I look forward to every new book from JR Ellis. I love the Yorkshire setting, and the characters are believable and likeable. I have been recommending this series to a lot of people.

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

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it a lot. I love All Things English and I liked the way the Yorkshire landscape is described, it took me back to the time my husband and I visited that area when I was in England. The Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd and his team are nicely developed characters. I enjoyed watching them solving the crime, and the back and forth between the officers. It kind of sagged in the middle but there are some nice twists, and I'm now interested in reading the other books in the series.

Because I liked the previous book in the Yorkshire Murder series I was quick to request this fifth episode when it appeared on Netgalley. The Nidderdale Murders, like the previous book "the Royal Baths Murders" is one off those at first glance apparently unsolvable crimes. Last time the solution was unveiled to me only at the end, but as soon as the second murder took place in this book, no not a spoiler, the book isn't called the Nidderdale murders for nothing, I figured out the plot behind the murders. Well, there were some hints I picked up right away, probably because I'm a real Shakespeare lover.
Anyway, it didn't soil the fun of reading this book and I found this one better than the last one, mainly due to the lack of confusing subplots. So, full 4 stars.
I loved the descriptions of the Yorkshire landscape and the quaint little villages.
Looking forward to the next episode.
I want to thank Netgalley, the author and Thomas & Mercer publishers for providing met with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"The Nidderdale Murders" was an enjoyable murder mystery. The book starts off with the murder of a retired judge and local landowner, Sandy Fraser, who is not well-liked by most of the people in the village of Niddersgill. He is an outsider, having only moved to the village five years ago, and is arrogant and haughty. The murder seems to be open-and-shut because there was a witness who saw the shooter, who has since disappeared. However, the alleged killer does not seem to have a good enough motive for the killing. Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd, who has been tasked with investigating the murder, thinks the obvious solution cannot be correct. There are lots of people who had reasons to dislike Fraser and even wish him harm, but no motive that seems significant enough to justify the murder and the method of the murder. As Oldroyd and his staff investigate the villagers and Fraser's acquaintances, who had come up to Niddersgill for a grouse hunt on the moors that Fraser owned, they discover a lot of secrets in the village, not all of which are related to Fraser. They eventually find clues in his past work as a judge, but even then the truth is much more complicated than expected. [A minor criticism is that for as sharp and insightful as Oldroyd is supposed to be, once the case from Fraser's past is identified and its oddities revealed, it takes quite a while for him to figure out what is likely going on.]

Part of what makes this story so much fun is the various secrets among the individuals who live in or around Niddersgill. Some of the surprising interactions or secrets are clearly not directly related to the murder (and a second murder that occurs later), but make the reader wonder if some of the individuals know more about what is going on than they have admitted or than they realize. The author also does a good job of inserting conversations or events into the story that do not seem particularly important at the time, but prove critical to solving the mystery and preventing further murders.

I also enjoyed the description of the Yorkshire countryside and the reverence for nature and natural beauty displayed by several of the characters, including Oldroyd. DCI Oldroyd is an interesting and amusing character, with a great supporting cast. The book references some of his past cases, which sound like they would be enjoyable to read about. I will likely check out some of the earlier books in this series.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

There’s been a murder in the village of Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales. The witness to the murder has positively identified the suspect. So, it’s an open and shut case, right? It would appear so, until DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team of detectives attempt to find the man who committed the murder. When they are unable to locate him and no one seems to know anything about him, they begin to realize that this “simple” murder case might be more complicated than it appears.

The Nidderdale Murders is just the kind of book I usually enjoy. A British murder mystery set in a small village, a variety of characters and lots of local color. Indeed, J.R. Ellis has set up an interesting plot, although it is fairly unbelievable. There are a variety of characters but they never really resonated with me. All the while, the dialogue seemed clumsy and the descriptions of the area, something I usually enjoy, fell flat. The story itself moved slowly and there were many instances of random information that had nothing to do with the storyline and only slowed it down further. There were also references to previous cases, but were so vague that it meant very little to me. I so wanted to enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It was a 2.5 at the most.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

For fans of good solid English Police murder mysteries this will be a very pleasant and enjoyable read. I enjoyed the story and thought the basic plot was well thought out and presented. It is a murder mystery with a twist. However, the final few pages wandered off into an area I felt did not belong in the story. Although, it blended well into setting a background for future stories/murders involving the main character.

I have rated this book 3.5 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review. The above is
my view based on my reading and understanding of the story.

I received an advanced copy of the Nidderdale Murders from NetGalley. The story definitely kept me guessing to the end. This was the first book I read by this author and it was an awesome murder mystery. You got enthralled in the characters and the lives that they lead or led in some cases. My issues were the lengthy chapters but you can easily look past that wanting to know what will happen next.

This book was very slow to get to the point. It wasn’t until 60% on that it started to actually climax. When it did get there I was expecting more but I didn’t get more. Also I’m not sure if this was meant to be a type of accent but there were multiple misspelled words. At first I was like ok but after the 15th one I’m wondering if this book has been edited yet?

(Organised, realised, recognised , cosy, womanising, specialise, sympathise ,apologizing, cosy, jeopordise , socialise, apologise, :to name a few )

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book but I’m not sure this book was a favorite.

A series of murders with clear witness accounts that identify the suspects, yet each suspect is on the run and seemingly disappears into thin air. The book mostly follows the police detectives as they try to piece together motives and the capture of the suspects. A clever ending, but a bit slow on the plot.

This is the 5th book in the series. J. R. Ellis sometimes refers to previous cases worked on by Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd and his team but knows how to give just enough information without bogging the story down.

The pacing of the novel was very leisurely. This mystery has a twist and I was able to figure it out but not determine the who behind it. For some reason I wasn't in any hurry to finish reading to find out.

i got about two chapters into this book before i gave up. if you want the review to be at least 100 characters long i will have to fill the remaining space with just how pathetic it thought this book was. asdfl;kjas;ldfkja;sldkfja;lskjfa;lskfja;lsfjalsjfa;lskfjas;lkjfa;slkfja;slkjfa;slkfja;slkfja;slkfja;lskjfa;lskjf

Strange things are happening in the beautiful city of Nidderdale. First, a retired Judge that owns a grouse moor and holds shooting parties on it is murdered in cold blood. The murder is witnessed by a young woman and she immediately recognizes the murderer and he does not try to hide what he did. Seems like an open and shut case. However, the murderer seems to have disappeared. DCI Oldroyd is sure that there is more to this than meets the eye, so he begins to investigate further.

Weeks later, a similar murder happens and there is another young woman who witnesses it, and once again, the murderer disappears. Some of Oldroyd's team find a tenuous connection between the two murdered men, but there are still many questions to be answered.

This was a very interesting read, and I must say, I didn't see the ending coming. Very unique situation!

I also like all the side stories going on that really fleshed out the characters and their personalities. Definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and advanced copy of this book!

This is an intriguing little mystery from an author I was not familiar with but very much enjoyed. Set in the Yorkshire Dales, the descriptive passages of the area’s landscape was very well done and made it possible for the reader to imagine actually being there. The characters were well developed and, as you might expect in any given small community, each had their own quirks, making them believable and interesting.

A retired judge is killed one night outside the local pub and the perpetrator makes no effort to hide himself, being seen very clearly out the window by one of the pub’s employees. Inspector Oldroyd and his team soon discover the victim, Sandy Fraser, was not very well liked and there were many who had reasons to want him dead. Shortly after this first murder, a second follows, and, again, the perpetrator does nothing to hide his identity. So begins Oldroyd’s investigation into the relationships between the villagers, the victims and their pasts, eventually as you might expect, solving the mystery.

This is an old fashioned whodunnit and a nice respite from ugly city crime. Thanks to NetGalley for making a pre-publication copy available to me.

This is the 5th Yorkshire Dales murder with DCI Jim Oldroyd. A retired judge living in the village of Niddersgill is shot dead outside the local village pub. The murderer is seen by an eye witness, the barmaid Kirsty, but them seems to disappear without a trace. As usual there is an excellent mix of police drama, village life and the dedicated team of DSJohnson and DSCarter. The beautiful descriptions of the Yorkshire Dales written by Ellis, enhance the feeling and atmosphere of the novel as you read. The snapshot of village life and the many characters found in this small village add to the intrigue as the team tries to find the killer. How can a person just disappear without a trace, and what possible motive could they have to kill.
Once again a wonderful read by this author who always finds the right balance of intrigue, murder and amusing characters.

Nothing special

This is my first Yorkshire Mystery and based on this one it isn't a series I'm going to rush out and buy. The story is based on a bunch of coincidences that I don't find plausible. The police characters are the usual sorts. The writing is sturdy but not exciting. Given that this is #5 in the series I imagine that at least some are better so I'll give this one an average rating.

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

I loved this wonderful mystery filled with interesting, quirky and complex characters. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end! A must Read!

Very clever and detailed murder mystery. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who like to look deep into the details to solve the puzzle. The Nidderdale Murders is the first book I have read from J. R. Ellis and I look forward to more. 4.5 stars

This is the first book I've read by this author. It is a very detailed and descriptive murder mystery. You feel like you're there along with the characters. I'm going back to start with the first book in this series.

Intrigue and murder during grouse hunting season can be a dangerous time in J.R. Ellis’ The Nidderdale Murders (Thomas & Mercer, 2020). There are red herrings and intrigue behind the story. It reminds me of an Agatha Christie book, but without the pizzazz of Christie’s work. It’s a good mystery.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.