REVIEW: The Royal Baths Murder by J.R. Ellis (ARC)

The Royal Baths Murder (A Yorkshire Murder Mystery #4) by J.R. Ellis

Genre: Crime fiction

Read: 6th November 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(published: 24th October 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

The fourth book in the Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series, THE ROYAL BATHS MURDER was my first read by J.R. Ellis and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't call it a cosy mystery but it is a good old-fashioned murder mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie. Having read all of Ms Christie's books when I was a teenager, I felt her presence at every turn throughout this delightful mystery. Particularly as the setting was the Turkish baths in Harrogate, the very place where Ms Christie was found after a 10 day disappearance in 1926.  A definite nod to the Queen of Crime here in more ways than one.

There were no super detectives with tortured private lives that seemed to spill over into their professional ones, usually by way of drink or sleeping with nameless strangers but still coming out on top of disturbed serial killers of heinous crimes...of course, after having evaded death themselves. This is simply put - a good old-fashioned murder mystery. It's all about solving a seemingly impossible murder with a freshness that is quite lighthearted, making it an enjoyable read.

"3 December 1926. Agatha Christie went missing from her home in Berkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry amongst the public, and thousands were involved in the effort to search for her, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, On 14 December she was found at The Swan Hydropathic Hotel (now known as The Old Swan) in Harrogate, Yorkshire..."

In the present day, at the White Swan Hotel in Harrogate, the annual Crime Writing Festival is in full swing. A place where fans and would-be writers gather to learn from the best. And there is no one better than Damian Penrose...at least, that's what he thinks. Having come up from London for somewhat a reprieve, Penrose is loved and hated in equal doses by his readers and peers but never misses an opportunity to talk about himself - in which the festival provides the ideal event. However, there is one consolation in having to travel to the dull and provincial north hundreds of miles away from civilisation...the Royal Baths. It is his one solace from the world.

Early one morning, Penrose heads to the Baths to relax in solitude in a pre-booked private session before the baths open to the public. A short time later, he is found brutally strangled in the steam room...

Enter DCI Oldroyd and DS Andy Carter of the West Riding Police Harrogate Division HQ (somewhat of a mouthful) who question the staff of the Royal Baths and all who interacted with Penrose in the hours leading up to his murder. It isn't long before they discover that his murder is straight from the pages of one of his fellow writer's books - his arch rival, no less. Charles Derryvale, the said writer, soon becomes a suspect when it is revealed that he was last seen having a row with the murder victim at the bar of the the White Swan, where the event took place. Derryvale, on the other hand, is taking macarbre pleasure in the murder and finding it great fun!

There is a slightly related case in which DS Steph Johnson has been seconded to the lecherous DI Fenton to investigate Jack Sandford who has been suspended from council after being suspected of illegally granting a contract to his architect wife, Clare Bayliss...who just happens to be Penrose's second wife. The contract? For renovations to the Royal Baths. Maybe this case has more to do with Oldroyd's case than at first thought. With Fenton making unwelcome sexual advances towards Steph, she has no alternative than to take matters into her own hands to stop Fenton once and for all. Going to her superiors is not an option as the force is the age-old boys club and Fenton is her superior officer. Steph then works on gathering evidence of complaints and instances of how Fenton treats his female subordinates, as well as a secret investigation into his taking back-handers from none other than Jack Sandford.

Then the body of the Crime Writing Festival's organiser turns up with a third murder taking place in true Christie style, at the climatic end of festival's "Murder Mystery Event" of Penrose's first wife, both of which bear a striking resemblances to other stories by Penrose's rivals.

So who killed Penrose? And what is the significance in likening all subsequent murders to books by his rivals? Perhaps someone wishes to cast him as a character in a real life murder mystery - someone with a real motive. But who?

Oldroyd and Carter soon discover that the murder of Penrose corresponds to that of the Locked Room Mystery, in which there appears to be no way in and no escape for the murderer without being seen. So how did the murderer get in and how did he leave...all without being seen? A classic "whodunnit" as well as a being a "howdunnit" in the vein of Ms Christie's own Hercule Poirot's mysteries.

Oldroyd and his team learn than Penrose had been accused of stealing other writers', both seasoned and fledgling, ideas and portrayed them as his own. He claimed they needed to be told by an expert...him being the said expert. There were no shortage of suspect and there were plenty of complexities, although somewhat restrained compared with today's fast paced high octane thrillers.

DCI Jim Holroyd is instantly likable and loves nothing more than to turn his hand at solving the unsolvable puzzle. Having separated from his wife some years before, at the encouragement of his daughter Louise, Oldroyd embarks on a journey in the world of online dating...where he meets Deborah, with whom he features in his down-time. They were a delightful couple, without any of the angst and battle of wills that is found the more modern style of mystery, with this being old-fashioned in more ways than one making it an enjoyable lighthearted read.

Excellent light reading of the true old-fashioned British murder mystery with a nod to the old greats that have gone before, THE ROYAL BATHS MURDER is a perfect combination of the old and new in this classic tale of whodunnit.

Well crafted with delightful elements of humour, THE ROYAL BATHS MURDER a is lighthearted and fun read. What I also like about this book is that although it is part of a series it can be read as a standalone and you don't miss any important backstories as the focus is on the murders and not the private lives of the police.

My first by J.R. Ellis but definitely not my last. A welcome change to the more high octane thrillers, THE ROYAL BATHS MURDER is a classic old-fashioned murder mystery at its best. And I especially love the nod and reference to Agatha Christie.

An undemanding read that will hold your attention throughout, I highly recommend to those who love the classic style of the old-fashioned murder mystery.

I would like to thank #JREllis, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #TheRoyalBathsMurder in exchange for an honest review.