge to solve the case. This book is entertaining from start to finish and leaves you wanting for another.

This was a long, lonely slog through the heavily described Yorkshire dales area. There is a murder to be solved and it could have been done in half the number of pages if the author was an adept editor. Too many clichés, too much clutter, too much extraneous language and dialog. I was bored. I can’t remember the last time I fell asleep reading a book but The Nidderdale Murders put me to sleep each and every night I tried to finish it. Obviously not the book for me but apparently it hit the mark for many others.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Nidderdale-Murders-Yorkshire-Murder-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0847NMGY9
This is my first book by this author. My father in law is a big fan so I thought maybe this would be something interesting to read. This book takes place on the high fells above Nidderdale, one of the Yorkshire dales. We begin the book with four men dressed in expensive weatherproof jackets shooting at birds. These men are avid shooters and end up attending a party where they will be eating what they kill. This is high pressure for the chefs, as the kill as to be rushed back and prepared and roasted prior to the men returning. After a lot of jovial enjoying of the meal, the men liquored up retire to their rooms. The staff stayed in small apartments that overlooked the front of the Inn. Kirsty, the bartender and chambermaid and Harry , the chef were in a secret relationship and he had snuck into her room, but was snoring and hogging the tiny bed, so Kirsty was laying awake, but got up because she heard something. She witnessed Alan Green shoot Mr. Fraser. The Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd and his partner, Deborah were called into action due to such a high profile murder. Mr. Alexander Fraser is a local landowner and former Judge. They drop what they are doing and head to the crime scene. We are taken on the in-depth investigation along with more murders. This book was very interesting!

A tightly written murder mystery. Good characters and a steady plot. I really enjoyed JR Ellis’ writing style as well. The dialogue was well done and the characters were like regular neighbors. The descriptions of the land were good enough that I didn’t need to google, though I did. An excellent read that I definitely recommend.

The Nidderdale Murders is the 5th book in the Yorshire Mysteries by J.R. Ellis. Released 20th Aug 2020 on Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint, it's 301 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book and the rest of the series are currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

These books are well written engaging procedurals which are tightly plotted, set against the Yorkshire countryside: hills, moors, and fells. Although it's part of a series, it works quite well as a standalone. There are references to occurrences from previous books in the series, but they don't play a central role in the action and readers new to the series won't have any troubles keeping up.

DCI Oldroyd is an experienced and practical investigator in charge of a team of intelligent and hardworking detectives. The unexpected shotgun murder of a local retired judge has the team looking for motives from the past and present. I enjoyed the writing and I really liked Oldroyd's relationship with his family and colleagues. He's an honest and compassionate officer and the development of the plot and denouement were satisfying and well written. Looking forward to more in this series which compares quite favourably with P.D. James' wonderful Adam Dalgleish books.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I am a fan of the British or Scottish or Irish mysteries whether they be TV series or novels. They particularly appeal to me because they are rarely violent but rather more cerebral. This one is a perfect example of the genre and I loved it. It was atmospheric, complicated enough to provide the surprise denouement at the end and had an endearing inspector to accomplish it all. I only read this one but if there is a sequel I will be delighted to read it.

This series and author were new to me. I see now that John R. Ellis has written four previous books in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series. The story was intriguing: the murder has a witness, but are things as they seem? DCI Jim Oldroyd doesn't think so. And why this victim? With able assistants Steph and Andy, he begins a search for the killer.

The Yorkshire landscape is almost a character in itself. Ellis paints lovely word pictures of the scenery and also adds local color with attention to dialect.

I confess I was on the right track by the time the ending rolled around but after so many twists (and another victim!) I was glad that I was.

I recommend "The Nidderdale Murders" and plan to read the other books in the series as well. Jim, Steph, and Andy were likable and hard-working and I want to see what they do in Ellis's other stories.

The Nidderdale Murders is an absorbing police procedural surrounded by the stunning Yorkshire landscape. Once again, DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team are called in to solve a murder. A retired judge is killed for no apparent reason. The murderer is identified as a local handyman and the search begins. Police canvass the village and surrounding hamlets to no avail. How will they solve this high-profile case? Oldroyd is well known for his ability to clear difficult cases, but this one has him stumped, until he remembers a Sherlock Holmes film he saw in his boyhood. A robbery from years earlier, is somehow involved. But how?

This is the fifth in the Yorkshire Murders series. I definitely will pick up the earlier books.

I got tis one through NetGalley. Reviewed on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51033514-the-nidderdale-murders

An entertaining book that will keep you intrigued until the end. . This murder mystery is modern take on the British detective mystery, with a few echoes of Agatha Christie throughout. The author exhibits sensitive understanding of the cultural and geological history of the area and weaves that understanding well with the plot. And his descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside make me long to travel there.

I am never disappointed with this author's police procedurals set in some remote quaint village outside of Detective Oldroyd's home base of Harrogate. It is part of a series but is very easily read as a stand alone as are all of the series. Only the main characters are.the same in the series. Det. Oldroyd seems to be a mix of Sherlock Holmes, Morse, and maybe a little Colombo which makes for an interesting main character. The stories are unique and characters are well developed. He describes the settings in such a way that you can easily picture the hills, forests or barren lands. The story itself is quite detailed but not boring. It may take a little while to get involved and it is not a quick read but it is enjoyable and not one you can guess "who dunnit" until the end! Jacket cover gives a good synopsis of the story so I will not write a book report. Read and enjoy!
I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review.The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC. Enjoyed this book. Great for one of those days you have to stay indoors. The characters were likable. Would recommend..

The story is somewhat slow-moving, and there are many paragraphs that I felt really needed a copy editor; they had awkward transitions and static phrasing. It's difficult for me to enjoy a story if I'm distracted by such things. It was just "okay" in my opinion.

I started with number six of this series, but it didn't seem to make a difference. The village came alive in the pages, all Agatha Christie and Local Pub with moleskinned farmers and gossip and grouse-shoots and wonderful mystery. Best of all was the pace. Ellis managed to slooow things down so the reader became one with the rhythm of life in Nidderdale. It was a delightful read, transporting and engaging. And the gimmicky murders kept a reader guessing. Nidderdale Murders was a fun read, especially good for these days of social distancing, for the times left me alone with the characters struggling for normal when nothing suddenly was.

THE NIDDERDALE MURDERS: A Yorkshire Murder Mystery opens with a shoot on retired judge Sandy Fraser's rural Yorkshire property. Animal rights activists are on hand to save the grouse, employees are unhappy. Later that day, at the Dog and Gun, where Fraser has put together a special dinner to honor the hunt, we learn that Fraser not only is pompous but also not liked by the locals. Friction abounds all around this man, and later that night he is shot dead at point blank range in front of the restaurant. A witness gives the name of the shooter, and DCI Jim Oldroyd is on the case. The only problem is, the shooter disappears. It's as if he never existed.

In this delightful cozy/police procedural there is a red herring lurking behind every bush. As Oldroyd digs into Fraser's life, he finds many people who might wish the judge dead. And then another similar killing occurs.

I appreciate the excellent writing, plot twists, great characters, and a fine setting for this book, and look forward to enjoying more from J.R. Ellis.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher supplying me with a copy of this book to read and review, I now have the earlier 4 in the series that I want to read in order. This read well without having read the previous books, but I do feel that reading the series in order helps with character development. The description of the Yorkshire Moors has me ready to pack my bags and visit, and the mystery set there had a lot of red herrings to keep me guessing. DCI Oldroyd is a main character who is ready to look at different alternatives and works well with his team, which I enjoyed. Some series feature characters with a huge anoint of baggage that affects their work and relationships that can get over the top at times, it’s nice to have a sympathetic person in charge.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Having just read the latest Kelly Porter story, I thought I'd like to stay in the North of England. Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales is the setting for this enjoyable mystery. After a grouse shoot & celebration dinner the owner of the grouse moor & retired judge is shot outside the hotel. The shooting is witnessed by an employee at the hotel, she saw the shooter clearly & can identify him. This should make things easy for DCI Jim Oldroyd & his two other officers but things do not seem to be as clear cut as they seem.

This is part of a series but it is not one I'm familiar with, nor did it spoil my enjoyment of the story. The setting of the story was almost an extra character & I really liked Oldroyd. There were enough twists to make things interesting but not make it too confusing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It was a satisfying read.

This is the first book I have read from AuthorJ.R. Ellis and it most definitely will not be my last. I was drawn in to the amazing mystery from the beginning! Filled with murder and mystery, this exceptional novel is a guaranteed page turner! I am looking forward to reading more from this fabulous author!

I have to give the author props in that I wasn't quite expecting the outcome. However, despite not being a very long book, it felt like it dragged at times. There were bits that felt long winded and almost rambling. The amount of references back to prior books was almost distracting. I get it. Another book dealt with caves. I also found it difficult to follow the story at times because there were so many characters. I couldn't keep them straight. All in all, it wasn't a bad story though.

The Nidderdale Murders is the fifth of the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series but does very well as a stand-alone. The characters are well-drawn with sufficient backstory for those of us who have come to the series at this point, but not overmuch so that long time readers will be bored. I liked the interplay between the three police officers, who all seemed to be normal human beings unlike the current trend towards those who are self-destructive, or have addictive personalities. And I think I’ve met some of the villagers – they all felt real. The description of the village and dales was nicely done as well - its been many years since I was in that part of the world, but the details all seemed right and evocative of the place. Since this is a police procedural, there are some bodies, of course, but no graphic violence or bloodletting. A pleasant, easy read with enough twists and turns to keep you interested throughout. I did object slightly to relying on a bit too much coincidence, but such things do happen, I suppose. I enjoyed the book enough to consider reading more in the series.

Thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author for a complimentary copy of this book to review

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for a review.

When a local man is murdered, there is an eyewitness to the shooting, however the shooter is not to be found. The inspectors look into it, and then it happens again. In each case, it was almost like the shooter wanted to be seen.
I had difficulty with this one at first. The language and topics are foreign to me, and made it difficult to get into the story. As it went on, it wasn't as confusing, and I was able to enjoy the story.

This is the first that I’ve read n this series. I’ll be looking up the others. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. It reads like an old fashioned English murder mystery.

I really liked the mystery in this book. The story was slow-paced and very descriptive, which perhaps for a new reader in this series it stood out - but a seasoned reader of this author would've appreciated. The plot got really interesting in the second half, and like most mystery novels, the climax and ending were more fast-paced than the whole rest of the book. This is greatly annoying because it takes me forever to start a new book because despite knowing what the story is about, it takes a lot to have to learn new characters and keep them straight in your head. Like I said, a lot of what I disliked in this book can be blamed on me reading this book first in the whole series and this was the 5th book. I really appreciated the main character, Jim Oldroyd, as he seems quite human in his perspective and experiences, not superior to all other cops in the world like how other authors choose to portray their main detectives in murder mysteries. Although those can be quite exciting and thrilling to read about as well. As a superhero fan, I can say with the utmost truth, Aloysius Pendergast is no less a superhero than any other.
I really really liked what the mystery turn out to be as well. It was amazing the level of thinking and planning that went into this revenge plot that Wilson had cooked up, creating three distinct identities is no easy feat that's for sure. The fact that the MET had not informed the officers and detectives working on the Fraser murder case about their secret mission is quite reflective of real-life politics in the law enforcement agencies all around the world. The fact that Oldroyd said that there was no space for anyone's ego in law, just the determination to get the real criminals was so 4th wall that it seemed to echo the author's mind more than just a dialogue of a character; one that I agree wholeheartedly.
I really enjoyed the second half of the book, and if it had been on paper, I think I would have enjoyed it even more, but that's just personal taste and I'm grateful I got to read this ARC edition of this amazing book in this series!

Well, first the negative: There were SO many characters, I kept getting them mixed up. Also, I had a little trouble with the English jargon (even with as many times as I've been there), and that is certainly no fault of the author.

Positive: It was a good plot, great writing, and I liked the ending!

The Nidderdale Murders is a murder mystery that’s filled with interesting characters and settings. J.R. Ellis created such a great escape in this book. The moorlands and sumptuous meals at the inn are so different to my way of life, and I felt completely transported. I had to look up some words. Happily, I dearly love to learn about new words, places, and professions. Jeroboams, sabs, and beaters? Sign me up! The side characters were a special treat, I could tell Ellis took great care crafting them.

After a day of recreational shooting gends with murder, Detective Chief Inspector is out on the case. It seems like an open and shut case, but of course there are twists.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries in the manner of the great Agatha Christie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is actually the 5th book in a series, but the first of which I've read in that series, and absolutely loved it! I didn't feel as if I was missing anything between characters or plot, and I am already planning to grab the first of the previous books.

In The Nidderdale Murders, Detective Oldroyd is sent to investigate an apparently open and shut case where a prominent local man was murdered, and there was even an eye witness! We follow Oldroyd and his fellow detectives as they try and to piece together this mystery -why did the main suspect potentially murder the victim, and where did they go?

This one is more of a slow burn, but such a fun read. The author's ability to describe the scenes and portray the character's personalities keeps this moving along so well, all while giving us time to piece the mystery together.

I jumped into the middle of this series because I was selected to read it early from Netgalley. Now, I want to go back to the beginning of the series and start reading them.

I enjoyed all the characters in this book. Ellis had many red herrings, as anyone in the village could have committed the murders. All the characters had good motives to do the murders, and you really couldn't blame them if one of them was responsible for it.

Ellis wrote in a way that transported me to Yorkshire. I'm American and some of the language at first was hard to understand, as it was Yorkshire, but I got the hang of it. I could tell with reading this book that Ellis knows the Yorkshire area well. I could just tell as his description of the area literally made me feel as though I was walking along with the characters of the village.

I recommend this book. If you are like me and have never read this series, reading this out of order, really want matter. I think you will just want to start this series, as I do.

Thanks to Netgalley for the Kindle Version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alexander “Sandy” Fraser is a prominent judge that moves from a big city to the small town of Nidderdale upon his retirement. His new property is expansive enough to hold grouse shooting events that are very popular with some but raises the ire of activists who wish to protect the birds and the environment. After each day of grouse hunting Sandy hosts a gathering for the event participants at the local inn. After one such outing as Sandy leaves from the inn he is shot in the chest and killed. His murder is witnessed and the killer is clearly identified but cannot be found.
While Sandy is a rather pompous and unpleasant person that is behind on his payments to the inn, has run-ins with his neighbors, berates his employees at every turn and is generally disliked by all, no one seems to have a strong enough motive to kill him. When a local shop owner is murdered in almost the same manner a few days later authorities begin to suspect that the murders are not random and must have something in common. The investigation takes frequent twists and turns with so many characters that at times are difficult to keep straight. A good “who done it” mystery that will keep you guessing.

Murder in an English Village

It’s grouse hunting season and retired judge Sandy Fraser is running large, boisterous hunts on his grouse moor. Fraser is not well liked in the village of Nidderdale, but since he provides jobs and uses the local inn to cater the lunches and dinners during the hunt, the people put up with him. Then after one hunt, leaving the dinner at the Dog and Gun, the local inn, he’s shot in the parking lot.

One of the inn employees peering out the window sees the shooting. The gunman looks directly at her and she recognizes the local handyman, Alan Green. It seems like an open and shut case, but the locals call in DCI Oldroyd. Since Fraser was a retired judge, they want the best man on the case. The case becomes problematic when Green can’t be found. Then another murder of a local shop owner happens with the same elements including the disappearance of the gunman. Now it’s become a case worthy of Oldroyd’s talents.

I enjoyed this police procedural. Oldroyd is a likable character with all his quirks. His subordinates like him too which makes for happy reading. The setting is beautifully described. The author takes pains to bring you into the town and the surrounding area. It made me want to visit.

The mystery is full of twists. It seems simple, but there are a myriad of suspects and minor characters. It makes it challenging to figure out the plot. If you enjoy English mysteries, this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

This was a very enjoyable read. I found myself immersed in the setting (which was so beautifully described) and the characters' lives. Loved the banter between the detectives. The mystery was engrossing and I didn't see the ending coming at all. Recommended! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

THE NIDDERDALE MURDERS takes readers to a small Yorkshire village where the shooting death of a former judge with a plethora of enemies brings DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team to investigate. There is an eyewitness to the shooting but the culprit appears to have disappeared into thin air. A short time later another shotgun murder occurs and once again there is an eyewitness who can identify the assassin and once again, even with dogged and time consuming investigation, the culprit is nowhere to be found.

It is a pleasure to see a mystery cracked through dogged investigative work and this smart police procedural more than delivers on this. J. R. Ellis has provided an addictive, ferociously clever and well plotted tome encompassing all the best elements of the genre (wit, clues, twists, engaging characters and of course—murder). The final solution is one most readers will not see coming.

DCI Oldroyd and his investigators, the towns of Nidderdale and Niddergill and their residents are all characters who live on long after the book is closed.

I got in late in this series, this being my first book. It was written in a way that it was a great stand alone and I didn’t feel lost. The setting was beautifully described and I really enjoyed the cast of interesting characters. I will definitely be going back to the beginning of the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

With out reading the previous books, I still enjoyed this one. I am now looking forward to starting with the first book and reading them. This story had me guessing until the end. The main characters are interesting and well developed. Good mystery and no smut.

I have read 3 or 4 books by J. R. Ellis and really enjoy his writing style. This book is a traditional style mystery/ police procedural, with a fine sense of place and some interesting characters.

First we have the murder of a retired judge and there seem to be plenty of motives for his murder. However, the murder was witnessed and the murderer, who doesn’t seem to have a motive, subsequently disappears. Before that murder is solved, there is another murder. Again, no sign of the murderer, and surprisingly, this is a different suspect than the one who was seen committing the first murder.

DCI Oldroydand his team do finally solve the murders, but I would never have guesses the solution. This was a book that kept me turning the pages and I read it in one sitting. I hope that there will be more from this author.

Having now finished The Nidderdale Murders, I've discovered that it is the fifth book in a series; however, it reads perfectly as a stand-alone. I would put this one in the category of cozy mystery. It takes place in a Yorkshire village where a group has gathered for a grouse hunting holiday on the estate of Alexander "Sandy" Fraser. After a lavish dinner at a local inn, Sandy leaves for home but is stopped outside the inn and shot! There's not much mystery about the 'who' because a barmaid witnesses the whole thing from a window in the inn. The murderer is identified as Alan Green, a local handyman and gardener, but no one can figure out why he would have shot Fraser. No one liked Fraser, but Alan Green appeared to have no real ties to the man. Then again, Alan Green seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. The case is being investigated by DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team of two detective sergeants. The three interview virtually everyone in the town, but still can't make sense of the crime. Then, a local shopkeeper is murdered outside his shop. Again the crime is witnessed by a local woman, and she quickly identifies the shooter. Once again, the murder makes no sense to anyone in town who know both the victim and murderer, and once again, the murderer disappears completely. Of course, Oldroyd eventually figures it all out with the help of William Shakespeare and Arthur Conan Doyle. It's a crazy, but satisfying conclusion.

I would recommend The Nidderdale Murders to readers who enjoy British cozy mysteries. For me, I found it slow reading. It's not really my genre. It is atmospheric and the characters are well developed. It is also well written, but it felt too old-timey for me to really enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Book setting makes you feel like you are there. Great visual details to transport you to the area. Good mystery with a great twist!

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It is about a policeman that was called to a small village to try to solve a murder. While there, another murder occurs and he must try to determine if the two are related. The only problem that I had with the book was trying to figure out some of the dialect that some of the people used. I would recommend this book as it is a good mystery boo

Thanks to #NetGalley and #ThomasandMercer for the advance copy of this book - the following opinions are my own.

Though this is the 5th in a series and I haven't read anything else by this author, this could totally be read as a standalone. I always appreciate when the author of a series doesn't spend half of the current book explaining back story. There are a couple of prior events referenced, but only in passing, and they don't impact this story at all. Well done!

This is a strong police procedural with red herrings everywhere but Oldroyd, the main detective, keeps pushing and eventually solves the puzzle. Almost as interesting as the murder investigation is the great descriptions of the dales and fells and general landscape of the area - clearly the author loves this part of England. And the town names! I actually went onto Google maps to see if they're real, and sure enough - there they all were.....a bunch of little villages in the back of nowhere in the middle of GB.

So, a good cozy murder mystery with a good variety of characters, very evocative of a place, and a satisfying ending - what else could you possibly want?
Review soon to appear on my blog, Bookshelf Journeys

Drew me in from first pages.Well written interesting characters a storyline that kept me guessing to the end,#netgalley#amazonuk

What a charming and refreshing police procedural mystery this was. I was captivated by the Yorkshire Dales setting, the relaxed country vibe, the quirky characters and the small town feel. Our main protagonist, DCI James Oldroyd has completely won me over. He's highly respected and admired by his colleagues for his amazing ability to resolve the most difficult of cases. He is thoroughly committed to his job and can never seem to turn off his analytic brian when it comes to solving a mystery. That's great for the police department but a bit rough on his loved ones. There's a tremendous depth to his character. On one side, he's incredibly good at his police work without any display of arrogance. He is a leader by example. Yet, there is also a touch of humility and introspection to his character. He enjoys stories of Sherlock Holmes as well as the wealth of Shakespearean literature and finds inspiration for resolving mysteries by opening his mind to disciplines outside of police work. There is also a touch of philosophic pondering, which I found absolutely delightful.

The writing in the earlier pages of the book is fairly straight forward police procedural language - not too desciptive. "Just the facts, ma'am." As the solving of the mystery becomes less cut and dry, the language becomes more descriptive, more painterly and rather philosophic. The cast of characters is tremendous and well developed. The pace is steady up until the last quarter of the book at which point the urgency accelerates and one's heartbeat rises, with the story resolving into a satisfactory conclusion when all is said and done.

Although this fifth book of the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series was my first foray into this much admired series, I did not find myself at a loss for having missed the previous four books.There was enough background information provided on each of the long-standing characters to set the tone and provide firm-footing. However, as enjoyable as this one was, I'll definitely be going back to catch the earlier books.

I am grateful to publisher Thomas & Mercer for having provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

I love a good murder mystery! This one was written very well. You had to suspend belief a bit near the end but I did enjoy the plot twist. All in all I would say this is a worthwhile read for mystery and JR Ellis fans.

Jim Oldroyd is the current day version of Sherlock Holmes in this wonderfully written mystery. The hills of Yorkshire are the scene of two strange murders. An enjoyable read for thruller lovers like me.

This book is a very well written murder mystery. A great plot with believable characters and a good setting. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

it was very long winded and hard to follow I wasn't really crazy about this book. It was hard to follow because of the language. sorry but I didn't really like it. I like more exciting adventure not from out of the country its not my style

A great mystery read! What looks to be a cut and dry case of who did it turns out to be an interesting plot of who didn't do it.

Even though they had an eye witnesses who identified the murderer the pieces of the case did not fall into place for DCI Oldroyd. As the investigation proceeds it seems that there could be many suspects and no answers. It will keep you guessing right up until the end!

The author did a wonderful job of describing the Yorkshire countryside. The dialect of some of the villagers was a joy to read.

The book is a little long and drawn out but the author does an excellent job of pulling it all together in the final chapters.

I would highly recommend this book if you love a good mystery.

I pride myself on my honest reviews, therefore, I must say, I found this slow going at times. This is an old fashioned English who dunnit, it tells the story of the country side as well as two shocking murders. The first person murdered was a retired Judge, he obviously had many enemies, including locals who did not like him, however, there was an eyewitness, only the killer has disappeared into thin air. A small village is rocked by another murder, The police need to find out who, and where is the killer?
I recommend! Thank you Netgalley
carolintallahassee

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is the fifth book in the series, although I must admit it is my first. I shall be adding the others to my to-be-read list though, as I found this to be a good read. The highlight, which was completely unexpected, was the revelation of what the headings to each chapter turned out to be – genius, and beautifully written.

Set in the wild and beautiful countryside of Yorkshire, bringing a vision of a rural community who have outsiders visiting for shooting grouse. There is the usual haves and have-nots split, exemplified by their behaviour in the local pub. An unhappy calm, shattered by the murder of the local landed gentry, which starts unravelling the status quo. The author does a good job of highlighting the social dynamics of country and town, and uses the visiting police to emphasise the disconnects.

I will have to go back and catch more of the ongoing plot lines – like Steph and Andy, and Jim and his ex-wife, and new partner – but it did not affect this story at all.

Find yourself a quiet corner and enjoy this entertaining read.

Enjoyable police procedural set in a small village in Yorkshire.
Having a clear witness should help the lead detective DCI Jim Oldroyd but of course things aren't that simple.
Lots of atmospheric visits to the Yorkshire countryside and an engaging mix of possible suspects.

DCI Jim Oldroyd is sent to the village of Niddersgill, site of a puzzling murder witnessed but with no apparent motive and few leads. The murderer is known in the local pub but disappears without a trace immediately after the crime. Oldroyd and his team struggle to learn anything about the murderer when a second murder is committed in similar circumstances but no apparent connection.

I hadn't read any of the previous books in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries so I didn't recognize references to previous cases. It reminds me of British TV's Midsomer Murders although there a fewer red herrings to confuse the reader here. The characters are not as well developed as in other mystery series I've read, e.g., Inspector Gamache, but perhaps that's because the characters have been developed over the course of the previous four books. I enjoyed references to the Yorkshire countryside so perhaps I'll go back to the first in the series to catch up on the career of DCI Oldroyd and his team.

This was my first foray in this series and was very satisfying, a bit edgy and really kept me guessing. Just as I felt I was figuring things out, yet another plot twist happened.

In a sleepy Yorkshire village, shocking and surprising events take place, including murder. DCI Oldroyd is in charge of the baffling case which has us riding roller-coasters with fascinating turns. We meet many characters I could visualize. I am smitten with the Yorkshire Dales so was thrilled with the location descriptions.

Also enjoyable are the writing style and use of the local dialect. Unexpected endings appeal to me, too.

All in all, the author's unique story is strong and enthralling, difficult to put down. I'm replaying scenes in my mind at this moment!

Another good book from JR Ellis! If you like old English cozy mysteries, you will love this one. Many strands to the web of the story, and I really like the characters in this book.

Intriguing DCI Mystery!
Thoroughly enjoyable read with a surprising twist ending. The interesting characters and British countryside adds to this latest murder mystery from Mr Ellis. Enjoy!

English countryside murder crime story. A moor owner is shot by a local resident, But why? Then another resident is shot as well. Both times, the shooter seemed to deliberately show his face. As the investigation unfolds, it begins to uncover unforeseen motives. A really interesting story with a few well placed characters and an ending that holds a nice surprise. solution. Very good read, I recommend.

Entertaining if a little on the meh side - I think I would have enjoyed more if I had previous books in series.

There are some books in a series that are function as stand-alone novels - a reader can pick one up without prior knowledge and enjoy the book. There are others where previous books are important, with the characters and events building on what happened prior books. Unfortunately, this book, at least for me, was one of the latter.

There were sections that talked about the growth of a character, how they would previously have tackled a problem one way, but now are addressing it differently. There's a lot of information about the characters' personal lives, that without any background, was distracting. I'm not saying books that build on previous installments in a series is bad – there are number of series that I love for doing precisely this - it's that coming in after four books feels like it's the first day at a new job, and everyone is talking about how great Susie looks after coming back from maternity leave and the special at the cafe is cheeseburger tacos while you're trying to remember if Susie was the one wearing red or blue and if the cafe is on the third floor or fourth.

My recommendation: if this is your first book in the series, stop, and go read the earlier books in the series. If you've read the previous books, then dive in - I think you'll enjoy it.

The Nidderdale Murders has a whole slew of who-did-it characters with a terrific conclusion.

As I was reading the book I was having difficulty with the number of people who might have wanted to see Sandy Fraser meet his demise. But, as the list of suspects dwindled, I was able to concentrate upon a few suspects that might have killed him and another villager.

The solution to the murders was interesting, satisfying, and a bit unusual. If you pay attention to details throughout the story, you may be able to solve the case along with DCI Jim Oldroyd.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

In what seems to be a peaceful Yorkshire village, there is a conflict between the local grouse shoot and some protesters who want to protect the birds. The shoot is organized by a former judge who has retired to the countryside, and he is not the most likable person. When there is a brutal murder, and a witness can tell the police who did the shooting, Detective Oldroyd and his team are called in to investigate.

This was a well-written story with all of the necessary characters in a British mystery, along with some additional side-stories. With the usual plodding investigation, the team of police finally unearths enough information to resolve the case, but with the usual drama and uncertainty of a successful conclusion.

The Nidderdale Murders begins with what appears to be an open-and-shut case of murder. A persnickety and unlikeable judge retired and bought a manor house with a hunting moor where he hosted grouse-shooting parties to the dismay of animal rights activists. But such was his tight-fisted parsimony, he managed to make everyone else dislike him. Even his oldest friend had cause to wish him ill. So, being shot would have generated a long list of suspects except the shooting was witnessed. Unfortunately, the suspect is nowhere to be found.

DCI Oldroyd and his team come to help the local investigation and they find far too many reasons to kill the judge and no trace anywhere of the suspect. Something just feels wrong and that becomes even more clear with a second murder with a second witness seeing a second killer. Something strange is afoot.



I thoroughly enjoyed The Nidderdale Murders and look forward to reading more in this series. This was the fifth in the Yorkshire Murders series and I never once felt lost. There were brief references to past murder investigations, but just as a way of noting similarities or differences and not once necessary to follow the investigation. The book is fair and all the clues are there so we reach the same conclusions as or just before our detectives. It was a clever, methodical procedural with a creative solution.

I received an e-galley of The Nidderdale Murders from the publisher through NetGalley

The Nidderdale Murders at Thomas & Mercer | Amazon Publishing
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The Nidderdale Murders is a classic murder mystery featuring DCI Olydrod and his team of detectives. A murder of a retired judge brings them to the sleepy village of Niddersgill in Yorkshire The killing is witnessed by a local barmaid, however the killer has completely vanished. With plenty of people wanting to see the judge dead there are plenty of suspects and thus begins the excellently laid out detective work. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book- it's the first I have read in this series but I enjoyed it as a standalone. There are some personal life aspects of the characters mentioned and past cases but it didn't distract from the story line. In fact it was refreshing to read an old-fashioned Agatha like mystery. I also loved the Sherlock Holmes and Shakespeare references. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate whodunits with a surprise culprit . Great fun-well done!

I felt like I was reading a Midsommer Murders episode and that’s a good thing. Nice British cozy mystery but more complex than I expected and a very clever outcome.

A retired judge is shot outside a local pub in northern England. The shooter was seen by a witness. When DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team arrive on the scene, they learn the identity of the shooter only to discover the shooter has disappeared. When continuing their investigation, they find that the judge did have some enemies but did they dislike him enough to kill him and where did the killer go?

DCI Oldroyd finds himself and his associates in the Yorkshire village of Nidderdale investigating the murder of the local gentry - a retired judge - who is the sponsor of grouse hunting expedition s for wealthy clients on his manor. A witness to the murder identifies the alleged killer, but the killer seems to have evaporated into thin air. Oldroyd, relying on his team and associates from the local constabulary, attempt to track down the murderer and find themselves enmeshed in a parade of denizens of the town who may (or may not) have a motive for murdering the judge.

Replete with images of the Yorkshire Dales, a large cast of characters, some quite minor, the story moves slowly for a police procedural. Misdirection is at the center of this novel, and a low level of suspense permeates the latter section of the work.

The writing is straightforward even with the amount of description little would be considered' poetic' orf 'literary'. The characters are drawn in broad brush rather than high definition and conversation between and amongst at times appears stilted. The story raises many issues and interesting pathways, but few are actually explored, much to my surprise. The length of the essential story - initiation to conclusion - is rather long, but the additional explanatory material adds little to the story telling and actually invites the reader to want to hurry up and get it over with.

The resolution - while clever - stretches credulity leaving one a little dissatisfied. The intriguing premise was concluded on a less than appetizing basis. Would I read another in this series? Yes.

MY BOOK REVIEW:
4 Stars: 4/5 Star Rating Scale

Looking for a steadily-paced murder mystery? This is the one. I found this book enjoyable but would have liked a more exciting one! I found this book moved a bit slowly for my taste.

I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley and Thomas & Mercer. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It had the feel of an Agatha Christie / early 20th century British mystery that takes place in the present day. I especially liked how the opening chapter doesn't give away the time period in its descriptions of the setting and the characters.

I definitely was kept guessing about the murderer with plenty of suspects in this tiny English hamlet. DCI Olyrod has a deliberate, cerebral presence that reminded me of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Fans of the Louise Penny series would probably enjoy this one.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*