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!
As you know, I like this series and this book too, and hope to see more of it!
ReplyDeleteIt was originally from you that I knew about this series - thank you :-)
DeleteI have read this author but not this particular volume. It sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI have read all books in the series so far, and own them all on my kindle.
DeleteTo be homeless in York or Harrogate ...
ReplyDeleteCrime novelists can't ignore homelessness any more than drug abuse.
I INTERVIEWED A 19 YEAR OLD FENTANYL ADDICT LIVING ON THE STREETS.
YouTube. Simon Diego.
Filmed in Canada. Fentanyl is cut with a muscle relaxant used on horses.
The young woman takes Tranq, smokes weed and who knows what.
My cousin's 29 year old son died at home alone (Glasgow) from drug misuse.
It may have been fentanyl though my cousin won't say.
Our societies face so many insoluble problems. We need hope and big ideas.
Every day I am grateful for living where I live, and the way I do, with a reasonably well-paid job, a reasonably nice flat and all mod-cons I want, and in good health. Nobody who lives rough woke up one morning as a child to exclaim: "I know what I want to do when I'm grown up! I want to be homeless!!"
DeleteIt can happen to anyone - averse circumstances, often combined with personal problems such as mental health issues and/or addiction, are not limited to gender, nationality or class - only that those who come from more stable homes are less probable to end up on the street.
Hope and big ideas. Yes. Good Luck, Humankind.
The Mister Bigs running the drug cartels are untouchable.
DeleteI mourned for that 19 year old girl and all the kids like her.
She doesn't have the future my generation enjoyed. Not even in Canada.
I've enjoyed this series but they don't have that title available in libraries near me. So, alas, I will not be able to read it at this time, Meike.
ReplyDeleteIt is the latest in the series, so maybe it will eventually come to one of your libraries, too.
DeleteThe cover alone would make me want to read it! "Don't judge a book, etc..." but hey, I dearly love great book covers!
ReplyDeleteThe book covers of this series always show a real place in Yorkshire, where the story is set. York Minster is beautiful and impressive, but if I had to choose (I know I don‘t have to), I‘d favour Ripon Cathedral - I know it so well and feel really welcome there.
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