English village crime set in The Yorkshire Dales amongst a background of potholing and a village gigalo sounds unlikely but that’s what you are getting - enjoyable

The Body in the Dales is the first in a new police procedural series set in North Yorkshire by J R Ellis and it is an enjoyable read.

A body is found in some local caves and the police face a challenge to identify the killer as the victim is probably the most unpopular person in the area.

As you would expect there are a number of twists and turns until the killer is identified and a nice final twist at the end.

The main characters are well formed but with sufficient scope to be developed in the future.

The only reservation I had was the timeframe which wasn't clear from the storyline however that aside this book is a good start to the series.

Recommended

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Body in the Dales, the first novel to feature DCI Oldroyd and DS Carter of the Harrogate police.

When cavers stumble across a dead body in the Jingling Pot caverns DCI Oldroyd and newbie DS Carter are called out to investigate, because with no specialist equipment it is obvious that the man didn't voluntarily enter the cave. The detectives have their work cut out as the victim, Dave Atkins, was the most unpopular man in the village so neither suspects nor motives are thin on the ground.

I enjoyed The Body in the Dales, which, while not being a particularly profound read, has a good mystery to it. Told in the third person, mostly from the point of view of Oldroyd and Carter, it has an old fashioned format which keeps the perpetrator well hidden until the denouement and allows the reader to have a go at working it out, unsuccessfully in my case but that's not entirely my fault as much of the pertinent information is also concealed. Still, it's fun having a go and certainly keeps the reader occupied as they run through the possibilities. It had me hooked from the start with several puzzles, like how the body got there, and held my interest throughout with its steady drip feed of reveals and permutations.

The characters are pleasant and get on well, which is always a bonus. DS Andy Carter gets thrown in at the deep end because the investigation starts on his first day in Harrogate where he has transferred from The Met. As a city boy and outsider he is the perfect vehicle for introducing the beauties and dangers of the Dales to the reader. How he develops will make for good reading in future novels. DCI Oldroyd is an old fashioned copper who just wants to get on with his cases and has a nice line in denigrating management speak. Surprisingly (so nice to see the usual clichés turned upside down) for such a down to earth man who loves Yorkshire and its nature he is an Oxford graduate. He plays his cards and thoughts close to his chest, encouraging his subordinates, and thus the reader, to think for themselves. It's a clever device.

The Body in the Dales is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I was in two minds as to whether to give this four or five stars. On the one hand, I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great start to a series. On the other hand, I don't like to give out a lot of five stars and I think that while this was good, there is still room for even better in later books. So, I'm going with a four plus.

This was a good detective story, with lots of hints, a puzzling case to solve and some interesting characters for both the investigating team and the suspects. So far, the main detectives haven't fallen into the cliches that a lot of police detectives seem to fit. The author clearly loves Yorkshire and the countryside almost appears as a character in its own right. It certainly helps to drive the plot and the mystery along.

I didn't solve this one, although I had ideas that weren't a million miles away I don't think that I'd really come close to narrowing it down properly. It was a good read and I already have the second in the series lined up and ready to go.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Body in the Dales is the first book in the series Yorkshire Murder Mysteries. As the novel begins a group of cavers deep inside a Yorkshire caving route stumble across the dead body of Dave Atkins. DCI Oldroyd, new arrival DS Andy Carter and DS Stephanie Johnson. This lovely murder mystery unfolds slowly and carefully allowing the reader to join in with the thought processes of the murder team. There are wondrous descriptions of the dales and Yorkshire at it's finest and having visited Harrogate it was lovely to read a quick mention of Betty's tea house.
The Body in the Dales is the first in a trilogy of books and if this is anything to go by I will most definitely be reading the others. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a very well written, believable murder mystery. As with all good books of this genre there are plenty of twists and turns that keep you on your toes and ensure that you really engage with the novel. The particular beauty of this book is the wonderful style it is written in. I was drawn in right from the start of the novel and was gently led along through the narrative in such a way that when another murder takes place the shock is palpable. Can't wait to read The Quartet Murders.

5 stars

A group of cave divers find a body about two hours into a cave. The man is wearing no climbing gear and was obviously not planning a climb. They know who the man is.

DCI Jim Oldroyd and his new DS Andy Carter are called to the scene. They also work with DS Stephanie Johnson who is not at work that day. They learn the man was Dave Atkins and no one liked him much at all. They set about interviewing the locals immediately. The suspects are thick on the ground as the interviews show that most people believe Atkins was a braggart, a loudmouth and a womanizer.

Caver John Baxter phones Oldroyd up and wants to meet with him. He believes he knows who the killer is and how he got Atkins into the cave. When Oldroyd shows up at his home, he finds Baxter has been murdered.

The interviews continue in light of the two murders that have now occurred. Oldroyd goes to an antique bookshop and picks up a very useful volume and pertinent to the investigation. The police seem to be getting nowhere when Steph finally recalls what it is that she couldn’t remember. Oldroyd has an answer and tells Steph, Andy, Craven and the others about his plan. In an exciting conclusion, including a car chase, the story is concluded.

Ellis describes the beautiful countryside around Harrogate called the Dales. He speaks of an interesting and exciting cave climb with Oldroyd, Carter and Steph. I’ve read some about caving, but Ellis’ descriptions were complete and thrilling. Allison is Oldroyd’s sister and an Anglican priest, brilliant, fearless and Oldroyd’s Mycroft who plays a small role in this book. Hopefully, we shall see more of her in the future. Oldroyd’s team gets along remarkably well and they seem to love Oldroyd’s slightly eccentric personality. It is great fun to watch them and read about their exploits. I am looking very much forward to reading the other books in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read, enjoy and review.

Nice easy read. Author is very descriptive of the area and in that aspect reminds me a bit of Stephen Booth's books. Interesting story and you have no idea of the motive till the end.
Not sure why the author is building a romantic relationship between two characters who have just started working together though - thats a first for police procedurals that I have read