Goodreads Choice Awards Finalists 2025

Ask the Author: J.R. Ellis

“Ask me a question.” J.R. Ellis

Answered Questions (11)

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I am a 'lapsed' potholer and lover of crime novels and was delighted to come across The Body in the Dales. It's very well-researched and true to life with the descriptions of the people, places and techniques that are familiar to me. I've just noticed the comment below about character names - there are lots with the letter C in this one. I read books on Kindle and it is not easy to flick back to check who is who?
J.R. Ellis I think the Kindle is a clunky machine and it is difficult to navigate around a book
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I am a huge fan of your writing. I've read all but the last book. I'm holding out because I don't want to finish the series until there's a new one. So my question is are you putting out other books? Every book I've read so far have been exceptional and hard to put down. I sure hope there's more to come. Thank you for books. I truly enjoy them.
J.R. Ellis Thank you for this!
No other series at the moment but there will be at least 12 YMMs
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As an educator, author and book reviewer, I usually am very critical of novels. With that said, I had to reach out to you, and express a round of applause for the books in this series! Each one stands out as an exceptional labor of love. Your plots, dialogues, characters, and settings prove your mastery of your craft. Do you foresee a new series for your beloved characters? Your readers would surely approve!
J.R. Ellis Thank you for your kind words. I have a contract with Amazon Fiction which will take me up to 12 books - after that who knows?!
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No question …..just a Thank You for a great series ! Loved every single book …just read The Railway Murders for the second time . It’s so good to read a satisfying Murder mystery without having to worry about profanities , gore or uncomfortable sexual content . Waiting in anticipation for the next one ….any release dates ?
J.R. Ellis Many thanks!
Brewery Murders - September 28th
John
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Hello John, I have read all of the books that you have written and thoroughly enjoyed every one. I have found your books to be an entertaining breath of fresh air. I particularly like your evocative descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside, excellent plots and the solid characters; I look forward to your next book. Whilst I am waiting, do you have any locked-room books that you would particularly recommend?
J.R. Ellis Sorry I didn't see your comment earlier. The works of John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson, Edward Hoch and Ellery Queen are worth reading . They were writing at the vintage era for impossible crimes. There are numerous anthologies of impossible crimes and locked room mysteries in short story form if you search online
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Hi, what about the places mentioned in the books? Are they all real? Eg I could not find Burnthwaite in any reference book. Thank you very much in advance. Kurt from Germany
J.R. Ellis Some are real and some are fictional Kurt!
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I have just discovered your books and am delighted with them. They remind me a lot of the BBC (I think!, not certain) series Midsomer Murders--at least the early ones with John Nettles. I actually bought a few of the series on DVD. So...my question is: was/has that been an influence on your writing?
J.R. Ellis Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle and the "Jonathan Creek" series on BBC Tv. Also writers of the locked mystery genre of crime fiction: John Dixon Carr, Clayton Rawson, Edward Hoch, Ellery Queen
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IS the third book going to have an Audible? I really enjoyed the first two and like to listen on my train ride to work?
J.R. Ellis There are now five books with Audible
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I love your books, but one factor bothers me: multiple characters whose names begin with the same letter. TWO of Oldryd's bosses have names starting with W. It reached its peak in Redmire Hall: Alex and Antonia, and the son is Alistair, and Oldryd's sister is Alison. And we have Dominic and Douglas. We add another W in Wilkins. Why? Books like this have a lot of characters; it is hard to keep them straight.
J.R. Ellis It's an interesting and helpful point which I hadn't really considered. I will bear it in mind in future
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Hello, I just finished up the 3rd book in your series and absolutely loved it. Do you have plans for additional books in the series?
J.R. Ellis I'm glad you enjoyed the series. Yes there will be more. I have completed number 4 which will be published in the summer/autumn. I am currently writing number 5.
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Hello. I'm presently reading "The body in the Dales" and I'm really enjoying it. In preparation for my review, I attempted to visit the website that is listed in your Goodreads bio. It is a bad link that leads nowhere - perhaps you should remove or replace it? Thanks in advance.
J.R. Ellis Hi
Sorry about that. I am currently constructing a new website
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