J. R. Ellis (3)

I am thoroughly enjoying this cozy series. Regretfully I only have one title to go.

I was fascinated because this story is set at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, and there are several threads woven together. I have attended crime fiction literary events and so this scenario rang many bells - but there has never been an actual murder at one, that I am aware of.

Damian Penrose is an author of some note, not particularly popular amongst fellow writers, but certainly a draw card at the show more festival.
It appears that Penrose in the past has used his masculine charms to lure female writers in particular into relationships, but also to convince them to let him read their work. He was often cutting about their writing, but later on they discovered he had stolen their ideas.

Back at HQ. one of Olroyd's team, DC Steph Johnson, is being sexually harrassed by a male colleague and she finds that she is not his only victim. In addition she is convinced he is using his position as a DI corruptly, coming to an agreement with people accused of deception and dropping charges that should be pursued.

We get more glimpses of Jim Olroyd's personal life as he decides, at his daughters' prompting, to look for someone to go out with, through a dating agency.

So I found this a well constructed novel with lots to keep me interested. It filled in some gaps between novels #3 and #5 in the series too. show less

Yorkshire, law-enforcement, false-information, family, church-politics, murder-investigation, murder, procedural, friendship, red-herrings, ghost-hunting, scandal, extortion, secrets*****

The vicar, the ghost (?), and the constabulary. In Yorkshire. In vile snow weather. The publisher's blurb is a nice hook and doesn't give away too much, but it doesn't tell about the DCI and his DS having to spend a night camping out on the floor of the church where the vicar was murdered (they were snowed show more in. It was quite a slog for them to work out who were all the liars and how the ghost was faked, but the constabulary prevailed. It's always nice to read about law enforcement members who work well together and about their families who are not at odds with The Job! Loved it in all its weirdness.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you! show less

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 brain when it comes to solving a mystery. show more 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. show less

I was introduced to J.R. Ellis', "A Yorkshire Murder" mystery series through book number five in series, "The Nidderdale Murders". I was so taken by it, that I requested that my local library purchase this first book in series, which they have graciously done.

Again, I was captivated by the brooding and unrelenting environment of the Yorkshire countryside which plays a strong role in this murder mystery. This time, its the circuitous cave systems deep below the surface which capture the show more imagination. A body is found in one system, which has been dead a few days. Yet, cavers were just there a day or so ago and did not encounter it. How did it get there and who had it in for this unfortunate fellow? We soon learn that there are lots of folks with reasons to murder this wretched man. DCI James Oldroyd and his newly hired Detective Andrew Carter are soon on scene having been called out from the Harrogate Division of West Riding Police. Oldroyd is an old Oxford man who is deeply wedded to his job and the Yorkshire environs. He has a strong philosophical approach to his work and is highly respected. Carter recently left service in London but is soon taken under Oldroyd's wing.

Ellis does a fine job of fleshing out the series of characters in this book, laying out well the personalities of the detectives who serve throughout the series as well as the players for this particular story. He also does an excellent job of painting a landscape such that the reader sees it as if standing by the characters in the book. Makes this reader want to visit and hike the dales.

If a mystery set with country village charm appeals to you, then I highly commend this series to your reading pile. show less