The Railway Murders (A Yorkshire Murder Mystery Book 8)

I have read the whole series and thoroughly enjoyed each one. Always looking for the next one full of wonderful, realistic characters and great villages.

I've read all 8 books in the series. They feature complicated crimes and a lengthy solution process. However, the quality of the writing is consistently disappointing. Few authors can deliver the wit and eloquence of Dorothy Sayers, the action-filled plots of Louise Penny, or the character-driven story-telling style of Agatha Christie, but these fall far short. (I have read this series primarily because I enjoy reading books that are set in places that are familiar to me, and I've spent a lot of time in many of the books' locations in Yorkshire.)My first complaint about the author's writing is that the syntax is ineffective. An example: near the end of this book, he wrote: "She looked at the two detectives and there was anger in her eyes." This would have been a much more vivid description if it had been 2 sentences without the "and." There are many similar sentences throughout the book in which the author weakens his story through poor wording. His sentences are often too long and lack proper punctuation. Example: "He laid the cases side by side and it was clear that the space inside was big enough to conceal someone."Second, he places far too much information in the surrounding text instead of letting the reader infer it from the dialogue and the characters' actions. He intrudes on the story by constantly providing us with the characters' unspoken thoughts and unnecessary comments. Examples:"She sighed, showing the first sign of emotion." An attentive reader would have already observed the flatness of her reponses."He stopped because he had heard the sound of a police siren and then he saw the car in his rear view mirror." Why not put that into some dialogue?"Oldroyd prompted him to continue." The words Oldroyd spoke after that sentence were clearly a prompt."'Well, it could be that Frances has confided in a stranger,' he remarked perceptively. " The reader could decide if the remark were perceptive.Third, he refers to some characters by their first name, some by their full name, and some by only their surname -- even when 2 characters have the same surname. It can become a bit confusing.A good editor could be very helpful, especially one who could persuade him to take out 90% of those unnecessary "ands."

The plot revolving around the making of a movie was intriguing. The setting at an early 20th century railway station with a steam engine and plush compartment passenger cars made for a rich setting. With all the people involved, it made for a good cast of characters for the who DONE it.

Mr. Ellis always holds my interest with his Det. Oldryde novels. A depth in his characters, a police force pulling together to solve this old fashioned train mystery. My imagination had me riding the steam train, fascinating and enjoyable

This book was well crafted and written. The mystery and intrigue kept me turning pages and not able to put the book down.The region around Harrogate comes to life for me in every book in the series and looking forward to the next installment.

Great fun. Characters you like and lots of intrigue and a good puzzle. Atmosphere was well done for your enjoyment.

I love this series. Jim Oldroyd and the rest are well-fleshed out and the author really makes you care about their fates. The mystery, as usual, is well thought out and I haven’t been able to determine the bad guys part way through the book. Well written—read it, and the whole series, you won’t be disappointed.

This could have been a 5 start mystery apart from an unnecessary kidnap sub-plot which seems to just add to the word count. Otherwise, a very enjoyable read.

This is part of a series of "impossible" murders. The plots are always convoluted and not one of those where the reader is supposed to solve it along with the police. I like the characters but their stories do not advance much in this book. More detail about the crime than the main characters. Set in the Dales with a vintage railway, I enjoy the details about the area and the scenery. His knowledge of the local area and history shines through. Worth reading but not up there with the best of mystery writers. Still better than most Canadian and American murder mysteries.

It was slow, predictable and not very interesting.

Love this stuff. It's all recognisable places and situations, real or imaginary. The characters are 'human' too. You feel as though you are there.

A complicated plot that dragged on to a final conclusion which was a bit far fetched IMHO. It was a case of bitterness and the need for revenge by the perpetrators involved in the original murder who we discover had been orphaned at a young age by drunk driver and one other who had lost his sister in the same incident. Things get out of hand and thinking that he has been found out by a colleague who noticed something odd with the murder scene that took place in a railway carriage compartment in was involved and the main villain involved kills this colleague and kidnapps the lead detective's partner to force him off of the case. Clearly a bad move that leads to his downfall. Eventually the case staggers to a conclusion

A good mystery that is easy to read with a flow to the story line.