Steph and Andy are on a narrow boat holiday , unfortunately their holiday interrupted when a retired folk musician is found dead on her barge .
The case is perplexing the local police force so DCI Oldroyd is drafted in from Harrogate .
Oldroyd brings with him his own unique and indomitable style of detection.
Another great read from J.R Ellis , the series seems to get better and better.
Looking forward to the next in the series .
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

I’ve been reading this series for a HOT MINUTE yall. So when I saw that DCI Oldroyd was back I couldn’t help but trip over myself to read this.

This cast of merry Detectives has grown on me over the last ten books and I hope they never stop.

DS Andy and DS Stephanie were just trying to enjoy a relaxing vacation on the water. Andy learning about boarding a boat and Stephanie stumbling across a boat going no where fast with no one at the helm but a dead woman.

When paths cross and DCI Oldroyd was invited to come he jumped at the offer. And while investigating he starts to sum up that not all folksingers are happy as they may portray. Was there turmoil within the band, did the local pub know more about this death, or was it because someone didn’t pick up her dog poop fast enough and made it to the blog.

Leave it to DCI to not only educate but to also solve this murder with wits and the help from a class field trip.

I loved this 10th entry in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series. Narrow boating on a canal has been on my bucket list for a while. Unfortunately, Andy and Steph’s weeklong canal tour is interrupted by murder. DCI Oldroyd is called in to help solve the murder and finds there is no shortage of suspects among the narrow boat community and local residents.

Another case for DCI Jim Oldroyd and his close knit team of detectives.

The story revolves around the members of a folk group Rowan who performed in the 1980s. Some years later several members of the band reunite and form their own local community living on canal narrowboats on the Leeds and Liverpool canal on the outskirts of Bradford. Annie, the former lead singer of the group, is found murdered on her boat with no evidence of anyone having been on board. Detectives Andy Carter and Steph Johnson are on a canal narrowboat holiday and so are on hand to join the investigation.

There are many characters and suspects with past and current day events cleverly intertwined. There are numerous strong motives for Annie’s murder including copy-write theft, financial debts, revenge, corruption and drugs. Some nice plot twists and an enjoyable read. 


The Yorkshire scenery is nicely described and there are some interesting snippets of information about the local industrial heritage and canal life.

When two murders occur in a peaceful canal neighborhood while a pair of detectives are on holiday, they encounter no shortage of suspects. They call in seasoned DCI Oldroyd to help them solve the cases.

This is the second Yorkshire Murder Mysteries installment that I've read, and I really need to check out more of them. Once again I was thoroughly entertained and intrigued by the story, the setting, and the delightful cast of characters. Because there were so many characters, I sometimes lost track of who was who, so maybe this would have been better to consume in ebook form. However, the audiobook narrator is probably one of the best I've listened to so far. He's very emotive and does a great job giving everyone distinct voices.

This book is a very enjoyable police procedural. I loved the Saltaire setting so much that I’m planning to visit the area very soon. The detectives are a realistic team and the descriptions of canal life are enthralling. I love this series and hope there are many more books to come.

A new author for me and an excellent book from J.R. Ellis. I will be having a look for more of this author's books. This one ticks all the boxes for me and didn't disappoint.

Three and a half stars.

Steph and Andy are having a week's holiday on a canal boat, but the first morning Steph finds a drifting canal boat with a dead body on board while taking an early morning stroll along the canal path. The victim, Annie Shipton, was a former small-time folk singer in a band called Rowan. She and a few of her bandmates live on canal boats in the area. Steph and Andy are keen to get involved, especially because the local detective is an old friend, Jav, and because the team is short-staffed Jav ropes in DCI Oldroyd to lend a hand. The interesting thing about this case is that there is no evidence that anyone else was on Annie's barge when she was stabbed in the neck, and no signs of a struggle.

Annie Shipton seemed to have been a cantankerous old woman, even on the night before she died she got into a row with another woman who resented something Annie had said about her on her blog. Annie was also the spokesperson for a campaign to stop the redevelopment of a local mill and clashed with the guy leading the development. A divorcee with an adult daughter Annie owed money to almost everyone.

I enjoyed this mystery, I didn't guess the murderer, although I did wonder why they didn't tell the Police something ... well now I know :) The motive was understandable and the crime was well thought out.

When I got this ARC and realised it was the tenth in a series I started reading the earlier books on Kindle Unlimited, not wanting to miss any nuances from the previous books. However, at about the fourth book (and admittedly I was reading them one after the other) I felt they had become a bit same-same and Oldroyd's theatrical tendencies had become a bit tiresome. Nevertheless, I took a break, read a few rom-coms, something historical, then came back to this with a new zest. Although Oldroyd still has his idiosyncrasies, they were muted in this book and Steph in particular calls him out when he is tempted to indulge himself. Which is a long-winded way of saying I enjoyed this and will definitely be reading books five to nine in the series soon.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

The setting was Yorkshire and it was so descriptive it was so good . The area was brought to life and then the specific was life on the canals, a narrow boat and the community that has sprung around the canals.

A small group of has been folk singers now live in these narrowboats. Their lives have inter twined for decades and despite differences and arguments they’ve lived on. When Annie’s body was discovered on her boat by Andy and Steph, both detectives on holiday, they draw in the big guns for a spot of detection.

The story meanders like the waterways, in many directions with many, many suspects, all who have strong motives to see Annie dead. When a local nosey Parker is found murdered, detectives know they are closing in but on who is the question.

Surprising end which I didn’t see coming, good read all around.

The last thing DS Stephanie Johnson and DS Andy Carter expected during their much-needed canal holiday was a murder. When retired folk musician Annie Shipton is found stabbed through the neck at the helm of her barge, the couple can’t help investigating the seemingly impossible crime. Nobody else boarded Annie’s boat. DCI Oldroyd is summoned from Harrogate, and it’s not long before the detectives have a long list of potential suspects with a motive to want Annie dead. When a second murder sends shockwaves through the community, the locals start talking about a curse on the waterway.
The tenth book in this lovely series, whilst it could easily be read on its own I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jim, Stephanie & Andy throughout the series plus as a Yorkshire girl I love the locations. Another well written cosy mystery with twists, turns, red herrings & some surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed it & look forward to more
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Detectives Steph and Andy are trying to enjoy a relaxing narrow boat holiday. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long body to be found. Not a couple to shy away from a case, they soon find themselves investigating the murder of one of the long-time residents. As the officers try to work out how a murder could have occurred on a boat with no signs of the a struggle, a second body appears.

This is book 10 of a long-running series of police procedurals set around Yorkshire. While there are recurring characters, this read fine as a stand alone. The characters were all well introduced, and I didn't feel lost. Unfortunately, I didn't really like the main characters. The officers all felt very two-dimensional. I didn't feel there was much to distinguish Steph, Andy and Jav as individuals. This is book 10, so maybe any character development has already happened, but it felt like they were only there to boost the ego of Inspector Oldroyd. On the other hand, the side characters were pretty solid. The main few are the ex-members of a folk group who decided to live together on the canal after retirement. These guys are fun and give off a hippy kinda vibe. We have Len, a traditional Yorkshireman who has lived his life on the canal. Sam was the most interesting, a troubled young man who is trying to do better but hides a difficult past.
The murder mystery itself was quite intuitive. I've not read something with this sort of set up before, and it definitely created a good puzzle. I didn't find this all that exciting though. I was curious about the murder, but the book seemed to just plod along once the main event happened. There was no tension or excitement to be had throughout the investigation, no police chases or lies uncovered. It felt very inevitable that this would be solved and life would carry on. Maybe police procedurals aren't for me - I haven't read a lot of them, but those that I have read definitely played up the tension and risk of the perp still at large a lot more.
One thing I really did like about this was the research that went in to it. Each chapter gives you some of the history of the canal and town of Saltaire. The scene is set beautifully, and I genuinely want to try a narrow boat holiday following reading this book. Murders aside, it sounds so relaxing and chill!
Overall, this was an easy read with a intriguing puzzle and great side characters.

The Canal Murders was a delightful (can you use that word when describing a murder mystery?) foray into the lives of some narrow boat owners and their lives in and around Saltaire, England. I enjoyed the descriptions of the setting, characters and village life. I was intrigued enough to do some research on the canals. While the events were easy to follow, I definitely did not expect the surprise twist. I'll certainly be checking out more of J.R. Ellis' Yorkshire Murder series.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC.

The tenth and most recent book in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries. I somehow seem to have missed #5 but I plan to go back and read it soon.

DS Stephanie Johnson and DS Andy Carter are on holiday cruising the Yorkshire canals when they accidentally discover a murder. They decide that the investigation is worth delaying their holidays for and stay to help DCI Oldroyd solve the case.

I love all the fun facts the author adds about the history of this amazing system built originally to transport goods to the ports from the mills. I also very much enjoy the mention of places I know like Leeds, where I used to live and attended University, and Bradford where I worked.

A good, steady read with lots of police procedure and debate over who could have committed the crime. Lots of clues too so the reader can try and beat Oldroyd to the conclusion. Well worth reading.

Yorkshire, law-enforcement, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, river-lock-systems, narrow-boats, procedural, family, family-dynamics, friendship, secrets, lies, friends, small-town, folksongs, witty, sly-humor, mysteries, social-activism, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture*****

Guilty of a biased review because I love this series. I really like this bunch of coppers, especially DCI Oldroyd!
Two of Oldryod's former colleagues are on holiday when they find themselves part of a murder investigation by a shortstaffed local bunch. They not only agree to cooperate but get Oldroyd out of yard work by asking him to act as consultant. Good job! The case is a poser in which a contentious woman is found dead on the river in her narrowboat with no footprints indicating another person. Wild! And so the investigation begins and it's all amazingly twisty. Fun read.
Lots about the mill/manufacturing history in the area along the river in Yorkshire, super! Running throughout the action are lyrics of a folk tune associated with the deceased woman and others.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC copy from Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you! Now I just have to get the audio to get the Yorkshire accents right inside my head.

This is the 10th book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. There are ample suspects and twists to keep readers guessing and engaged. Chapters were a bit long for the genre. I enjoyed the included lyrics from the fictional folk group. Things were a bit repetitive, but the ending was satisfying. I really enjoyed the canal setting.

A typical English type mystery which had many twists and turns. It kept me interested and guessing.to the end. Would definitely read the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I love how J. R. Ellis pays homage to his roots and sets his books around the communities and countryside of his county. I'm a Huddersfield born, Yorkshire lass who has lived in Australia since I was a girl. Ellis' books always leave me fascinated about the Yorkshire countryside and it's people.
The book is based on the canal community and the different types of people who live in and around the canals. The character of Len in particular had me really enjoying the research that goes into the people of the canals and their ways.
I really appreciate the information given at the start of each chapter and how it alternates from the sites and historical points around the area, to the group, Rowan's, songs and ballads. A perfect way for the author to add his poetry to the mix.
A slower paced book that brings some older characters back into play and an intriguing tale that leaves you guessing right to the end.
I really want to see Oldroyd on the screen, it would be amazing!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy this series and thought it was a fun idea to bring back a previous character.

It was a fun, quick read.

Thank you for the arc

J. R. Ellis writes a great mystery novel, it worked with everything that I was looking for. It had everything that I was hoping for from this series. It had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. The characters felt like they were supposed to be in this world. J. R. Ellis has a great writing style and can't wait to read more from J. R. Ellis.

I’ve read this series from the beginning and, 10 volumes in, it’s hard to imagine how the author comes up with more and more baffling cases for Inspector Oldroy. This time, a woman is murdered on a narrowboat and no one else was on board. Steph and Andy happen to find her during their vacation and the team goes back to work. My problem is that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I used to. I’m fond of the recurring characters but the conversations felt forced and the huge amount of details made my attention wander. Many readers love this, I just found it distracting. I also felt like the author is trying too hard to be politically correct (or does every single person in England says “partner” to refer to significant others? I’m a vegetarian but do we really need a lecture on vegetarianism in the middle of a murder inquiry?) The one thing I always loved about this series, the murder plot, didn’t impress me this time. I’m glad that the book is getting good reviews. Unfortunately, it is not for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Thomas & Mercer.