Hooray!!! Not only is one of my most anticipated books in my grasp, but it didn't disappoint, love this series even more for having this book in it!
I was so nervous and excited to pick up this book, the village of Bruncliffe with it's overly familiar residents, inter-related families, cake, tea...and murder, has become a go to for me for reading slump rescue recommendations, reading clubs, and just getting out of the doldrums in general, and this was to be a culmination of so many different story threads, and Julia Chapman did it!!!
Great pace, great finish to so many stories, this feels like it could be a very satisfying end to my time in Bruncliffe with Samson and Delilah, but I don't want it to be, and right there is a mark of the success of this 8th instalment. I can't really comment too much on the plot because it ties up so many loose ends, and a fair amount of motive and villain identity is known before this book even starts
, the mystery here is how is it all going to be resolved. The stakes are high, the danger greater than ever as the villain of the piece sees their plans fast unravelling, but will the Dales Detective Agency succeed in discovering the perpetrator, and will Bruncliffe be left unscathed, or will the village be scarred forever by the fallout of this last(?) investigation?
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.
Anyone who likes cosy mysteries, a rural English setting, a dash of romance, and vivid engaging writing by an author who clearly loves all of those things, will love this series. It will be interesting to see the TV series if/when that happens, but make sure you read the books first if you can.
I'm also so glad the publishers have stuck with Yorkshire's own Emily Sutton as the cover artist, her style is a perfect fit for these stories, whimsical, cosy, and full of love for the dales, great choice!