The Body in the Dales

A Yorkshire Murder Mystery, Book 1

By: J. R. Ellis

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

An unpopular victim. An impossible crime. A murderer on the loose.

Revised edition: Previously published as The Body in Jingling Pot, this edition of The Body in the Dales includes editorial revisions.

A body is discovered deep in a cave beneath the Yorkshire Dales. Leading the investigation into the mysterious death are experienced DCI Jim Oldroyd and his partner DS Carter, a newcomer from London.

The deceased is Dave Atkins, well known throughout the village but not well liked. While there is no shortage of suspects, the details of the crime leave Oldroyd and Carter stumped. How did Atkins’s body end up in such a remote section of the cave? When someone with vital information turns up dead, it becomes clear that whoever is behind the murders will stop at nothing to conceal their tracks.

Oldroyd and his team try to uncover the truth, but every answer unearths a new set of questions. And as secrets and lies are exposed within the close-knit community, the mystery becomes deeper, darker and more complex than the caves below.

©2017, 2018 J. R. Ellis (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

very entertaining

this had a unique setting for this mystery and interesting plot. characters were somewhat stereotyped but believable.

The performance was awful

The croaking voice ascribed/ allocated to the majority of characters is Just SO ANNOYING
Sounds like a death rattle.

Tiresome Narration, possibly good story?

I couldn’t stick with this book. I really liked it at first but it slowed down dramatically and all the male voices are the same or, at least very similar. The women are OK.
There’s got to be enough differentiation that the older inspector and his younger counterpart can be easily understood. Too bad.

great British detective story

its a fun rise all the way through, I found it hard to follow the story at first but it ended up being truly worth it.

Great story, awful narrator

The only reason I listened to the end was because I wanted to hear the rest of the story. The narrator was terrible. How does one talk through their teeth and their nose at the same time? The alternate voice used for different people was almost unbearable.

Painful, unfortunately

Wow I didn’t like this book. I could not finish it. The narration was grating, actually painful, even when I played it from the speaker, not earphones. The narrator used loud, gravelly, gargling sounds. I tried, but I realized I was dreading those voices! And the writing was just bad. Every point was explained to the reader, as we are assumed to be unable to determine what a clue means for ourselves. I had such high hopes and am disappointed.

Good novel with great narration!

I'm a fan of the work of narrator Michael Page. It is amazing that a man with such a deep voice can do a nice job with the voices of female characters.

I'm also a fan of the "on the Fens" series of by Joy Ellis. THE BODY IN THE DALES, first novel of the series, deals with crime in the far north of England in county Yorkshire. The author is JR Ellis. Later novels in this Yorkshire Murder Mystery series are more highly rated than this one. The topic of this novel is the caves of Yorkshire and a murdered man found there. It is a good police procedural. I plan to listen to at least one more novel in this modern detective series.

Pretty Good Mystery

I enjoyed it. I could picture in my mind the caves and the development of the plot. Great mystery and characters.

love this!

This is the first book I've listened to by this author, and is different from most books I read. I just loved the Yorkshire accent of the reader, and was completely intrigued by the geography and culture of the people of the Yorkshire Dales. The story was so interesting and I really didn't guess who did it before it was revealed. a real treat!

A Rollicking, Mildly Puzzling Romp

The Body in the Dales has a mystery you can sink your teeth into. It unreels slowly amidst a delightful array of details on the location and people involved, so you have time to figure it out yourself and enjoy the ride as you do. The author obviously adores where he's set the story, and it makes you love it, too. I'm a mystery lover, so I know the ways to crack a story early - but this kept me guessing right to the end. But, if you listen to it twice, you see the fun ways the author hid the clues for you to find.

Now, the downside. There are a LOT of characters, and I had trouble keeping them straight. It didn't detract from the story, but it was a little frustrating. The narrator has a good voice, but he doesn't distinguish the different voices much, so it doesn't help keep the characters straight. Overall, an engaging mystery, well told. I'll try the next book.