Book 12 in The Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series
J.R. Ellis
Not long ago, I read #11 in this series I enjoy so much. This time, the setting is somewhat different in that we're in the city of York and not in some remote location in the Dales or a picturesque village. And it's nearly Christmas, with DCI Oldroyd visiting the city both for professional and private reasons.
York claims to be the most haunted city in the U.K., and ghost tours are very popular there. Oldroyd goes on such a tour and is enjoying the drama and bits of history when he happens to find a real dead body - not some prop from the tour.
Although York is not "his" beat, he soon joins the investigating team there, and his trusted assistant Andy is assigned to help, too.
It soon becomes apparent that the victim, a greedy property developer who treated his tenants badly, had many enemies as well as an ex-wife, who would all profit from his death. Then, just as the list of suspects is getting longer, a homeless person is murdered very close to where the first body was found. And soon afterwards, a second homeless man dies...
Is there a serial killer with a grudge against the homeless on the loose, who mistook the first victim? Are the three murders related at all?
As usual, the case gets more puzzling as more suspects and possible connections emerge, but as usual, Oldroyd trusts both the evidence and his instinct. He and Andy carry out their part of the investigation with sometimes unorthodox methods, and at one point Andy saves his boss' life.
At the same time back in Harrogate, the third regular member of their team, Stephanie, tries to divide Christmas preparations equally between herself and Andy while struggling with a cold... or is it a flu... or something else entirely?
Like I have said before when reviewing this series, much of its charm for me lies in the setting; places in Yorkshire I know quite well or at least know of. Also, I really like the characters; they are like real people with strengths and flaws, and what they deal with in their personal and professinal lives is plausible.
The plight of the homeless is a central element of the story, and reading about winter and Christmas time just after Christmas and while it is winter here makes it all the more poignant.
Hopefully, J.R. Ellis will write many more books featuring Oldroyd and his team!
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