Well, first the negative: There were SO many characters, I kept getting them mixed up. Also, I had a little trouble with the English jargon (even with as many times as I've been there), and that is certainly no fault of the author.

Positive: It was a good plot, great writing, and I liked the ending!

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for a review.

When a local man is murdered, there is an eyewitness to the shooting, however the shooter is not to be found. The inspectors look into it, and then it happens again. In each case, it was almost like the shooter wanted to be seen.
I had difficulty with this one at first. The language and topics are foreign to me, and made it difficult to get into the story. As it went on, it wasn't as confusing, and I was able to enjoy the story.

The Nidderdale Murders is the fifth of the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series but does very well as a stand-alone. The characters are well-drawn with sufficient backstory for those of us who have come to the series at this point, but not overmuch so that long time readers will be bored. I liked the interplay between the three police officers, who all seemed to be normal human beings unlike the current trend towards those who are self-destructive, or have addictive personalities. And I think I’ve met some of the villagers – they all felt real. The description of the village and dales was nicely done as well - its been many years since I was in that part of the world, but the details all seemed right and evocative of the place. Since this is a police procedural, there are some bodies, of course, but no graphic violence or bloodletting. A pleasant, easy read with enough twists and turns to keep you interested throughout. I did object slightly to relying on a bit too much coincidence, but such things do happen, I suppose. I enjoyed the book enough to consider reading more in the series.

Thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author for a complimentary copy of this book to review

I have to give the author props in that I wasn't quite expecting the outcome. However, despite not being a very long book, it felt like it dragged at times. There were bits that felt long winded and almost rambling. The amount of references back to prior books was almost distracting. I get it. Another book dealt with caves. I also found it difficult to follow the story at times because there were so many characters. I couldn't keep them straight. All in all, it wasn't a bad story though.

Having just read the latest Kelly Porter story, I thought I'd like to stay in the North of England. Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales is the setting for this enjoyable mystery. After a grouse shoot & celebration dinner the owner of the grouse moor & retired judge is shot outside the hotel. The shooting is witnessed by an employee at the hotel, she saw the shooter clearly & can identify him. This should make things easy for DCI Jim Oldroyd & his two other officers but things do not seem to be as clear cut as they seem.

This is part of a series but it is not one I'm familiar with, nor did it spoil my enjoyment of the story. The setting of the story was almost an extra character & I really liked Oldroyd. There were enough twists to make things interesting but not make it too confusing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It was a satisfying read.

This is the first book I have read from AuthorJ.R. Ellis and it most definitely will not be my last. I was drawn in to the amazing mystery from the beginning! Filled with murder and mystery, this exceptional novel is a guaranteed page turner! I am looking forward to reading more from this fabulous author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher supplying me with a copy of this book to read and review, I now have the earlier 4 in the series that I want to read in order. This read well without having read the previous books, but I do feel that reading the series in order helps with character development. The description of the Yorkshire Moors has me ready to pack my bags and visit, and the mystery set there had a lot of red herrings to keep me guessing. DCI Oldroyd is a main character who is ready to look at different alternatives and works well with his team, which I enjoyed. Some series feature characters with a huge anoint of baggage that affects their work and relationships that can get over the top at times, it’s nice to have a sympathetic person in charge.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC. Enjoyed this book. Great for one of those days you have to stay indoors. The characters were likable. Would recommend..

The story is somewhat slow-moving, and there are many paragraphs that I felt really needed a copy editor; they had awkward transitions and static phrasing. It's difficult for me to enjoy a story if I'm distracted by such things. It was just "okay" in my opinion.

I started with number six of this series, but it didn't seem to make a difference. The village came alive in the pages, all Agatha Christie and Local Pub with moleskinned farmers and gossip and grouse-shoots and wonderful mystery. Best of all was the pace. Ellis managed to slooow things down so the reader became one with the rhythm of life in Nidderdale. It was a delightful read, transporting and engaging. And the gimmicky murders kept a reader guessing. Nidderdale Murders was a fun read, especially good for these days of social distancing, for the times left me alone with the characters struggling for normal when nothing suddenly was.

THE NIDDERDALE MURDERS: A Yorkshire Murder Mystery opens with a shoot on retired judge Sandy Fraser's rural Yorkshire property. Animal rights activists are on hand to save the grouse, employees are unhappy. Later that day, at the Dog and Gun, where Fraser has put together a special dinner to honor the hunt, we learn that Fraser not only is pompous but also not liked by the locals. Friction abounds all around this man, and later that night he is shot dead at point blank range in front of the restaurant. A witness gives the name of the shooter, and DCI Jim Oldroyd is on the case. The only problem is, the shooter disappears. It's as if he never existed.

In this delightful cozy/police procedural there is a red herring lurking behind every bush. As Oldroyd digs into Fraser's life, he finds many people who might wish the judge dead. And then another similar killing occurs.

I appreciate the excellent writing, plot twists, great characters, and a fine setting for this book, and look forward to enjoying more from J.R. Ellis.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.

An entertaining book that will keep you intrigued until the end. . This murder mystery is modern take on the British detective mystery, with a few echoes of Agatha Christie throughout. The author exhibits sensitive understanding of the cultural and geological history of the area and weaves that understanding well with the plot. And his descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside make me long to travel there.

This series and author were new to me. I see now that John R. Ellis has written four previous books in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series. The story was intriguing: the murder has a witness, but are things as they seem? DCI Jim Oldroyd doesn't think so. And why this victim? With able assistants Steph and Andy, he begins a search for the killer.

The Yorkshire landscape is almost a character in itself. Ellis paints lovely word pictures of the scenery and also adds local color with attention to dialect.

I confess I was on the right track by the time the ending rolled around but after so many twists (and another victim!) I was glad that I was.

I recommend "The Nidderdale Murders" and plan to read the other books in the series as well. Jim, Steph, and Andy were likable and hard-working and I want to see what they do in Ellis's other stories.

I am never disappointed with this author's police procedurals set in some remote quaint village outside of Detective Oldroyd's home base of Harrogate. It is part of a series but is very easily read as a stand alone as are all of the series. Only the main characters are.the same in the series. Det. Oldroyd seems to be a mix of Sherlock Holmes, Morse, and maybe a little Colombo which makes for an interesting main character. The stories are unique and characters are well developed. He describes the settings in such a way that you can easily picture the hills, forests or barren lands. The story itself is quite detailed but not boring. It may take a little while to get involved and it is not a quick read but it is enjoyable and not one you can guess "who dunnit" until the end! Jacket cover gives a good synopsis of the story so I will not write a book report. Read and enjoy!
I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review.The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I am a fan of the British or Scottish or Irish mysteries whether they be TV series or novels. They particularly appeal to me because they are rarely violent but rather more cerebral. This one is a perfect example of the genre and I loved it. It was atmospheric, complicated enough to provide the surprise denouement at the end and had an endearing inspector to accomplish it all. I only read this one but if there is a sequel I will be delighted to read it.

Sorry, I read about 7% of the book and it didn't interest me. There aren't100 words to describe it. I couldn't get I to this book. Lack of interest. I'm just being honest!

The Nidderdale Murders is the 5th book in the Yorshire Mysteries by J.R. Ellis. Released 20th Aug 2020 on Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint, it's 301 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book and the rest of the series are currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

These books are well written engaging procedurals which are tightly plotted, set against the Yorkshire countryside: hills, moors, and fells. Although it's part of a series, it works quite well as a standalone. There are references to occurrences from previous books in the series, but they don't play a central role in the action and readers new to the series won't have any troubles keeping up.

DCI Oldroyd is an experienced and practical investigator in charge of a team of intelligent and hardworking detectives. The unexpected shotgun murder of a local retired judge has the team looking for motives from the past and present. I enjoyed the writing and I really liked Oldroyd's relationship with his family and colleagues. He's an honest and compassionate officer and the development of the plot and denouement were satisfying and well written. Looking forward to more in this series which compares quite favourably with P.D. James' wonderful Adam Dalgleish books.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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The Nidderdale Murders
The Nidderdale Murders (Kindle Edition)
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I really enjoyed this mystery. I could not put down and it is a must read for everyone. Great author and cannot wait to read more by J.R. Ellis.
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A tightly written murder mystery. Good characters and a steady plot. I really enjoyed JR Ellis’ writing style as well. The dialogue was well done and the characters were like regular neighbors. The descriptions of the land were good enough that I didn’t need to google, though I did. An excellent read that I definitely recommend.

This was a long, lonely slog through the heavily described Yorkshire dales area. There is a murder to be solved and it could have been done in half the number of pages if the author was an adept editor. Too many clichés, too much clutter, too much extraneous language and dialog. I was bored. I can’t remember the last time I fell asleep reading a book but The Nidderdale Murders put me to sleep each and every night I tried to finish it. Obviously not the book for me but apparently it hit the mark for many others.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy.