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.

First Book I have read in this series but was fine as a stand-alone. Cozy type mystery which had many twists and turns to keep me guessing. Would definitely read the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The Yorkshire Murder Mysteries is a decent cozy police procedural series, although I’ve found the books to be uneven. This is the tenth in the series and was not one of the better books in the series. I had to overlook the preposterous premise that Oldroyd, an active police DCI, would be asked to consult for another district, along with his two DS’s who are there on holiday. But I’ve always had a thing for canal life and living on a narrow boat , so I wanted to see how this would play out. And Ellis does a good job of giving a true sense of life on the canal.
This time, a retired folk singer is stabbed and dies on her boat. She was standing at the tiller and there’s no evidence anyone else was on the boat. But she had made numerous enemies so the list of suspects is long.
I do like that Ellis always adds a little something at the start of each chapter. Usually, it’s a bit of history. In this book, he also included the “lyrics” of the fictional folk group.
Unfortunately, I found the story here to be slow and repetitive. Too many of the conversations sounded stilted. I did find the ending satisfying. I’ll definitely continue with the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

This is book 10 in the series, and it starts off with the focus on Stephanie and Andi and their vacation, when murder suddenly arrives literally at their side. When one of their old teams shows up to be the officer in charge, it feels like old times, and the only thing missing is Oldroyd. With a murder that seems to have no cause, it's not too soon, before he's seconded over to the scene to help solve it. When a second murder occurs, everyone realizes it was not as simple as they were thinking and something else is at play. Interesting tactic by the other to remove the team from their local, but still have them work together- it livens up the book and makes things fresh. Fans will love this book, and newcomers will be taken with how the team work together and the many twists and turns!

DS Andy Carter and his partner DS Steph Johnson of the West Riding Police in Harrogate, Yorkshire are on a much needed vacation, on a canal boat on the Leeds to Liverpool canal. Stopping overnight at the small heritage village of Saltaire, they enjoy a visit to the nearby pub where a lively folk group is playing. While there they witness a young woman complaining to an older woman about what she wrote in her blog about newcomers to the boating community. The next morning Steph is up early and finds the older woman, Annie Shipton dead of a vicious head wound on her narrowboat which is floating down the canal.

With the local Bradford police currently short-staffed, Andy and Steph volunteer to put their holiday on hold and volunteer to pitch in to investigate Annie’s murder. The local police can find no sign that anyone else had been on the boat when she was killed, so they also manage to talk their boss DCI Jim Olroyd into volunteering his services, as they know this investigation will be right up his street.

Annie was one of a group of aging hippies who once played together in a popular folk group in the 90s and later decided to live together in a community of canal boats at Saltaire. Separated from her husband, also an ex folk group member, annie also had a number of disputes with local people and was known to be difficult so the police have their work cut out investigating a host of suspects.

I enjoyed the setting of the canals for this mystery as well as the communities and colourful characters that live on them. At first, I thought Ellis was going to give us a mystery that Andy and Steph solved on their own, using everything Olroyd had taught them. I find him a bit too ponderous at times so was looking forward to some young blood running the investigation their way and was a little disappointed that he stepped in to run the investigation in his own inimitable way. With an unknown motive and lots of suspects to investigate, the plot moves slowly and steadily until Olroyd cracks the case. Overall an enjoyable cozy mystery, although not my favourite in the series to date.

I loved the setting for this story. The canals, which began life for commerce, are now used for holidays and by people who live on their narrow boats. It was fascinating to learn about this lifestyle. The canal life is slower and yet connected to the land around it.
Annie was a member of a folk group in the old days and the group lives near each other in narrow boats along the canal. Annie is abrasive and provokes people, so when she is found dead in her boat (a clear murder), there is no shortage of suspects. Two inspectors happen to be spending their holiday on the canal and are drawn into the investigation, along with their boss. The difficulty seems to be narrowing down the motive. All in all, this is a good English mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC.

When a woman was found dead on her narrowboat, floating aimlessly on the canal, DCI Jim Oldroyd was called in as an advisor. The forensic team found no material on board that showed how or who might have killed her. At the same time and place, Oldroyd's detectives, Andy and Stephanie, were vacationing on the canal and they decided to help their chief and postponed their holiday. It seemed that there were a number of suspects including the woman"s estranged husband and several members of a folk band that they were all in from the past. When another murder occurs the detectives need to figure out the why of these murders.
A satisfying cozy mystery in the Yorkshire Murder series, with a new location and murder but with the same cast of familiar characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this e-galley of "The Canal Murders".

The thing I like about J.R Ellis is that he really knows how to set the scene. His descriptions make it possible for me to visualise the setting and the people. He also provides a history of the area in which each book is set.
The Canal Murders is the tenth book in this series and, as can be guessed by the title, murder is committed on a stretch of canal in Saltaire.
There are plenty of suspects, but who had the biggest motive?
The narrow boat community provides some colourful, interesting characters. My favourite was old Len, who had lived on the canal for most of his life.
There are two characters however, whom I have come to dislike; Steph and Andy. Their incessant hero worship of DCI Oldroyd has become a tad annoying.
Simpering detectives aside, this was an engaging, relaxing read.
Thanks to J.R Ellis, Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stephanie and Andy are taking a vacation in a narrow boat on the canal. They stop for the night at Saltaire. In the morning, Steph sees a boat go by with a woman slumped over the tiller and a lot of blood around her neck and chest. Soon, Jav, a man they used to work with shows up to investigate. Jav suggests they call in Oldroyd, Steph and Andy's boss and Jav's prior boss. The dead woman is Annie a former folk singer who Steph and Andy saw arguing with another woman in the pub the previous night. The biggest problem is that it appears no one else has been on Annie's boat, and it's very unlikely she could have knifed herself in the back of her neck. It appears that Annie was a contentious person, and there are several possible suspects.

When there is a second killing, folks are worried about a curse on the canal. Will Oldroyd solve the murders before there is another murder? This is a well done plot and an exciting story, a great addition to the series. I thank Netgalley and Joffee Books for the ARC so I could read the book before publication.

Steph and Andy are taking a vacation in a narrowboat in the canals. The first day and they find a woman dead on her boat. They meet with a fellow detective and he calls Oldroyd and get him involved as well.
Thanks to Thoms and Mercer and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I like the premise of this mystery: the surviving members of a popular-long-ago folk group now live in a larger narrow boat community in Yorkshire. When one of them is killed, it seems likely the roots of the crime are in the history of Rowan, the folk group. And DS Stephanie Johnson and DS Andy Carter just happen to be on their narrow boat holiday and at the scene of the crime. I like all of this, but...

Then they "persuade" DCI Oldroyd to come lead the investigation, even though it's not his jurisdiction. There are various rationales for this in the book, but it still feels incredibly farfetched. And Johnson and Carter's hero worship of Oldroyd gets old quickly to me. This is my first read in this series, but the plot and characterizations don't seem dependent on previous titles. But there's a lot of "They were familiar with this quirk of their boss..." and "They were used to their boss's various moods..." and that kind of thing.

The mystery and resolution work out neatly, and I enjoy the setting of a narrow boat community. And the characterizations of the various band- and community members have some depth and interest to them. Sometimes moreso than the main characters! I feel like Johnson and Carter are there simply to fawn over Oldroyd. I would've rather had Oldroyd out of the picture, really.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A true murder mystery! All characters with questionable morals often make us change our minds about the culprit.
Saltaire Village is atmospheric and brings an air of mystery to the story!
A little repetitive at times, but an engaging read that makes you question each step!
3.5⭐

I was really looking forward to this book, as all the previous ones had really good storylines. Unfortunately I found this one quite slow and contrived. I loved the descriptions and the history around Saltaire, Definitely not his best.

My first time reading this authors work. This is the 10th book in series and I can’t wait to start the series from the beginning. As I was enjoying reading this book I was feeling like it was a case from Midsomer Murders. The author did a fantastic job of the mystery and I had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommend.

The Canal Murders is the 10th novel in the DCI Oldroyd Murder Mysteries series. I always enjoy the books, since they are very much escapist reading. As was the case with all of the previous novels by J. R. Ellis, there is enough character background to make each novel a stand alone mystery. The plotting works, although I very quickly figured out who, why, and how the first murder happened. And I foresaw the second murder right away, too. Ellis uses many of the same techniques as Agatha Christie, which for any murder mystery fan, makes it easy to predict where the plot is headed.

I loved the setting on canals and the narrowboats. A friend bought a narrowboat and loved it. I always thought I would, also. Ellis does a very good job with landmarks and descriptions and the history of the area. As always, Ellis provides terrific epigraphs before each chapter. I always enjoy these. I enjoy catching up with Oldroyd, Steph, and Andy. It often feels as if they continue their lives between each book. The dialogue sometimes feels awkward and the flow of the writing is artificial and needs to be smoother. Teaching a writer to work on smoothing out the flow of the language would definitely help with the flow of these novels.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. I enjoyed this novel, and I suspect that most murder mystery readers will also enjoy it.

The Canal Murders by J. R Ellis

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—so how was she killed from behind?

Another great book by this author , and a brilliantly exciting one it is !
I find any genre predominately based around the canal boat life fascinating , throw in a murder of two , alongside a great plot , and you have a winner.