The Murder at Redmire Hall

A Yorkshire Murder Mystery, Book 3

By: J. R. Ellis

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

An impossible murder behind a locked door. Can DCI Oldroyd find the key to the mystery?

Lord Redmire’s gambling habit has placed him in serious debt. Determined to salvage his fortune by putting Redmire Hall on the map, the aristocrat performs an impossible locked-door illusion on live TV. But as the cameras roll, his spectacular trick goes fatally wrong....

Special guest DCI Jim Oldroyd has a front-row seat, but in all his years with the West Riding Police he’s never witnessed anything like this. He sees Redmire disappear—and then reappear, dead, with a knife in his back.

As Oldroyd and DS Stephanie Johnson soon discover, nearly everyone at the event had a reason to resent the eccentric lord. But how did the murderer get into the locked room—or out, for that matter?

When the only other person who knew the secret behind the illusion is brutally silenced, the case begins to look unsolvable. Because as Oldroyd and Johnson know, it’s not just a question of who did it and why—but how?

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

not bad at all....

not bad at all.... good cozy mystery... ... nothing too very dark .... nuff said

Gambling, Greed, and Magic

DCI Oldroyd has always been fascinated by a bit of magic, but when he takes his assistant, DS Stephanie Johnson with him to the performance at Redmire Hall, the last thing he expects is to be called into action at a murder scene. And its all caught on live TV. This is a GREAT series, and DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team are what makes it so good. Oldroyd is like a dog after a bone as he investigates the murder of Lord Redmire, whose magic trick has gone terribly wrong, after the wealthy man has orchestrated a disappearing act and at the last minute, instead of disappearing, shows up with a knife in his back, for all to see. With no lack of suspects, Oldroyd and his team have their work cut out for them, as Lord Redmire owed gambling debts far and wide, and was a known philanderer. This author cuts no slack with the antics of the rich, and I admire that, as they consider themselves a class above the rest of the earth’s population, whist stabbing one another (in this case literally) in the back. 😊 It’s a sad case when one’s mother doesn’t even like you, as Lord Redmire’s mother didn’t . . . becoming a suspect in her own son’s murder. I found myself commiserating and identifying with the staff at Redmire Hall the most, who also had to be interviewed by Oldroyd. The investigation into the old magic trick, which only had been performed twice was very interesting, and Oldroyd’s knowledge on the subject fascinated me. And as I listened to him explain the inner workings of the magic trick, I kept thinking, his wife needs to appreciate this gentle, hard-working man . . . instead of filing for divorce . . . instead of insisting that HE change. The solving of the murder case was superbly accomplished. And as DCI Jim Oldroyd returned to the office, the gentle ribbing he got from his superiors for being caught on live TV at a crime scene made me laugh.

Haven't read one of these closed room mysteries ..

for a long time. Not my cup of tea. The narrator's voice was irritating and the plot was cliche. But, at the end, when the murderer was revealed, the trick was not adequately explained. Not fair.
I've read other books by J.R. Ellis and enjoyed them so I won't give up on him yet.

Easy read; thoroughly complicated mystery.

Another fun read with baffling complexities, memorable characters, and a deliciously mysterious old house.

magic and sleuthing!

A very smooth and consistent building of a plausible murder story with excellent final conclusion.

Delightful Mystery

This one had me guessing all the way through. I enjoyed the plot twists and the way the story delved into each character’s life and personality. Michael Page is a wonderful narrator always enjoy his varied accents.

Hercules Poirot Applauds!

Well done! A thrilling , well written murder mystery. Realistic characters, nice twists, dynamic conclusion. Dialogue and setting thoughtfully portrayed. Audio is captivating! Highly recommended!

Good old-fashioned English who-dun-it! Loved it.

This is the third Ellis mystery I have listened to on Audible and I eagerly await the fourth one this month. Inspector Oldroyd is the perfect English sleuth. He has been around a long time and seen it all in his beloved Yorkshire. He loves to solve a puzzle and each book has a seemingly impossible puzzle for him to solve. He keeps his thoughts and observations close to his chest and loves to spring the final answer on everyone. I do appreciate that he respects his team and welcomes their ideas, even the "lowly" beat cop and females. His disdain for the snooty aristocrats comes through loud and clear, although he is not opposed to enjoying the fine meals they provide. He isn't stupid! And this book is full of unlikable aristocrats who all have a reason to murder! The staff and workers of the estate and the local pub crowd prove much more willing to help in this complicated investigation that will keep you guessing until the end! He cannot resist having a Hercule Poirot moment as well.

Loved the 1st book...nothing else has measured up.

Same well-used format; introduce a multitude of characters, make them all suspects, invite everyone to a meeting where the detective ties everyone to the murder ... then bring in the actual murderers and explain the other names they were known by and the motives that no-one ever knew about before .... I won’t be bothering with any more in the series.

narrator ruins the story.

love the characters and story but bv the narrator just reads through pauses, scene changes etc I had to rewind in a number of places as i got confused because of poor narration.