DATE WITH DEATH PB NEC – JULIA CHAPMAN

Meet two sleuths from a sleepy Yorkshire village as they investigate murders and discover the secrets behind the twitching curtains. Date with Death is the first cosy crime novel in Julia Chapman’s Dales Detective series, perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club and M. C. Beaton. Samson O’Brien has been dismissed from the police force, and returns to his hometown of Bruncliffe in the Yorkshire Dales to set up the Dales Detective Agency. However, the villagers aren’t that welcoming to a man they see as trouble. Delilah Metcalfe is struggling to keep her business, the Dales Dating Agency, afloat as well as trying to control her wayward dog, Tolpuddle, when Samson’s first case – a supposed suicide – takes an unexpected turn, and a trail of deaths lead back to the door of Delilah’s agency. With suspicion hanging over someone they both care for, the two feuding neighbours soon realize that they need to work together to solve the mystery of the dating deaths. But working together is easier said than done . . . Full of wit, warmth and characters you’ll care about, continue the murder mystery series with Date with Malice. Praise for The Dales Detective series: Enlivened with numerous subplots, the story moves at a cracking pace – Daily Mail Bags of Yorkshire charm and wit – Northern Echo A classic whodunnit – Cath Staincliffe, author of Blue Murder Full of dry wit and clever plotting – Countryside Chapman delivers on every level – Lancashire Evening Post