Oldroyd's daughter Louise and her friends are in Whitby for the Gothic festival. While taking part in a panic room challenge, tragedy occurs.

It looks like a clear cut case, but Louise thinks something's not quite right.

So she calls her dad....

Another excellent adventure for Jim Oldroyd and his team

2 stars

Clunky writing & a convoluted plot dampen what could otherwise be a fun murder mystery. The Dracula theme was still fun in a kitschy way.

[What I liked:]

•The twists in this mystery were more confusing than they were building up to an intriguing climax, but once the details were all laid out at the very end I could appreciate the murder & how it was pulled off. Still not very believable, but creative.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Clunky dialogue, & the writing is odd. There is a lot of summary, but it often happens mid-scene even at key moments. It kept pulling me out of the story. Also lots of info-dumping.

•The MC has a family emergency & asks for a few days off work, okay; so his boss assigns his coworker to be his chauffeur & emotional support while he’s on leave? Very odd. That wouldn’t fly in the US. Or maybe I’m misunderstanding what happened there.

•The crime was a bit convoluted, but it was the murderer’s motivations that were really over the top. When they revealed their hand, it felt very melodramatic.

•The women characters in this are super controlling, treating their partners like kids & rationing sweets & booze. It’s weird.

CW: murder, physical assault, suicide

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Goth weekend in Whitby. DCI Jim Oldroyd’s daughter Louise has come with her friends from London. A weekend of dressing up starts with a visit to an Escape Room. When they come out a death will have occurred and 1 will be on the run. This story will show can you really believe your own eyes? Do you really know your friends? A great fast paced mystery with good solid police work leading to a not so straightforward case. You really fall in love with the setting of this mystery. Whitby has so much more to offer including Dracula.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A murder with three witnesses. But one of them doesn’t believe what she saw. And I am not sure I believe what I read. This wasn't a bad book...it had a ton of potential but it just went off the rails and got overly complicated and confusing. Someone else described it as clunky and that's probably a good word to use. The ending was wholly unbelievable and I am not sure how the writer even got there. It was disappointing. It was also hard to find any likable characters. This part of a series so maybe I will go back and read the ones that came before this one to see if it helps but this book just didn't quite work for me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of The Whitby Murders, the sixth novel to feature DCI Jim Oldroyd of the Harrogate Police.

Oldroyd’s daughter, Louise, and her friends are in Whitby for the Goth Weekend and to kick things off they visit the local escape room. Once there things don’t as planned when their friend, Dominic, stabs his girlfriend, Andrea, and runs off. With three witnesses and CCTV the case seems cut and dried, but Louise has doubts and asks her dad to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Whitby Murders, which has an intricate plot with plenty of misdirection. I must admit that I guessed some of how it was done, probably a first for me in this series, but I had no idea about the perpetrator or the motive.

I like this series for the plots as they are real brain teasers, offering ingenious and sometimes convoluted solutions to seemingly impossible crimes. This novel is slightly different with its immediate suspect and eye witness accounts, although as any true crime aficionado knows eye witnesses are notoriously unreliable, and is more a question of unravelling what exactly happened and why. It is fun trying to outwit a devious killer and I found the mystery gripping and compulsive.

It must be said that the plot is the only thing in this novel worth raving about. The characters are rather one dimensional and the dialogue rather saccharine with all the praise and mutual support going on. I lie, this novel has given me a strong urge to visit Whitby, although maybe not on Goth Weekend (I left that kind of thing behind in the 80s and feel too old to revisit). It sounds like a lovely part of the country with an interesting history.

The Whitby Murders is a good read that I can recommend.

Louise Oldroyd and her friends are attending the Whitby Goth Weekend. When experiencing an escape room puzzle one of the group stabs another. She calls on her father DCI Jim Oldroyd for help. Former colleague D.I. Alice Granger welcomes the help of his team.
I found the group of people annoying, and didn't care for the characters of the police or their interactions and dialogue. Other stories in the series have been better.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Louise Oldroyd and her friends are in Whitby for Goth Weekend. They are starting off the fun weekend with a visit to a local escape room.

Their friend Dominic, stabs his girlfriend, Andrea, while in the escape room and takes off!

Three witnesses and CCTV the case seems cut and dry! But Louise has her doubts about what really happened. She reaches out to her Dad, DCI Jim Oldroyd, to help investigate.

Can you really believe your own eyes? Can the murder be caught before it’s too late?

I really enjoyed the story line!

Although the dialogue bugged me a little bit.

Thank you J. R. Ellis, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the advance copy to read in return for my honest review!

I’m a big fan of this series. The cases are always original and the characters and suspects quirky enough to make the plots entertaining and suspenseful. This time, Oldroyd’s daughter Louise witnesses a murder in an escape room during a Halloween goth festival in Whitby (which I had forgotten is the setting of a large part of Stoker’s Dracula). So many elements right in my wheelhouse. And yet, I figured out the twist early on, so it was just a question of who was behind it. I enjoyed the novel, as usual, even if it probably won’t become one of my favorites. I liked the character of Louise before but in this book she does something so incredibly, irredeemably stupid, that I stopped rooting for her and I worry it will affect future novels. The rest of the book is suspenseful and entertaining, the Gothic atmosphere is skillfully depicted and the references to Dracula just add to its charm.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Amazon Publishing UK!

Quite a classic detective novel which reads like watching an episode of midsomer murders (which isn’t a bad thing. The author has a tendency to over explain things and the characters were a little too confusingly similar (I got a bit lost about Deborah and Steph etc) but I liked the story and thought it was overall a good read.

An enjoyable, quick read!

I am a fan of the DCI Oldroyd series and this book doesn’t disappoint.
The story is set in Whitby , and the murders take place during the famous Goth weekend.DCI Jim Oldroyd’s daughter Louise is visiting Whitby with a group of friends and they visit an escape room. During their visit the group witness one of their friends seemingly stab and kill his girlfriend. It is seems a clear cut case, or is it as straightforward as it appears ?
I enjoy J.R Ellis’ style of writing it’s easy to follow and and entertaining. The characters are affable and genuine in their nature, the book is a sound police procedural and the Whitby setting finishes it off perfectly .
Highly recommended.!

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.

The Whitby Murders by J. R. Ellis. Yorkshire Murder Mystery #6. Amazon Publishing UK, 2021.

Friday evening plans for Louise and her London friends, in Whitby for Goth Weekend, include dressing in Dracula-related costumes and solving escape room puzzles. When one runs off after stabbing his girlfriend in front of the others, she asks her DCI father to help.

This book is my first experience with the DCI Oldfield and the Yorkshire Murder series, perhaps why I found character development insufficient to really get to know and engage with any of them. At times I found the writing awkward.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. The Whitby location and Goth Weekend setting is perfect and well described. The plot’s red herrings fooled me along the way to an ending that I did not see coming.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Whitby Murders for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheWhitbyMurders #NetGalley

Thanks to #NetGalley the publisher Amazon Publishing UK and the author J R Ellis for providing me with a digital ARC #TheWhitbyMurders in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way. This is the first book by J R Ellis that I have read and I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is the 6th in a series and we follow DCI Oldroyd to Whitby where his daughter and her friends are in an Escape Room and see one of their group murdered. This book comes highly recommended.

The book had a great opening and then....it was too long, much of the dialogue was tedious and the basic mechanics of the murder kind of obvious to anyone who has read many mysteries.

Great twisted story where DCI Oldroyd has a personal connection which brings him to Whitby to help solve a strange death.
Excellent series of books.

I read this series out of order. So this is book 6. I think it’s worth me going back to the start of the series to get more of a back story. Still worth a read. Think that this for me was a really good read but start at the beginning!

This is the sixth book in the Yorkshire murder series. Although I have read three others in the series, it isn't necessary to follow what's happening. Louise Oldroyd is in Whitby with four friends for the Whitby Goth weekend. They were wearing costumes as they went to a locked room place. They make it out of the first room into the second, and hear Andrea shout "How dare you!" to her boyfriend Dom. He produces a knife, lunges at her, and runs out the emergency exit. Louise's friend Ben runs to help Andrea as Louise follows Dom and can't see where he disappeared to. They call 911, but Andrea is dead before the police come.

Louise calls her father, DCI Jim Oldroyd, saying that something doesn't seem to be the way it looks.
Oldroyd comes to Whitby with DCS Steph Walker. They go to work with the local Chief, Alice Granger, who trained with Oldroyd and is happy to have their help. Andy, another of Oldroyd's DCS's and Steph's significant other is sent to London to investigate all the players. They find that a sarcophogus in the room next to the locked room is a trick one, and it has Dom's blood in it. The more they investigate, the stranger things seem. Dom sends texts saying he is sorry, and then asking them to meet him. However, when they arrive he runs away. Then Dom appears to commit suicide. When Dom is pulled up from the water, his phone is not on him. Oldroyd must find the truth and protect his daughter before someone else dies.

The book becomes very exciting as we finally find out who killed both Andrea and Dom!

The Whitby Murders - J. R. Ellis

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Amazon Publishing and Netgalley.

A murder with three witnesses. But one of them doesn’t believe what she saw…

Halloween, Whitby. DCI Jim Oldroyd’s daughter Louise is in town with friends for a goth festival. But their visit to an escape room ends in bloody murder when one of the group stabs his girlfriend and flees the scene. It’s a crime with three witnesses—but Louise refuses to take what she saw at face value.

The Whitby Murders has an intricate plot with a lot of misdirection. After reading, the Nidderdale Murders (Book 5 in the series) I thought that I would be able to determine the murderer this time, I was wrong!

This is a fast-paced mystery, with a very easy to follow plot. If you are new to the series, there is not much character development as this is done over the series but I don’t think that this detracts from the plot.

Rating 4/5

Though promising I was deeply disappointed in this story. The characters and plot appear to me not credible ( the daughter being involved in the murder investigation). The characters reveal themselves so immature, even the inspector! I wonder how old the author is? I shall not publish this review.

During the Goth festival in Whitby a group of friends visit a Dracula themed escape room that ends in one of the friends stabbing his girlfriend. A crime of passion. With three witnesses. But Louise Oldroyd isn't convinced it's that simple and neither is her father DCI Jim Oldroyd. As the investigation progresses, the more complex the web of deceit appears but Oldroyd is determined to get to the truth...

I was drawn to this book by the plot and the fact that it is set in Whitby, somewhere I'm slightly familiar with. I've not read any of the previous books in this series but I didn't feel that I needed to, it was still easy to follow.

I was immediately hooked by the intricate case and that it was not as simple as it would first appear. I had my suspicions of 'who' but no the 'why' so it was still a very enjoyable read, especially the last 30% when everything started to come together.

I did occasionally feel like there was a lot of detail and extras happening that I was struggling to connect or drew away from the plot. But it ended up being a solution that made sense and didn't feel like it was out of the blue, you start to see the clues that were there throughout the book. I would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for a review.

Was looking forward to this book immensely as a fan of JR Ellis and living close by to Whitby a seaside town in the northeast UK a spot famous for Dracula. It is extremely atmospheric and creepy and the mystery is twisty and difficult to solve. I totally recommend this lovely British mystery with delightful characters.

A group of friends have travelled to Whitby for the famous Goth festival but things do not quite turn out as planned. A visit to an escape room goes horribly wrong when one of their party is murdered and Louise asks her father DCI Oldroyd for advice. Louise seems to have inherited her father’s instincts as she is sure that all is not as it seems. An enjoyable murder mystery.

This is the first book that I have read by the author but it certainly won't be the last! A fantastic storyline and very well-written. Intriguing characters and I really didn't know who was behind the murders until the very end. The description of the setting was also very well done as Whitby has a huge part of my heart and it made me want to return there! A twisty plot with plenty of entertaining scenes. Will be recommending this to everyone!

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this.

This book appealed to me initially as Whitby is my home town. Obviously to anyone who has visited, the star of this book is our town itself (although I am biased)
I feel this book could work well as a stand alone novel yet fits in well with the others in the series.
The escape room setting was something New and I thought it was a great touch.
My one problem, we would never, ever say we were going out in “the old town”; it’s “in town” or “down town” regardless of where you live around Whitby not that any other readers would find an issue with this.

The Yorkshire Murder series reaches book number 6 with The Whitby Murders which is a solid police procedural novel that will appeal to previous readers of the series and those who enjoy easy reads.

Yes the plot is convoluted and some of the characters one dimensional but overall it was an ok read

It’s Goth Weekend in Whitby, a picturesque seaside village which just happens to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Louisa Oldroyd and her friends enjoy the festivities by taking part in a Dracula-themed escape room. The foursome makes their way through the puzzles of the escape room and suddenly, inexplicably, Dom stabs Andrea and flees. The other members rush to help her, but the girl bleeds out and dies despite their attempts to staunch the bleeding.

In a neighboring village, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd has a demanding job and a complicated relationship with his ex-wife. When his daughter calls from Whitby to tell him she’s just witnessed a murder, his fatherly instincts override his police training, and he rushes to her side. Satisfied Louisa is only shaken and not injured, he takes a closer look at the facts where he finds reason to suspect the solution to the murder isn’t as cut and dried as it seems to be.

Oldroyd and his coworkers join the local police in the investigation and uncover disturbing and contradictory information. The story follows Oldroyd, his daughter, and the remaining members of the group of friends as the investigation proceeds through many a twist and turn.

It’s got all the makings of a good, British mystery and delivers a pleasant read. Here are a few things I want to point out:

Things I Like
Sufficiently complex plot—Enough is going on to keep my interest (and that’s not easy these days.) We have Goth Weekend (see next bullet), an escape room, a murder, an apparent suicide, shady dealings by one and all, and a bit of romance.

Lots of local color—The Whitby Goth Weekend is a new one for me—can’t believe I’ve not heard of this before. I loved the descriptions of the festival, the village, and the other bits of history the author points out along the way. Made me want to read Dracula again—and, more importantly, discovering the Whitby Goth Weekend exists compels me to don my blackest dress for the next one—after the plague is over.

Inobtrusive backstory—The author doesn’t do huge info-dumps. The backstory unfolds in an organic manner most of the time as the mystery progresses. I can’t explain how much I appreciate this!

Things That Need Work
British mysteries often take a leisurely pace, but I felt The Whitby Murders needed some jazzing up. The book would benefit from a good revision to remove repetition. The author is writing in multiple points of view and sometimes goes over the same ground from different perspectives. In my opinion, this slows down the action. It’s a good mystery just the same. And the author clearly differentiates between characters as the POV changes, so I didn’t feel lost or untethered (any more than usual, anyway).

Character development is good—but not great. The characters have a lot going on and the author does a fine job of building each one—BUT with so many characters I needed some specific traits upon which to hang my hat. Efforts were made in this direction, but I can’t say the character development is any more than adequate.

Missed opportunities to write action scenes--Too often, the action is described after the fact in dialogue or narration instead of in a scene in which the event is lived by the characters. This falls into the dreaded realm of Telling-And-Not-Showing. This manifests in a couple of other ways, too, which results in anti-climactic paragraphs and unrealized potential.

I give The Whitby Murders 4 blood spatters out of 5—which is my amusing Gothic way of saying it’s a decent story, well-worth a read. I would recommend it to a friend who enjoys cozy mysteries or British police drama.

This book originally appealed to me as Whitby is one of my favourite places to visit! Whilst reading I was picturing all the places we go too which made me enjoy this book even more!!

The story picks up from the get go! Although for me it was a bit far fetched at times! I liked the setting of the escape room and that we’re being made to believe what we saw in the escape room was one thing but then actually it wasn’t, I thought this was a good base idea.

I didn’t realise that Oldroyd actually appeared in other books around Yorkshire so I now need to read them!!

It’s rare that a thriller keeps me guessing with what’s going to happen next but this one really did surprise me.

#NetGalley #TheWhitbyMurders
This is the sixth book in the Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd Series and it doesn’t disappoint.
His daughter Louise is attending the goth weekend in the Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby when two of her friends are caught up in a murder.
Louise was a witness but cannot quite understand what she saw and calls on her dad to investigate.
A fast paced read that will keep you reading.

It's the Autumnal Goth Weekend in historic Seaside Town of Whitby ,which in itself is split into two halves both with their own atmospheric character the New Town & across the Swing Bridge ,The Old town from where you can climb the 199 steps which lead to St; Mary's Church & then further along the stunning ruins of Whitby Abbey. A group of friends have come to Whitby to have fun & dress up for Goth weekend ,but something goes tragically wrong & two of the group die ! One of the group Louise Oldroyd has a deep instinct that all is not as straight forward as it seems & contacts her father Jim Oldroyd who is a Police Officer. It had some interesting twists & turns & it helped even more because I have spent a Holiday & also many very enjoyable days out in this unique North Yorkshire Coastal Town so this helped my visualization of what & where things were happening . This is the first book by J.R. Ellis I have read & I am now going to try some of his other ones .#FB, #NetGalley,#Goodreads,#Amazon.co.uk, # Instagram , #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>.

Wonderful thriller!
I enjoyed this book. I will definitely pick up more by this author. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this wonderful ARC.

In fairness, I’ve never read a previous book in this series, but I felt like I didn’t know the characters or their relationships well. The story itself was unnecessarily complex and a bit confusing. Solving the mystery seemed to happen suddenly - especially since much of the book was spent (it felt) with the detectives not having any clues. The ending was too “scooby doo” for me - walking through the crime and how the detective solved it.... Not particularly well written, in my opinion. I received an ARC of this book from #netgalley and I’m appreciative.

This move was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for review. It is character driven and the story is slow. However here is an intriguing mystery. Try it.

2* Writing style was very amateurish and laboured. Lacked flow. DNF.

I couldn't finish this, as the writing was laboured and lacklustre and didn't feel organic. I couldn't warm to how the author felt he/she had to bumblingly explain things - I didn't get the impression they were a born writer, but perhaps someone who'd tried to learn the craft?

The characters were unlikeable and uninteresting and I DNF'd this about 3 chapters in.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas Mercer/Amazon UK Publishing.

Halloween is around the corner. Friends getting together for a fun weekend going to an escape room. Dracula theme, scary characters floating around can murder be next. Louise Oldroyd and her friends are looking forward to this fun time did she know two of her fellow goth's would be murdered. Once this happens Louise calls her dad DCI Jim Oldroyd a well respected detective from the Harrogate Police.
Why would Dominic stab his girlfriend Andrea and run away. Was this a prank gone wrong? Then there is Ben who tries to save Andrea's life while Maggie and Jack try to understand why. I love the background of this story. Dracula infused in England with many who done its. Every time DCI Oldroyd and his fellow officers get close someone possibly the murder throws them off the track. Yet Louise does not believe this is a cut and dry case like her friends do. Something does not add up. Why would Dominic kill Andrea? What happened to the owner of the escape room. Many of his employees are telling a different tale when it comes to him. Plus when all of these suspects are interviewed many of their stories change.
I know this is book six in the series so it was a little hard for me to get a clear background on Louise and her dad. I did like the characters and how they evolved. Plus having the Dracula background really made you feel you were in England involved in this murder mystery.
I enjoy the English mysteries so I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC. I will surely look up JR Ellis's other books. Enjoyed it and would recommend it if you are a fan of English mysteries like myself.

I had read the first two of Ellis’s “Yorkshire Murder Mystery” series, and they were pretty good, especially for a first-time novelist. But this is the sixth installment, which I got as an ARE, so I’ve skipped three books -- and I honestly don’t quite know what to make of it. By the time an author gets this far into a continuing series, one expects a smoother style, the result of experience, right? But Ellis had that already with his first book. And in certain ways, this one reads like it might have been his debut work.
The story this time is set in Whitby, the small, ancient port town in north Yorkshire, which is famous both for its 7th Century abbey and as the location of much of the action in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In fact, a number of British literary figures spent time in Whitby, and the town has capitalized on its fame in that regard by hosting the Whitby Goth Weekend twice every year, where aficionados of Goth and steampunk culture come to dress up and do their thing. And that’s the background for the murder witnessed by Louise, daughter of DCI Jim Oldroyd, head of CID at Harrogate, as one of her best friends stabs another of her best friends in a local “escape room.”
It all seems very straightforward to the rest of the shocked group of young people, all of whom have come up from London for the festivities, and also to Defective Inspector Granger of Whitby. But something about it all feels wrong to Louise, so she calls Dad and begs him to come over to Whitby and look into things, even though it’s decidedly not his patch. Granger, however, had been trained by Oldroyd and is delighted to be able to work with him again, so Dad is there like a shot. And the plot thickens, and thickens, and thickens again, with more than a few herrings strewn redly about.
It’s not the plot that’s the problem, though. It’s the way DCI Oldroyd, who has vast experience and a sterling reputation, seems to nearly lose it at numerous points in the investigation. He’s practically sobbing every time he thinks about his (grown) daughter being involved in a murder case. That sort of reaction is simply not credible for a senior copper. He would have developed a much tougher shell than that, even when family is involved, or he would never have risen so high.
There are also assorted problems with the author’s narrative choices, as when, during the “knocking on doors and talking to people” phase of the investigation, he describes what each of Oldroyd’s team is doing -- and then has them repeat, in detail, to their boss what they’ve found out (and which the reader has just read a few pages earlier) -- and then has them repeat it all again as they compare notes among themselves. That’s a classic novice’s error, and one Ellis avoided in his first two books. So why does he commit it now? It’s a puzzle. This is a pretty good story with a nicely constructed plot, but the author is in need of a sit-down with his editor.

I have not read the first couple of books in the series but this book stands on its own. The gothic setting with a Dracula tie in was well written and made the story line believable. I did not like that as the detectives came closer to solving the case the thought process was not shared as part of the story ... it came together fast and then there was a lot of follow up after the actual culprit was revealed.

At the October Goth Weekend in Whitby, Louise Oldroyd and her friends came down from London to participate in all the activities, especially an escape room. But all the fun turned deadly when one of the boys stabbed his girlfriend and escaped.
Louise was shocked but felt that something wasn't right and called her father, DCI Jim Oldroyd of HQ Harrogate, to come. He received permission and brought his DS Stephanie Johnson, with him. The circumstances seemed "cut and dry", that the boyfriend killed the girl and then committed suicide, but the facts just didn't add up and Oldroyd started to delve into the lives of the people involved.
A British police procedural with a unique setting and familiar characters from the previous books, as they delve into the intricacies of the case.
Thank you NetGalley for this e-galley of "The Whitby Murders".

England, law-enforcement, procedural, murder, murder-investigation, red-herrings, family-dynamics, friendship, due-diligence*****

Sleight of hand, but where's the proof. DCI Jim Oldroyd's daughter is present when a good friend of hers (and several others in attendance) is stabbed while at an amusement. She doesn't feel right about it and calls Oldroyd who gets permission to go outside of his patch and finds himself working with someone who has positive memories of him mentoring her. But there's a lot of inconsistencies in what appears to be an open and shut case, so there's plenty of police work to do. Great plot with very clear characters. Finest kind!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley. Thank you!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC.

This is Book #6 in the series; I've read a couple previously and they are all a reasonably enjoyable read.

DCI Jim Oldroyd's daughter, Louise, is spending a long weekend in Whitby at a goth festival with her friends group from London. With her that night was her friend Maggie, Andrea and boyfriend Dominic, and Ben; another, Jack was due to arrive the following day. Andrea and Dom seemed to be constantly bickering and, during an escape room adventure, Dom inexplicably stabbed Andrea to death, making his escape through an emergency exit and thenceforth, disappeared. The friends witnessed this - the CCTV camera recorded this - but Louise is not sure that everything is as it appears. Whilst the local police under the direction of Inspector Alice Granger start their investigation and their search for Dom, Louise phones her dad for help. Not being his "patch" he gains permission for himself and DS Carter to work with DI Granger and be there to support his daughter.

Jim Oldroyd, too, thinks that all is not what it seems.

This has quite a good storyline but very little in-depth characterisation. I found the most annoying thing was the constant sycophantic dialogue between the characters - all got rather tedious.

Good enough read.

This latest entry in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series features a goth festival, escape rooms, DCI Oldroyd's daughter Louise and her friends, and of course, murder. DCI Oldroyd manages to spend some off-time with his partner in Whitby while he assists local police in figuring out how two murders may not be what they seem.

I love a good murder mystery and I liked that this was part of a series. While the mystery was original and I appreciated the history of Whitney and its ties to classic literature, the characters and the writing/dialogue felt flat/one dimensional.

I started this book last night when I took my Kindle to bed. I read for as long as I could remain awake and felt like I just had to make time to finish today. So, yes, I was enjoying it that much. I like the plots that feature good, old-fashioned detective work, and there was plenty of that. If the readers became impatience with the slowness of clues, it was because the officers were, as well. That's often what it takes. Time, persistence, patience.

I can recommend the book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.
4 Stars!
Highly recommend.
You can read this as part 6 of the series or on its own if you haven’t read the previous ones
It was hard to put this book down. I was hooked from the first chapter.
This thriller was fun to read. It was short and enjoyable.
Well written, well plotted, engaging characters.

2.5 stars, rounded down
This latest in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series is a bit of an odd duck. It takes place in Whitby, where Oldroyd’s daughter had gone for a Goth Weekend with her friends. One of her friends supposedly stabs another in full view of everyone. She calls her father to help. So, we are meant to believe that DCI Oldroyd is able to head over there, along with his DS to help in the investigation. We are also meant to believe that despite several eyewitnesses, the police would continue to investigate the murder (and a subsequent suicide) because of some gut feelings and no contrary evidence. Maybe police departments have fuller budgets in the UK…
While I like the characters in this series, this story seemed disjointed and in need of a better editing job. The omniscient POV seemed to muddy the waters. I felt the story might have worked better if we had heard from fewer characters. Ellis threw out lots of possible suspects and red herrings. But each red herring would be resolved within a page of being presented. There wasn’t any tension to the story. The key to the resolution was obvious to me within minutes of the first murder. This story just seemed amateurish. In truth, I liked the first two books in this series more than the last two I’ve read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

This was the sixth book The Yorkshire Murders series, but fortunately it is able to be read as a stand-alone book quite easily. I really enjoyed this fun mystery! It was very atmospheric, as it was set in a town best known for Dracula lore. The setting was a goth weekend that the town holds annually. The characters were great. I felt that I was able to get to know characters that had backstory from the previous 5 books, even though I entered in the sixth. It moved at a decent pace, although maybe a bit slow in some parts. Overall, it was an enjoyable read & I’ll likely read the others.

Terrific mystery set in a historic location with many interesting and original plot twists and turns! I absolutely loved this story. First the author selects the location to provide the atmosphere that allows this mystery to take off and draw the reader in. Do you believe what you see with your own eyes? In this case, maybe yes, maybe no. Read "The Whitby Murders" to find out.

2.5 stars rounded up (and I'm afraid I'm being generous here)

The town of Whitby, England, makes the most of its connection to the Dracula legend and holds a Goth Weekend each year just before Halloween. Five young friends arrive from London and have reservations to take part in an escape room with a Dracula theme. They are all dressed in goth costumes and are eager to have a good time. But one couple, Andrea and Dominic, seem to be continually arguing and to their friends' horror, Dom pulls out a knife and stabs Andrea, escaping out an emergency exit. Police are called and the other three friends give their statements. It seems pretty cut and dried what happened here.

But is it? One of the friends, Louise Oldroyd, has niggling doubts and contacts her father, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Oldroyd. He gets permission to work with the local police who are investigating the case. The rest of the novel is a plodding police procedural.

Unfortunately, it was all too obvious to this reader right from the start what has happened here. The only reason to continue reading is to learn the why. I jumped into this series with book 5 and was eager to read this latest edition. Sadly, it was a disappointment.

I received an arc of this new mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Whitby Murders. It is written in a writing style I enjoy and I found the characters interesting. I haven't read any of the previous books in this series but as they all are set in the Yorkshire area I will definitely be reading them in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC.

This is book 6 in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series, and it takes Oldroyd out of his local patch, and into another jurisdiction, as he can't help to get involved, as his daughter is a primary witness. Luckily the detective in charge came up under Oldroyd and is happy to let him assist (INR it would never go that well!).It's an interesting closed room mystery, but I didn't find it as interesting as the prior books in the series- which is odd, as I DO love Halloween. It's not a bad book, and it definitely can stand alone from the series. If you're looking for a Summer beach read, it will fit the bill.

I am loving this series, it just keeps getting better. This is a great who done it story, I was gripped from the start. I'm looking forward to reading more

Another great read, although I did find it slow in parts. You can read this as part 6 of the series or on its own if you haven’t read the previous ones.