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Yorkshire Murder Mysteries #3
The Murder at Redmire Hall
An impossible murder behind a locked door. Can DCI Oldroyd find the key to the mystery? Lord Redmire’s gambling habit has placed him in serious debt. Determined to salvage his fortune by putting Redmire Hall on the map, the aristocrat performs an impossible locked-door illusion on live TV. But as the cameras roll, his spectacular trick goes fatally wrong… Special guest DCI Jim Oldroyd has a front-row seat, but in all his years with the West Riding Police he’s never witnessed anything like this. He sees Redmire disappear―and then reappear, dead, with a knife in his back. As Oldroyd and DS Stephanie Johnson soon discover, nearly everyone at the event had a reason to resent the eccentric lord. But how did the murderer get into the locked room―or out, for that matter? When the only other person who knew the secret behind the illusion is brutally silenced, the case begins to look unsolvable. Because as Oldroyd and Johnson know, it’s not just a question of who did it and why ―but how ?
299 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2018
3133 people are currently reading
2243 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Ellis
31 books702 followersDuring a long career teaching English, I wrote plays for children and occasional ghost stories. I have always been fascinated by the paranormal and by mysteries, conspiracy theories and unexplained crimes.
My love of my native county is deep and the settings of my Yorkshire Murder Mysteries within Yorkshire's varied landscapes are important. I have made a study of the sub-genre of the Locked Room Mystery during the height of its popularity between 1930 - 1960 in the stories of writers such as John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson and Ellery Queen. I was an avid watcher of BBC's "Jonathan Creek" in its heyday. I believe the element of puzzle is essential to crime fiction and my novels contain a double mystery: the standard "who dunnit?" but also "how dunnit?!"
I avoid the dark and gruesome in my writing and I strive to include some humour and elegance in style, a vivid sense of place and a compelling mystery! My characters both innocent and guilty are mostly ordinary people.
I am a member of a writers' group in Otley which has inspired me to write poetry and various forms of short fiction.
My love of my native county is deep and the settings of my Yorkshire Murder Mysteries within Yorkshire's varied landscapes are important. I have made a study of the sub-genre of the Locked Room Mystery during the height of its popularity between 1930 - 1960 in the stories of writers such as John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson and Ellery Queen. I was an avid watcher of BBC's "Jonathan Creek" in its heyday. I believe the element of puzzle is essential to crime fiction and my novels contain a double mystery: the standard "who dunnit?" but also "how dunnit?!"
I avoid the dark and gruesome in my writing and I strive to include some humour and elegance in style, a vivid sense of place and a compelling mystery! My characters both innocent and guilty are mostly ordinary people.
I am a member of a writers' group in Otley which has inspired me to write poetry and various forms of short fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 412 reviews
July 29, 2019
A fun, old school mystery that sees DCI Oldroyd trying to solve the mystery of a Lord who is murdered when a magic illusion goes wrong. Lord Redmire has gathered his family and close friends to his estate to witness the illusion, something his father did many years ago, but when the curtains are opened the Lord is found dead, yet he's been alone in a room with no way in or out except for the door he entered.
Oldroyd then has to sift through not only who murdered the Lord, but also how it was done! All the gathered relatives have some motive or other, scorned wives and mistresses, a jealous brother, a demanding daughter, old business partners that he has left in the lurch. Then we find out that Lord Redmire was consistently gambling the estates money away, so which members of his family were trying to stop him before they were left with nothing?
I got a lot of enjoyment from this mystery, trying to work out who had the most to lose, but here, nothing is as it seems. JR Ellis makes us question and second guess ourselves, right up to the final, Agatha Christie-like denouement. I recommend this book to all crime and mystery lovers.
My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Oldroyd then has to sift through not only who murdered the Lord, but also how it was done! All the gathered relatives have some motive or other, scorned wives and mistresses, a jealous brother, a demanding daughter, old business partners that he has left in the lurch. Then we find out that Lord Redmire was consistently gambling the estates money away, so which members of his family were trying to stop him before they were left with nothing?
I got a lot of enjoyment from this mystery, trying to work out who had the most to lose, but here, nothing is as it seems. JR Ellis makes us question and second guess ourselves, right up to the final, Agatha Christie-like denouement. I recommend this book to all crime and mystery lovers.
My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 4, 2018
*I would like to thank J.R.Ellis, Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
This is a perfect novel for those readers who like a mystery set in a beautiful English stately homein Yorkshire, a wide range of characters and a clever policeman who knows where to look for the clues and who is assisted by an intelligent female colleague. The story begins with a trick performed by Lord Redmire in hope to cover his gambling debts but which unfortunately has tragic consequence for him. DCI Jim Oldroyd and DS Stephanie Johnson conduct investigation in the way typical of the genre and naturally uncover lots of family secrets on the way. The book reads very well and I personally enjoyed it thoroughly on my holiday.
This is a perfect novel for those readers who like a mystery set in a beautiful English stately homein Yorkshire, a wide range of characters and a clever policeman who knows where to look for the clues and who is assisted by an intelligent female colleague. The story begins with a trick performed by Lord Redmire in hope to cover his gambling debts but which unfortunately has tragic consequence for him. DCI Jim Oldroyd and DS Stephanie Johnson conduct investigation in the way typical of the genre and naturally uncover lots of family secrets on the way. The book reads very well and I personally enjoyed it thoroughly on my holiday.
July 29, 2021
A locked room murder mystery, set in a Yorkshire ancestral home, reminiscent of a Golden Age crime story. What's not to like!
DCI Oldroyd is a very sympathetic character, a policeman who is totally enthusiastic about his job and is also smart and fair. In this particular book he is not the happiest of men as he is watching his marriage break up, so he is glad to bury himself in his work. It is a very difficult crime to solve because there are many people with a good motive and all of them want to get away from the scene of the crime as soon as possible.
I was happy to let Oldroyd solve the crime for me, though I did have a really good guess about the identity of the murderer. I loved the Yorkshire setting - it's a place I remember well from my University days a long time ago! I thought the book was well written with some excellent characters and I look forward to reading more of the series.
DCI Oldroyd is a very sympathetic character, a policeman who is totally enthusiastic about his job and is also smart and fair. In this particular book he is not the happiest of men as he is watching his marriage break up, so he is glad to bury himself in his work. It is a very difficult crime to solve because there are many people with a good motive and all of them want to get away from the scene of the crime as soon as possible.
I was happy to let Oldroyd solve the crime for me, though I did have a really good guess about the identity of the murderer. I loved the Yorkshire setting - it's a place I remember well from my University days a long time ago! I thought the book was well written with some excellent characters and I look forward to reading more of the series.
August 6, 2019
Magic tricks are all fun and games until someone gets murdered!
******
'I have here with me the owner of Redmire Hall, and the performer of tonight’s magic trick, the Honourable Frederick Carstairs, Lord Redmire.’
Redmire stepped up, handed a rather rusty-looking key to Oldroyd , entered the room and sat at the desk. A drum roll began.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, the chief inspector will now close the door and lock it.’ Oldroyd duly did as he was told. ‘Can you hear me, Lord Redmire? Are you still there?’
‘Yes, I’m here,’ came the slightly quiet but clear reply.
‘So now I will draw this curtain for only fifteen seconds.’
As he did this, dramatic music began once again. At the end of the fifteen seconds, the music stopped and the presenter drew back the curtain. There was silence. Every member of the audience in both rooms was enthralled . Oldroyd had forgotten his embarrassment as he unlocked the door and opened it. It was empty...
‘Well, ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, Lord Redmire has completely disappeared from a locked room. But that’s not the end: he will now return. So I ask the chief inspector to close and lock the door again.’ There was a repeat of the locking, curtain-drawing and music.
‘And now, ladies and gentlemen , the chief inspector will once again open the door to this strange room and reveal . . . well, let’s see!’ When the door was opened , Redmire was again sitting at the desk. Applause and shouts of ‘Bravo!’ came from the audience, but Oldroyd had a strange feeling: something wasn’t right.
‘And there he is, ladies and gentlemen! What an amazing trick! Lord Redmire, can you—?’
The presenter’s patter stopped abruptly. Redmire had neither said anything nor moved until that moment. Then his body toppled sidewise out of the chair and the knife sticking out of his back became visible. Blood splattered on to the floor.
‘Oh, bloody hell!’ muttered Oldroyd to himself, before pandemonium broke out.
*********
The Murder at Redmire Hall by J.R. Ellis is the third in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series and the books just keep getting better and better with each installment!
The story starts out quickly and continues to gain speed and mystery as the case progresses. This is my favorite in this series so far as the storyline is compelling, intriguing, as all the books have been, but what sets this one apart is that a pinch of mischief was thrown in as the solution to the case was revealed! It's smart and amusing!
Ellis's characters are colorful and well thought, and the murders in each book are unique, fresh, interesting, and exciting. He uses an ingenuity to the storyline by seamlessly fitting in an actual puzzle of how the murderers got their victims — where they were found and/or how the murderer escaped without being seen. I've never come across this ingenious idea before and I've read hundreds of murder mysteries!
Mr. Ellis takes full advantage of the mysterious and diverse landscapes and the history surrounding the settings in his books which are located in and around Haarrogate in the Yorkshire Dales. It adds a bit of distinction to the stories making them more enticing, interesting, and educational. The information is added to the plot seamlessly preventing the story from being needlessly long winded or boring. I always love to travel the world through books so I always appreciate the addition of factual elements provided by author, especially when the novel is a work of fiction.
The main characters continued to grow on me with each book! In book one, The Body in the Dales, we are introduced to the three main characters in this series, DCI Jim Oldroyd, DS Andrew 'Andy' Carter, and DS Stephanie 'Steph' Johnson. Andy Carter has come from London but fits right in with his two colleges and by the end of the case they've become a very efficient team of three.
In book two, The Quartet Murders, DS Johnson is working on a separate case leaving DCI Oldroyd and DS Carter working together to solve their case.
In this book, the third in the series, DS Carter is on a brief holiday so it's up to DCI Oldroyd and DS Johnson to solve the murders at Redmire Hall.
Separating the characters in this way is a very cleaver way to allow the reader to become more acquainted with the characters without taking a lot of time away from solving the cases. It's unlike most other novels and very effective and efficient.
I'm really enjoying the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series and it's my hope that Mr. Ellis will continue writing future books in this series!
**
Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Mr. J. R. Ellis for giving me this advanced reading copy in return for my honest review.
This book was released on September 13, 2018.
******
'I have here with me the owner of Redmire Hall, and the performer of tonight’s magic trick, the Honourable Frederick Carstairs, Lord Redmire.’
Redmire stepped up, handed a rather rusty-looking key to Oldroyd , entered the room and sat at the desk. A drum roll began.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, the chief inspector will now close the door and lock it.’ Oldroyd duly did as he was told. ‘Can you hear me, Lord Redmire? Are you still there?’
‘Yes, I’m here,’ came the slightly quiet but clear reply.
‘So now I will draw this curtain for only fifteen seconds.’
As he did this, dramatic music began once again. At the end of the fifteen seconds, the music stopped and the presenter drew back the curtain. There was silence. Every member of the audience in both rooms was enthralled . Oldroyd had forgotten his embarrassment as he unlocked the door and opened it. It was empty...
‘Well, ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, Lord Redmire has completely disappeared from a locked room. But that’s not the end: he will now return. So I ask the chief inspector to close and lock the door again.’ There was a repeat of the locking, curtain-drawing and music.
‘And now, ladies and gentlemen , the chief inspector will once again open the door to this strange room and reveal . . . well, let’s see!’ When the door was opened , Redmire was again sitting at the desk. Applause and shouts of ‘Bravo!’ came from the audience, but Oldroyd had a strange feeling: something wasn’t right.
‘And there he is, ladies and gentlemen! What an amazing trick! Lord Redmire, can you—?’
The presenter’s patter stopped abruptly. Redmire had neither said anything nor moved until that moment. Then his body toppled sidewise out of the chair and the knife sticking out of his back became visible. Blood splattered on to the floor.
‘Oh, bloody hell!’ muttered Oldroyd to himself, before pandemonium broke out.
*********
The Murder at Redmire Hall by J.R. Ellis is the third in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series and the books just keep getting better and better with each installment!
The story starts out quickly and continues to gain speed and mystery as the case progresses. This is my favorite in this series so far as the storyline is compelling, intriguing, as all the books have been, but what sets this one apart is that a pinch of mischief was thrown in as the solution to the case was revealed! It's smart and amusing!
Ellis's characters are colorful and well thought, and the murders in each book are unique, fresh, interesting, and exciting. He uses an ingenuity to the storyline by seamlessly fitting in an actual puzzle of how the murderers got their victims — where they were found and/or how the murderer escaped without being seen. I've never come across this ingenious idea before and I've read hundreds of murder mysteries!
Mr. Ellis takes full advantage of the mysterious and diverse landscapes and the history surrounding the settings in his books which are located in and around Haarrogate in the Yorkshire Dales. It adds a bit of distinction to the stories making them more enticing, interesting, and educational. The information is added to the plot seamlessly preventing the story from being needlessly long winded or boring. I always love to travel the world through books so I always appreciate the addition of factual elements provided by author, especially when the novel is a work of fiction.
The main characters continued to grow on me with each book! In book one, The Body in the Dales, we are introduced to the three main characters in this series, DCI Jim Oldroyd, DS Andrew 'Andy' Carter, and DS Stephanie 'Steph' Johnson. Andy Carter has come from London but fits right in with his two colleges and by the end of the case they've become a very efficient team of three.
In book two, The Quartet Murders, DS Johnson is working on a separate case leaving DCI Oldroyd and DS Carter working together to solve their case.
In this book, the third in the series, DS Carter is on a brief holiday so it's up to DCI Oldroyd and DS Johnson to solve the murders at Redmire Hall.
Separating the characters in this way is a very cleaver way to allow the reader to become more acquainted with the characters without taking a lot of time away from solving the cases. It's unlike most other novels and very effective and efficient.
I'm really enjoying the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series and it's my hope that Mr. Ellis will continue writing future books in this series!
**
Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Mr. J. R. Ellis for giving me this advanced reading copy in return for my honest review.
This book was released on September 13, 2018.
May 18, 2020
I don't like these books as much as others. For my taste: too long, too melodramatic and downright campy. I guess I am supposed to find DI Oldroyd sympathetic since his wife of many years has decided on a divorce. Anyway...for my memory minder: grand country house, locked room mystery, extended investigation of a large cast of characters who are stereotypes and artificial, gruesome killings for such a loosely knit and seemingly normal trio of perpetrators. A model train is particularly loathsome as one of the murder methods. But that's just me.
Did like: Yorkshire setting and various landmark references such as Harewood Castle
Kindle Unlimited
Did like: Yorkshire setting and various landmark references such as Harewood Castle
Kindle Unlimited
September 9, 2018
Yorkshire Murder Mysteries #3
Lord Redmire gambling habit has placed him in serious debt. Determined to put Redmire Hall on the map, the aristocrat performs an impossible locked-room illusion on live TV. But as the cameras roll, his spectacular trick goes fatally wrong.
Lord Redmire wants to perform the locked-room trick his father used to perform to try and raise much needed funds. He has invited DCI Jim Oldroyd to witness it and it's going to be performed live on TV. But nothing goes to plan. On Lord Redmires return from the locked-room, he is dead, with the knife still in his back. With family and the staff all suspects, the list is long.
I liked the authors style in writing this book. We get snippets of local history and the descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside make you feel you are there. This is a traditional police procedural. This is the third book in the series but it is the first book that I have read. I do think it can be read as a standalone. I do enjoy these types of mysteries. A real cosy mystery.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author J. R. Ellis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lord Redmire gambling habit has placed him in serious debt. Determined to put Redmire Hall on the map, the aristocrat performs an impossible locked-room illusion on live TV. But as the cameras roll, his spectacular trick goes fatally wrong.
Lord Redmire wants to perform the locked-room trick his father used to perform to try and raise much needed funds. He has invited DCI Jim Oldroyd to witness it and it's going to be performed live on TV. But nothing goes to plan. On Lord Redmires return from the locked-room, he is dead, with the knife still in his back. With family and the staff all suspects, the list is long.
I liked the authors style in writing this book. We get snippets of local history and the descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside make you feel you are there. This is a traditional police procedural. This is the third book in the series but it is the first book that I have read. I do think it can be read as a standalone. I do enjoy these types of mysteries. A real cosy mystery.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author J. R. Ellis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2020
This is a 4.5 star read.
December 7, 2018
2.5 rounded up to 3. Part of the problem with this book was fact that I figured out the mystery of the locked room well before Oldroyd. In fact, I had seen the solution in another mystery. I also was not impressed with Oldroyd's lack of professionalism in his handling of the case, especially towards the end. He was a bit of a hypocrite, considering how he botched his own marriage. Maybe he wasn't addicted to gambling or sex, but his addiction to his job was just as destructive.
March 23, 2022
The third book in this series falls nicely into the tradition of Agatha Christie. We have a murder committed under mysterious circumstances and almost everyone connected to the deceased has a motive, but no opportunity. DCI Oldroyd is actually present at the murder so he himself provides an alibi for the suspects.
As the mystery deepens more bodies show up. In the end, Oldroyd gathers everyone together at the scenes of the crime and explains how the murder was committed and by whom. This is also a very Agatha Christie scene.
My only complaint about this book was that some of the forensic facts were not revealed to the reader until the very end. If that had been then this would probably have been too easy to figure out. Still a good cosy mystery and I look forward to the next in the series. The audiobook, read by Michael Page, had a nice touch of Yorkshire accents, but without going overboard and making incomprehensible to the non Northerner.
As the mystery deepens more bodies show up. In the end, Oldroyd gathers everyone together at the scenes of the crime and explains how the murder was committed and by whom. This is also a very Agatha Christie scene.
My only complaint about this book was that some of the forensic facts were not revealed to the reader until the very end. If that had been then this would probably have been too easy to figure out. Still a good cosy mystery and I look forward to the next in the series. The audiobook, read by Michael Page, had a nice touch of Yorkshire accents, but without going overboard and making incomprehensible to the non Northerner.
January 18, 2024
Although the third in this series, this was actually the best one I've read, better than a later one. I've bumped the author up to 4 stars! Very Agatha Christie, a locked room murder mystery, a cast of obnoxious aristocrats, I hadn't a clue until the end.
August 16, 2018
I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Murder at Redmire Hall, the third novel to feature DCI Jim Oldroyd of the Harrogate police.
When debt ridden Freddy Carstairs, Lord Redmire decides to revive his father's locked room illusion to raise much needed funds he invites DCI Jim Oldroyd to witness it on live TV, but nothing goes to plan and when the room is unlocked Freddy is found stabbed to death. Freddy wasn't a nice man, being a compulsive gambler and womaniser so all the invited friends and family had a motive but no means as they were all filmed watching the illusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Murder at Redmire Hall which is an intricately plotted novel with some excellent misdirection and sleight of hand. The plot has two mysteries - how and who, both of which have ingenious solutions. I must admit that the technicalities of the how rather passed over my head (not being of a technical bent) but I can admire the idea behind it which is very clever. As the explanation is short it didn't impinge on my reading pleasure. The who is much more to my taste. I didn't have a clue and spent the whole novel trying to work out who among the many suspects had the strongest desire to see Freddy dead. In retrospect many of the clues are there but I failed to put it together. It's very well done and had me turning the pages furiously.
With a limited cast of suspects characterisation is more important than in many whodunits. The Carstairs family, led by the loathsome Freddy, are not a likeable bunch so each one of them is a viable suspect. Oldroyd has a fun time offending their aristocratic sensibilities because being in that environment brings out his inner socialist. He is still battling loneliness after his wife left him and nurturing false hope of a reconciliation without changing his workaholic ways which is why she left him in the first place.
The Murder at Redmire Hall is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
When debt ridden Freddy Carstairs, Lord Redmire decides to revive his father's locked room illusion to raise much needed funds he invites DCI Jim Oldroyd to witness it on live TV, but nothing goes to plan and when the room is unlocked Freddy is found stabbed to death. Freddy wasn't a nice man, being a compulsive gambler and womaniser so all the invited friends and family had a motive but no means as they were all filmed watching the illusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Murder at Redmire Hall which is an intricately plotted novel with some excellent misdirection and sleight of hand. The plot has two mysteries - how and who, both of which have ingenious solutions. I must admit that the technicalities of the how rather passed over my head (not being of a technical bent) but I can admire the idea behind it which is very clever. As the explanation is short it didn't impinge on my reading pleasure. The who is much more to my taste. I didn't have a clue and spent the whole novel trying to work out who among the many suspects had the strongest desire to see Freddy dead. In retrospect many of the clues are there but I failed to put it together. It's very well done and had me turning the pages furiously.
With a limited cast of suspects characterisation is more important than in many whodunits. The Carstairs family, led by the loathsome Freddy, are not a likeable bunch so each one of them is a viable suspect. Oldroyd has a fun time offending their aristocratic sensibilities because being in that environment brings out his inner socialist. He is still battling loneliness after his wife left him and nurturing false hope of a reconciliation without changing his workaholic ways which is why she left him in the first place.
The Murder at Redmire Hall is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
August 21, 2019
Dated and mediocre police procedural with clichéd characters.
I’m in the minority of reviewers opining about this book, so please take this review with a pinch of salt. I found this a dated, country mansion-type murder with suspects who’re wealthy snobs and their servitors who do all the donkey work. The clichéd suspects are allowed to toddle off to their rooms, breakfast together, chit-chat ad lib as they would in the golden-oldies, Agatha Christie mysteries. The creaky plot harkens back to locked room tropes a la John Dickson Carr. For a current-day police procedural, there’s minimal forensics, no SOCOs, no white noddy suits or paper booties, no confiscating mobiles or laptops, etc. But wait! A forensic pathologist actually attends the murder scenes.
The detectives do little detecting and/or investigating, but they do conduct incessant interviews. They actually miss/forget an important tertiary character—probably to drive the plot forward—and of course, she/he is murdered. Here’s what was frustrating: I specifically hunted for lab reports about evidence submitted by a secondary character. Sadly, no results, because the author clutches all relevant information to his breast like precious pearls.
Also, it takes waaaay too long for the police protagonists and their auxiliary police-experts (?) to figure out the locked room mystery. There are hand-held radar scanners—that can sense pipes, wires, etc. hidden behind walls—to be had by civilians today. What wonderful tech do elite police units and/or paramilitary units have?
The denouement features the protagonist’s histrionic, Poirot-like performance, during which the author finally reveals the incriminating forensic evidence that—TAH-DAH!—led to the culprit(s). As for the culprits, there was no way I could suspend disbelief and accept a specific character as THE serial murderer. Totally illogical choice. The second culprit could’ve and should’ve been the serial murderer.
I vacillated between 1 and 2 stars. Settled on 2, ‘cuz I actually made it to the end, mostly so I could leave a review.
I’m in the minority of reviewers opining about this book, so please take this review with a pinch of salt. I found this a dated, country mansion-type murder with suspects who’re wealthy snobs and their servitors who do all the donkey work. The clichéd suspects are allowed to toddle off to their rooms, breakfast together, chit-chat ad lib as they would in the golden-oldies, Agatha Christie mysteries. The creaky plot harkens back to locked room tropes a la John Dickson Carr. For a current-day police procedural, there’s minimal forensics, no SOCOs, no white noddy suits or paper booties, no confiscating mobiles or laptops, etc. But wait! A forensic pathologist actually attends the murder scenes.
The detectives do little detecting and/or investigating, but they do conduct incessant interviews. They actually miss/forget an important tertiary character—probably to drive the plot forward—and of course, she/he is murdered. Here’s what was frustrating: I specifically hunted for lab reports about evidence submitted by a secondary character. Sadly, no results, because the author clutches all relevant information to his breast like precious pearls.
Also, it takes waaaay too long for the police protagonists and their auxiliary police-experts (?) to figure out the locked room mystery. There are hand-held radar scanners—that can sense pipes, wires, etc. hidden behind walls—to be had by civilians today. What wonderful tech do elite police units and/or paramilitary units have?
The denouement features the protagonist’s histrionic, Poirot-like performance, during which the author finally reveals the incriminating forensic evidence that—TAH-DAH!—led to the culprit(s). As for the culprits, there was no way I could suspend disbelief and accept a specific character as THE serial murderer. Totally illogical choice. The second culprit could’ve and should’ve been the serial murderer.
I vacillated between 1 and 2 stars. Settled on 2, ‘cuz I actually made it to the end, mostly so I could leave a review.
October 14, 2018
It never fails..
Why is it that in almost every mystery that I read someone always says, 'this is a murder enquiry'? Like we don't already know that? It's become such a cliche. To be fair, it was used only seven times in this book, but I think that's seven times too many.
And the Ian Barden character keeps walking around telling people that he's 'seen things', just asking to become a murder victim. Do people actually do that?
And the police gathering together the suspects to reveal the killer? I call no way. That may have happened in Agatha Christie books, but not in modern times.
Results: nope, wouldn't happen.
Why is it that in almost every mystery that I read someone always says, 'this is a murder enquiry'? Like we don't already know that? It's become such a cliche. To be fair, it was used only seven times in this book, but I think that's seven times too many.
And the Ian Barden character keeps walking around telling people that he's 'seen things', just asking to become a murder victim. Do people actually do that?
And the police gathering together the suspects to reveal the killer? I call no way. That may have happened in Agatha Christie books, but not in modern times.
Results: nope, wouldn't happen.
January 15, 2023
Lo and behold! DS Steph actually has a surname - and it's Johnson!
I must say, I liked this book the most out of the three, so far, because she was in it and given proper room to be an actual character. She grew on me a lot more than Carter as Oldroyd's sidekick and helper. She has better chemistry with Oldroyd, somehow.
That aside though, the mystery was an old time delight of a murder story - flirting vigorously and shamelessly with Agatha Christie's works and channelling a lot of "golden age" charm.
I did actually guess the murder motive - and how the magic room worked - long before the reveal, but I blame that mostly on being bitten by the mystery and detective bug. It wasn't very far-fetched and therefore quite easy to guess.
However, I'm not 100% sure I was on board with the psychology behind the murders.
That was a bit on the classic side too. You're just supposed to buy that the murderer is a cold blooded killer and that's it.
Motive is one thing, but actually crossing the line and committing not just one, but several, quite horrendous murders is something entirely else.
That is however something you shouldn't think about - and as long as you don't, it works.
I was amused by Oldroyd's "Poirot Moment" towards the end, but the whole "poking holes in it with modern day glasses" afterwards felt a bit superfluous.
Either own up to living out a dramatic detective trope or think about proper police procedure. Doing the latter as an afterthought because the suspects were "emotionally distressed" about the whole showy reveal felt so very "meh" and politically correct.
But anyway, this series is enjoyable.
It's not a favourite, but it is very nice and I'll keep listening to it.
I must say, I liked this book the most out of the three, so far, because she was in it and given proper room to be an actual character. She grew on me a lot more than Carter as Oldroyd's sidekick and helper. She has better chemistry with Oldroyd, somehow.
That aside though, the mystery was an old time delight of a murder story - flirting vigorously and shamelessly with Agatha Christie's works and channelling a lot of "golden age" charm.
I did actually guess the murder motive - and how the magic room worked - long before the reveal, but I blame that mostly on being bitten by the mystery and detective bug. It wasn't very far-fetched and therefore quite easy to guess.
However, I'm not 100% sure I was on board with the psychology behind the murders.
That was a bit on the classic side too. You're just supposed to buy that the murderer is a cold blooded killer and that's it.
Motive is one thing, but actually crossing the line and committing not just one, but several, quite horrendous murders is something entirely else.
That is however something you shouldn't think about - and as long as you don't, it works.
I was amused by Oldroyd's "Poirot Moment" towards the end, but the whole "poking holes in it with modern day glasses" afterwards felt a bit superfluous.
Either own up to living out a dramatic detective trope or think about proper police procedure. Doing the latter as an afterthought because the suspects were "emotionally distressed" about the whole showy reveal felt so very "meh" and politically correct.
But anyway, this series is enjoyable.
It's not a favourite, but it is very nice and I'll keep listening to it.
October 11, 2025
Another good mystery. Interesting cases investigated by a clever detective team. Great mystery story with a good amount of personal intrigue too.
February 7, 2019
Magic is not magical
I enjoyed the characters and the plot. A magical illusion costs a reprobate aristocrat his life, from there it keeps getting better.
I enjoyed the characters and the plot. A magical illusion costs a reprobate aristocrat his life, from there it keeps getting better.
June 10, 2021
Boring, ptedictable
November 18, 2018
My favourite so far in the series. A cracking cosy murder mystery that’s perfect for the long nights. Another score for independent publishing. Hope there’ll be another Yorkshire Murder Mystery soon!
November 26, 2018
A satisyfying read. A cosy murder mystery with some unexpected turns. I have enjoyed other books by J.R.Ellis (no relation) this year. His writing is an easy to follow and read.
January 3, 2024
always good
The third book in this series a very good story how could the murders be accomplished a nice twist at the end I did not solve it . Happy Reading
The third book in this series a very good story how could the murders be accomplished a nice twist at the end I did not solve it . Happy Reading
November 8, 2024
Trocha toho kouzlení a vražda je hned mnohem zábavnější. :D
August 30, 2025
good read. Kindle Unlimited read & listen as part of membership. ♡
July 7, 2022
J R Ellis continues to deliver a very easy-read detective story set in Yorkshire with the usual cast of Oldroyd and his team working to solve an interesting murder. Always a pleasure to pick up the next one in this series to read.
September 12, 2025
Three and a half stars.
40 years ago Lord Vivian Redmire, a man who loved taking up new hobbies, developed an interest in magical tricks and, at enormous expense, had a locked room built at Redmire Hall where he mystified guests at a dinner party with his ability to disappear and reappear in an apparently locked room. However, after that night he never repeated the trick and the room, like so many of his other hobbies was abandoned.
Now, his son Lord Freddie Redmire, notorious for his gambling (badly) and womanising, has gathered his family together at Redmire Hall to recreate his father's trick, this time in front of television cameras and, to give an even greater air of probity, he has invited DCI Jim Oldroyd to attend. The DCI is a sucker for magic tricks and has lured DS Stephanie Johnson along with the promise of a slap-up meal.
The scene is set for disaster, his younger brother Dominic resents Freddie for wasting the family fortune, Dominic's wife Mary has been having an affair with Freddie. Freddie's daughter Poppy and her boyfriend Tristan are short of money, ironically because of Tristan's gambling debts, and are hoping Freddie will give them some money. Freddie's former long-term lover Alex is now married to Freddie's former business partner James who blames Freddie for their luxury car business failing. Freddie's ex-wife Antonia, who divorced him over his affair with Alex, has now remarried Douglas, a wealthy furniture salesman, albeit not in the same league as Lord Redmire. Freddie's mother, the Dowager Lady Redmire, actively despises her son who is wasting the family's inheritance and lacks his father's charisma. Finally, the remaining family members are Freddie's son Alistair and his wife Katherine, who live close to the Hall but are given no say in its running. In addition there are numerous staff who fear for their jobs if Freddie's reckless gambling isn't halted.
After the usual rigmarole of the guests checking the room for secret doors, the room is locked, when it is reopened a few moments later Freddie has vanished and again the guests can see no obvious means of escape. When the room is locked again and reopened Freddie has reappeared as expected, but with a dagger thrust in his back ... Duh, Duh, Duh!
There seem to be multiple people who could have a motive for killing Freddie, unfortunately they were all in the audience watching the trick and in full view of the TV cameras. Then, later that night a retired handyman is found brutally strangled in his own home, presumably because he knew the secret behind the locked room trick and the murderer(s) wanted to tie up loose ends.
The press are having a field day, and when Freddie's will is read the bequests give some of the family even greater reason to have wanted him dead. Can DCI Oldroyd identify the killer(s)?
This felt very old school Poirot (or even Colombo), especially when DCI Oldroyd indulges in his love of the dramatic by gathering the family together to explain each of their motives which was fun, but not very realistic TBH. I was a bit disappointed to find that this was another locked room mystery, albeit this was literally a locked room rather than a chapel converted into a concert hall.
Still DCI Oldroyd's personal life is moving at a glacial pace and he seems a bit pathetic, can't really cook, doesn't do anything or go anywhere (at least I can cook LOL).
Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
40 years ago Lord Vivian Redmire, a man who loved taking up new hobbies, developed an interest in magical tricks and, at enormous expense, had a locked room built at Redmire Hall where he mystified guests at a dinner party with his ability to disappear and reappear in an apparently locked room. However, after that night he never repeated the trick and the room, like so many of his other hobbies was abandoned.
Now, his son Lord Freddie Redmire, notorious for his gambling (badly) and womanising, has gathered his family together at Redmire Hall to recreate his father's trick, this time in front of television cameras and, to give an even greater air of probity, he has invited DCI Jim Oldroyd to attend. The DCI is a sucker for magic tricks and has lured DS Stephanie Johnson along with the promise of a slap-up meal.
The scene is set for disaster, his younger brother Dominic resents Freddie for wasting the family fortune, Dominic's wife Mary has been having an affair with Freddie. Freddie's daughter Poppy and her boyfriend Tristan are short of money, ironically because of Tristan's gambling debts, and are hoping Freddie will give them some money. Freddie's former long-term lover Alex is now married to Freddie's former business partner James who blames Freddie for their luxury car business failing. Freddie's ex-wife Antonia, who divorced him over his affair with Alex, has now remarried Douglas, a wealthy furniture salesman, albeit not in the same league as Lord Redmire. Freddie's mother, the Dowager Lady Redmire, actively despises her son who is wasting the family's inheritance and lacks his father's charisma. Finally, the remaining family members are Freddie's son Alistair and his wife Katherine, who live close to the Hall but are given no say in its running. In addition there are numerous staff who fear for their jobs if Freddie's reckless gambling isn't halted.
After the usual rigmarole of the guests checking the room for secret doors, the room is locked, when it is reopened a few moments later Freddie has vanished and again the guests can see no obvious means of escape. When the room is locked again and reopened Freddie has reappeared as expected, but with a dagger thrust in his back ... Duh, Duh, Duh!
There seem to be multiple people who could have a motive for killing Freddie, unfortunately they were all in the audience watching the trick and in full view of the TV cameras. Then, later that night a retired handyman is found brutally strangled in his own home, presumably because he knew the secret behind the locked room trick and the murderer(s) wanted to tie up loose ends.
The press are having a field day, and when Freddie's will is read the bequests give some of the family even greater reason to have wanted him dead. Can DCI Oldroyd identify the killer(s)?
This felt very old school Poirot (or even Colombo), especially when DCI Oldroyd indulges in his love of the dramatic by gathering the family together to explain each of their motives which was fun, but not very realistic TBH. I was a bit disappointed to find that this was another locked room mystery, albeit this was literally a locked room rather than a chapel converted into a concert hall.
Still DCI Oldroyd's personal life is moving at a glacial pace and he seems a bit pathetic, can't really cook, doesn't do anything or go anywhere (at least I can cook LOL).
Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
September 16, 2018
This is the third, but hopefully not the last, of the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series, featuring lonely workaholic DCI Oldroyd, who fancies himself as a modern day Poirot or Holmes. This one in particular pays homage to the Locked-Room mysteries of the Golden Age, with a large cast of aristocrats, where everyone has a motive, in a stately home.
Oldroyd and his DS Steph have been invited by Lord Redmire to witness a magical illusion, first performed forty years earlier by his father, where he will disappear from a locked room, live on TV. The performance goes ahead, in front of his assembled family and friends, but when he is due to re-appear, Redmire is found dead, with a knife in his back.
No one seems too upset about his death, and Oldroyd rapidly learns that the man was a selfish gambler and womaniser, whose spending was threatening the estate itself, but all the main suspects were in the room with him at the time, so how could they be the killer?
I have enjoyed getting to know DCI Oldroyd, and his loyal subordinates. "Some might think him a pompous mansplainer", as Steph thinks to herself, but we see his sadness at the realisation that his estranged wife is moving on, his daughter flits in and out, and his work takes most of his attention. As with the previous books, Yorkshire itself becomes a prominent character, you can tell the author has a deep love for the area, it's people and it's traditions.
The mystery was well concealed, with the right number of clues and red herrings, and a classic Poirot-style reveal. I didn't guess whodunnit, but neither did I feel cheated, as it all made sense. Hopefully there will be many more to come in this series, which should appeal to fans of Peter Robinson's DCI Banks series. It would easily be read as a standalone if you have not read the earlier books.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review. The book was published on 13.09.18.
Oldroyd and his DS Steph have been invited by Lord Redmire to witness a magical illusion, first performed forty years earlier by his father, where he will disappear from a locked room, live on TV. The performance goes ahead, in front of his assembled family and friends, but when he is due to re-appear, Redmire is found dead, with a knife in his back.
No one seems too upset about his death, and Oldroyd rapidly learns that the man was a selfish gambler and womaniser, whose spending was threatening the estate itself, but all the main suspects were in the room with him at the time, so how could they be the killer?
I have enjoyed getting to know DCI Oldroyd, and his loyal subordinates. "Some might think him a pompous mansplainer", as Steph thinks to herself, but we see his sadness at the realisation that his estranged wife is moving on, his daughter flits in and out, and his work takes most of his attention. As with the previous books, Yorkshire itself becomes a prominent character, you can tell the author has a deep love for the area, it's people and it's traditions.
The mystery was well concealed, with the right number of clues and red herrings, and a classic Poirot-style reveal. I didn't guess whodunnit, but neither did I feel cheated, as it all made sense. Hopefully there will be many more to come in this series, which should appeal to fans of Peter Robinson's DCI Banks series. It would easily be read as a standalone if you have not read the earlier books.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review. The book was published on 13.09.18.
December 28, 2021
Spoiler alert: This is set in Yorkshire.
I bough 5 of this series on Kindle, as I enjoy a murder mystery and Yorkshire in equal parts.
I was dismayed in book 1 how 2 dimensional and cliched the main characters are, and more so by the overly frequent reminders of this being set in Yorkshire (I might not have mentioned, this is set in Yorkshire).
Unfortunately book 2 didn’t decrease either issue, neither did this third volume. It did escalate the annoyance level by having the DCI reveal the murderer in the style of Poirot. That the author acknowledged this as being ridiculous didn’t render it any more ridiculous.
The who- and how-dunnit elements were usually good - I hadn’t worked out either properly in Books 1 &2, butI did 2/3 work this one out. Sadly this redeeming feature is not enough to justify me giving books 4 or 5 opportunity to further annoy.
Oh, this is set in Yorkshire by the way
I bough 5 of this series on Kindle, as I enjoy a murder mystery and Yorkshire in equal parts.
I was dismayed in book 1 how 2 dimensional and cliched the main characters are, and more so by the overly frequent reminders of this being set in Yorkshire (I might not have mentioned, this is set in Yorkshire).
Unfortunately book 2 didn’t decrease either issue, neither did this third volume. It did escalate the annoyance level by having the DCI reveal the murderer in the style of Poirot. That the author acknowledged this as being ridiculous didn’t render it any more ridiculous.
The who- and how-dunnit elements were usually good - I hadn’t worked out either properly in Books 1 &2, butI did 2/3 work this one out. Sadly this redeeming feature is not enough to justify me giving books 4 or 5 opportunity to further annoy.
Oh, this is set in Yorkshire by the way
December 21, 2019
3.5 stars. I don't know if the author intended to write 3 books with a different focus but I suspect he did. The first book has a lot of local color, the second book is typical of a modern police procedural, while this book harks back to Agatha Christie and Hercules Peirot with a locked room mystery. I found this book more interesting than the second book in the series but not as good as the first.
April 20, 2019
An easy read. The magicians trick was obvious from the start and it was surprising that it took the detective team so long to figure it out
Had the reader had info from forensic testing, or had photographs and people been fully described, one could have accurately ascertained the killers long before the unveiling in the last chapter
I feel that this author leaves out clues along the way, so the reader isn’t really engaged in the mystery
Had the reader had info from forensic testing, or had photographs and people been fully described, one could have accurately ascertained the killers long before the unveiling in the last chapter
I feel that this author leaves out clues along the way, so the reader isn’t really engaged in the mystery
January 17, 2019
I struggled my way through this and only persisted because it's set in an area I know. Murder in an old hall with a titled family! Do people really say 'Mummy' when out of their youth? Too much off the point, too much licence with the perceived language of the upper class, and too much leeway in police procedure.
August 13, 2021
this felt like something written 20 years ago All of the characters were taken out of central casting and none of them were interesting. The arrests - one made sense the other did not all Steps that led to the murder were as much as a surprise to the reader as they were to the family - liked the prior books better
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