Murder and music

The Quartet Murders by JR Ellis is the first book that I have read in this series although it is the second instalment if you read them in the order in which they were published. I didn’t have any problem with understanding what was going on or engaging with the characters and I think that this could be read as a standalone crime novel. It’s a police procedural but at the cosier end of the genre and set in Yorkshire.

Our main character, DCI Oldroyd, attends a classical music concert where, much to everyone’s surprise, the first violinist is shot dead during the performance and in the ensuing confusion his priceless violin is stolen. Further investigation takes the members of Oldroyd’s team to London and introduces a wealth of suspects, lots of red herrings, an introduction to the market in stolen instruments and another death. In the end the conclusion is satisfying and lots of loose ends, some of which the reader may not have even realised are loose, are tied up.

I liked that this book is set in Yorkshire as it is my home and a county I love and it is always good to see stories set outside London. I am not a classical music aficionado and know very little about it but that didn’t really trouble me when understanding what was going on – I have noticed that many authors like classical music as a theme in their novels (Peter Robinson, Robert Barnard and Reginald Hill to name a few).

This is a novel written in an older tradition and it’s not gritty or, to be honest, ultra realistic. It is an enjoyable read, however, and it’s a series that I would revisit should I see other volumes available.