I’d been planning the books for a year or so, my mind tweaking and pulling at ideas when I was out on the fells with the sound of the larks as my only company. In the seventh novel in Julia Chapman's charming Dales Detective series, Date with Betrayal, betrayal is rife in the idyllic Yorkshire Dales as Samson O'Brien, owner of the Dales Detective Agency, is targeted by a hitman. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. I wouldn't recommend anyone to read this book without reading the others first, relationships and storylines all converge in 'Date with Evil', but if that's too much of a reading commitment, I would at least start with the first book to get to know the characters, then read one or two before this one, if by that point you feel you can bear the spoilers.

The Nantucket location of this series pulled me in; the crisp plotting, interesting cast and great female lead kept me hooked.

Although one of the main story lines that has run throughout the series has been resolved, you are left with the definite feeling that there is much more to come and it is eagerly awaited by this reader!

Its distinctive landscape and way of life provide the setting for her latest set of novels, the Dales Detective series. Julia Chapman is the pseudonym of Julia Stagg, author of the Fogas Chronicles set in the French Pyrenees. Screen industry climate advocacy organisation, Climate Spring, has launched a new Development Fund for unscripted TV and factual entertainment, expanding the company’s funding offer beyond scripted content. Additionally, we occasionally include insights into the writing process, thematic elements, or how each book fits into the larger tapestry of the series. As usual, the use of strings of 'someone doing or having done something' phrases impeded the flow: a little variation in sentence structure would make the stories read even better.

I have grown very fond of the cast of characters and the well-described locations and had been eagerly awaiting this episode. Julia's writing is so descriptive I can visualise myself there in that brutal landscape and hear the accent of the people speaking in this book. Written in 1862, and described more recently as the original Gone Girl, this was a massive success in its time.

Date With Malice” is the second novel in the “Dales Detectives” series and was released in the year 2017. This one is slightly darker than the previous seven books, but ties up neatly with the baddie *finally* getting caught. At the same time, Delilah Metcalfe struggles to hang onto her business: the Dales Dating Agency above water and attempting to control Tolpuddle, her wayward Weimaraner pooch. While Samson and Delilah combine resources once more, before too long they have become embroiled in untangling this mystery which has lain at the town’s core for decades. Usually I am confident about just jumping into an ongoing mystery series as authors will provide background for readers new to the series.The seventh novel in international bestseller Julia Chapman’s Dales Detective series, perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club and M.

Samson O’Brien of the Dales Detective Agency is being questioned by the police about a murder, with the truth about his policing past about to be brutally exposed. Since Samson O’Brien started the Dales Detective Agency in the downstairs office of Delilah Metcalfe’s Dales Dating Agency, the calibre of drama has gone up a notch. And with attention turning to Nathan, only a local vet is paying attention to a worrying spate of canine poisonings happening throughout the village.When Mrs Shepherd arrives at the Dales Detective Agency on a December morning, quite convinced that someone is trying to kill her, Samson O’Brien dismisses her fears as the ramblings of a confused elderly lady. Personally, I thought the pacing could have been a bit quicker - I found myself getting frustrated by knowing more than our heroes at some parts. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.