Murder in the Dales

Last month, I also read two murder mysteries by J.R. Ellis. According to the presentation on Amazon, the author is a retired teacher who has lived in Yorkshire for most of his life. I've never come across him before, but it turns out he has written a series of (so far) four murder mysteries. I happened to find the first one as cheap daily deal (or something) for Kindle+Audible - and as I have a soft spot for Yorkshire (spending a bit of time there in my teens), I let myself be tempted. 

That I was not disappointed is probably proved by the fact that after finishing that one, I went straight ahead and bought the next one in the series as well. (I suspect I'll also get No 3 and 4 at some point.) 

The Body in the Dales by J.R. Ellis
Audio book narrated by Michael Page (9:48)

In the first book, a body is discovered in a cave beneath the Yorkshire Dales. The deceased man was well known in the village, but not well liked. A big part of the mystery is how his body came to be found in a very remote part of the cave system. There are details involved that make all suggested explanations just seem impossible. In charge of the investigation is DCI Jim Oldroyd, a Yorkshire man with plenty of local knowledge and experience, and his new partner DS Carter, who has just come to join them from London ('city boy' getting a rather tough introduction to rural Yorkshire). 

I liked both the setting and the main characters (the detectives); and I also enjoyed the Yorkshire dialect (both in the written form and the audio narrative). 

The Quartet Murders by J.R. Ellis
Audio book narrated by Michael Page (9:30)

The second book starts with DCI Oldroyd actually witnessing a murder. A world-famous violinist is shot during a concert, with Oldroyd sitting in the audience. Whoever did it disappears - and so does a unique and very valuable violin... A lot of twists and turns follow before the mysteries are sorted out; and the reader also gets an insight into the world of fanatic collectors of priceless old instruments - like Stradivarius violins.