The Otley Murders

A Yorkshire Murder Mystery, Book 11

By: J. R. Ellis

Narrated by: Michael Page

He was supposed to be gone forever. Now he’s back.

Ten years ago, DCI Oldroyd was the only person who could see the monster hiding behind Adam Blake’s charm. Oldroyd proved that Blake was a deadly serial killer, responsible for murdering many innocent people. Having vowed to take revenge on Oldroyd, on a crisp autumn morning Blake escapes from jail…

Hours later, in the Yorkshire market town of Otley, a man is found strangled inside the old courthouse. Written in bold black ink across the victim’s forehead is a single chilling word: vindicta—revenge. Oldroyd’s blood runs cold when he picks up a call and hears an all-too-familiar voice: I’m coming for you.

Oldroyd has spent years getting inside the minds of dangerous murderers to protect lives. But with a determined killer closing in, can he catch Blake once more and solve this difficult case, or will Oldroyd be the next to die?

©2025 by J. R. Ellis. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

disappointing

this book was not as good as the rest of the series . it lacked the complexity and detail i have enjoyed before and there was a lot of repetition of dialogue that was tedious.

DCI Oldroyd does it again!

I always enjoy the DCI Oldroyd mysteries, even if they are a bit "cozy" for me. Set in Yorkshire, they always include a lot of local places and history. This one talks about the history of Otley amidst the complex murder case. Oldroyd doesn't bother with forensics much but relies on his experience and razor-sharp intelligence and hunches to solve cases. It is always fun to catch up with Steph and Andy and the rest of his team. The case was twisted enough that it was interesting til the end. Enjoyed it on Audible too with a good narrator.

Wonderful series!

It's a real joy listening to this series! The main characters are kind to each other and genuinely care about boosting their morale. The team care about the public they serve. DCI Oldroyd is an impressive leader: he teaches, he leads by example, he sees his team member's strengths and praises their triumphs and he doesn't ask others to do anything he wouldn't do himself. It's refreshing to not have a group of bickering, foul mouthed characters!

The twists and turns in the plots keep me guessing. I truly appreciate the author's attention to mindfulness, the environment and compassionate interaction, like not being archaic to the LGBTQ+ community or being misogynists. More books in this series please!!

A compelling mystery

Once again Inspector Oldroyd and his colleague Steph faced a complex and disturbing murder mystery. The discovery of several dead bodies was baffling, especially considering the methods used in the murders. The people of Otley were nervous, and some of them were harboring terrible secrets. Oldroyd himself was being targeted. It truly kept me engaged right up to the end.

Truly clever mystery

I am a J R Ellis fan and knew I would the book, however, this one blew me away. I loved the plot twists and the way the mystery was solved.