The Canal Murders is J.R. Ellis’ latest Yorkshire Murder Mystery that I couldn’t not put down! It is a cozy mystery and police procedural that has a couple of coworkers who stumble across a body during the first night of their holiday. These particular coworkers also happen to be DS Andy Carter and DS Stephanie Johnson, who cleverly make themselves available to help solve the mysterious death that happened at a canal lock near where they moored for the night.

The victim happened to be part of a community of friends who used to all be part of a folk music group in the ‘90’s. As soon as the identity of the victim is shared, everyone and no one seemed to have a motive for killing her, especially a local youth last seen arguing with the victim near a local right-of-way.

When another person dies near that same canal, will they find themselves with a serial murderer or just a coincidence?

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for this audio ARC!!

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 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.

I jumped into this series to read this ARC and it was good as a stand-alone but now I have another series that I want to read all the books! I am adding all of J.R. Ellis' books to my TBR and starting with book 1 in this series, maybe I can catch up before the next installment is released!

The tenth book in the series, this was another enjoyable book.

DS Stephanie Johnson and DS Andy Carter are on holiday, and enjoying a trip on a narrow boat on the canals. When they come across a musician found stabbed to death on her boat, they just had to start investigating.
Working to determine whether this was a murder, they realize that she was stabbed from behind, but it appears as no one else had been on her boat. How was the crime committed? They soon have a long list of suspects.

DCI Oldroyd is summoned to help them, and he continues in his usual fashion, with a very drole sense of humor, and a lot of stating the obvious! After a second murder, he works to find the killer before anyone else is hurt, and along the way manages to have his signature ‘aha’ moments. The two DS’s continue to almost worship their boss, and they can be simpering at times.

We get a lot of the history of the area, and of the canal system, in this novel and I enjoyed all these facts. I felt very much like I was there at the location. JR Ellis always does well with the descriptions of the location and the many local (and colorful) characters involved.

I have listened to most of the books in the series, and all of them have had the same narrator. I love that about listening to a series, as you feel like you are back with the voices of old friends. The narrator manages to give DCI Oldroyd a lot of gravitas. His female voice are not quite so well done, but I am used to that by now!

Another enjoyable book in this gentle, easy read series.

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. The narration on this one seemed spot-on to what I was expecting for this story, and he was able to portray a wide variety of characters.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC.

This is my first taste of this series and author JR Ellis, I listened to this on audio, approximately just over 8 hours and 30 minutes long, and narrated by Michael Page, who ably immersed me in the drama, canal life, the fascinating history of the area, sites, community and folklore. DS Stephanie Johnson and DS Andy Carter are taking a much needed relaxing barge break on the canal, only for it to turn into a busman's holiday when waking up early, Stephanie comes across a meandering floating barge with its former folk singer owner, Annie Shipton, murdered, knifed through the neck, but impossibly there is no evidence that anyone ever boarded the dead woman's barge.

The local lead investigater, Javid Iqbal, is someone they know well, and before long they have cooked a way of bringing in the experienced DCI Jim Oldroyd, who has moved home to the country, surrounded by boxes that need to unpacked, his wife Deborah wanting his help to subdue their overgrown garden, particularly as his daughter, Louise, is expected to visit. Jim comes in from Harrogate as a consultant, what with the local police shortages, but in reality he is in charge, offering the joyous opportunity for old friends to reunite, and see Javid, Andy, and Steph benefit from his vast experience of murder inquiries. There is a second murder, but it takes a long time before Jim finally gets an inkling of who the killer might be, and I loved how a critical insight came from Iqbal's little daughter on a school trip to the canal.

The case gives the police team a wide range of suspects to trawl through, the victim was far from a likeable person, with an estranged husband, Ben, and daughter, Brittany, her attitudes, behaviour and history ensuring constant strife followed her throughout her life, especially after the termination of her singing career, meaning many had a potential motive to want to kill her. The murder mystery was interesting but I particularly enjoyed the informative background providing about the local canals, the past, and the darker folklore seen through the likes of Len, who has lived so long on the canal, right up to the present, seeing the newer additions to the community with their rivalries and more. I am glad to have finally become acquainted with this series, and I can definitely recommend the audio. Many thanks to Brilliance Publishing for an ALC.

I rarely ( as in almost never} read a series out of order, but I had an opportunity to read this 10th outing in J R Ellis' Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series and took it. I am glad that I did. This is a British police procedural that will appeal to readers of Elizabeth George's Inspector Linley and Caroline Graham's Midsomer Murders series, but it is more than that. It is obvious from the start that the central characters have history with and respect for each other, giving the story the heart that can separate a dry procedural from an entertaining read. Mr. Ellis further engages readers with interesting insights into the history of the canal system, as well as chapter introductions with folk music lyrics relevant to the storyline. Atmosphere, personalities, and procedures aside, this is a well crafted mystery that compels readers to puzzle out not only who did it but why and how. I confess that I did not solve any of the questions before they were revealed. I highly recommend this book to fans of the series but also to any who enjoy a good British whodunit with professional sleuths (a/k/a police officers).

The narration is excellent.