Date with Justice

The Dales Detective #9

by Julia Chapman

Date with Justice, the ninth novel in Julia's Chapman's witty and engaging Dales Detective series, sees Delilah's brother under suspicion of murder. Can Delilah and Samson prove he's innocent?

The Dales Detective Agency is on the brink of closure.

Samson O’Brien has returned to his position as an undercover operative for the Met in London, and his relationship with sleuthing partner Delilah Metcalfe is under pressure.

Their troubles are only multiplied when an ecologist is found dead and the finger of blame is pointed firmly at Delilah’s older brother, Will.

It seems an open and shut case. An argument over an ecology report for planning permission which got out of hand, with Will known to have a hot temper. But Delilah won’t accept he’s guilty and neither will Samson.

Dropping everything, he returns to Bruncliffe to help prove Will’s innocence. But as the two detectives start digging, they unearth more than they bargained for and soon realize that the price of justice can be very costly indeed.

Following on from Date With Evil, this heart-warming and wittily charming novel is perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood and cosy crime at its very best.

'Bags of Northern charm and wit' - Northern Echo

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Detective, Fiction, British Literature

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2024

About the author

Julia Chapman has led a nomadic existence, spending most of her adult life abroad. Having published a series of novels set in the idyllic French Pyrenees, she has now turned her hand to crime. Currently writing the Dales Detective Series, she lives and writes in the stunning Yorkshire Dales where her books are set. The first in the series, Date with Death, makes its debut in March 2017.
Contact her on facebook (Julia Stagg or Dales Detective) or on Twitter @DalesWriter
Pseudonym for author Julia Stagg

Reviews

[Livresse de Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

QUEL TOME !

QUELLE FIN !

WAW.

JULIA MERCI D'EXISTER.

VIVE LES DÉTECTIVES ET VIVE LA RÉPUBLIQUE (lol votez à gauche aux européennes c'est demain bisous).

[Sarah | The Marsies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fini il y a une semaine avant de partir en vacances, j'ai passé toute l'intrigue à me demander qui avait vraiment commis le crime. L'autrice nous balade pendant toute la lecture, et c'est la 1ère fois qu'une résolution me laisse un certain gout amer dans la bouche tout en étant très juste.

C'est toujours un plaisir de lire cette fabuleuse saga 🥹
Retourner à Bruncliff c'est comme retourner à la maison pour voir sa famille. On s'y sent bien, tout est familier et chaleureux. J'aime les personnages d'un amour inconditionnel 🧡
Le prochain tome est apparemment le dernier, ça va être dur de les quitter ❤️‍🩹

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is spot on!
It’s like reading a Sunday night murder mystery tv program. You know the ones - easy to watch, a bit of humor, a back story that runs through the series that hooks you in, set in a lovely area that you’d like to visit one day and keeps you wanting more when it comes to the end but with just enough seriousness (murder and crime with this story) to keep it real.
Definitely worth picking up and reading.
I can’t wait for the next book!

[Chicky Poo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quel bonheur de retrouver Samson, Delilah, Calimero et tout Bruncliffe ! Cette série ne perd pas en intensité ni en saveur, l'écriture est un vrai plaisir. J'ai senti une différence de traduction (chez Ida notamment), mais ça n'a fait que renforcer le charme de cette série coup de cœur ! Un vrai plaisir à lire !

[TheReadingNest · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

La meilleure saga de l’univers 💜
Je l’aime tellement cette série de livre, qu’est ce que je suis heureuse d’avoir découvert ces bouquins

[Henneke Wateringen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhhh only one left. It’s such a great listen great read by Elizabeth Bower.

[Annie (is so far behind 😬) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ever, brilliant! This is such a great series; I’m *still* waiting for it to be adapted for a TV series!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the eARC. All opinions are strictly my own.

[Céline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je crois que je ne suis plus objective avec cette série qui est ma préférée en terme de cosy mystery. Cette fois encore, j’ai tout aimé : retrouver Samson et Delilah, l’ambiance de Bruncliffe et ses habitants hauts en couleur, l’enquête pleine de suspense et je ne parle même pas de la fin ! Bref carton plein pour ce 9e tome des Détectives du Yorkshire ! ❤️

[Ashleigh Lauren Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and PanAm for allowing me to read in advance.

"Date with Justice," the penultimate instalment in this series, delivers a captivating continuation of Samson's journey. Returning to London with his reputation intact, Samson grapples with the persistent pull of Bruncliffe and memories of Delilah. The narrative unfolds with a murder at a wedding celebration, turning friends and family into potential suspects and setting off a frantic race against time to uncover the killer.

A recurring sentiment that echoes in each book of the series is the unwavering need to protect Ida Capstick at all costs. Her sleuthing skills and charming way with words consistently bring a smile to my face, making her a standout character that I thoroughly enjoy reading about.

One of the highlights of "Date with Justice" is the ensemble of characters who each get their own chapters, providing a deeper connection to the community. Even the pets have a voice, contributing to the warm and cozy atmosphere of Bruncliffe as they work together to solve crimes.

The narrative is rich with twists and turns, and each chapter concludes with its own cliffhangers, leaving me eager to unravel the mysteries that lie ahead. I particularly appreciated the incorporation of ecology into the storyline, shedding light on the intricate planning and research involved in farming—an aspect that added an intriguing layer to the plot.

As the story unfolds, the town of Bruncliffe showcases its strength in collaboration, emphasizing a sense of unity in solving crimes. This collective effort contributes to the overall cosy ambience of the book.

The culmination of "Date with Justice" is nothing short of perfect. The emotional ending left me with tears of joy streaming down my face, creating a satisfying conclusion to this instalment. Now, the anticipation builds as I must patiently await another year to rejoin the charming community of Bruncliffe in the next chapter of their adventures.

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent murder mystery set in the Yorkshire Dales!

The Dales Detective Agency is struggling. Samson is back in London with the day job in the Met; with Delilah remaining in Yorkshire their relationship is under pressure. The murder of a visiting ecologist to the area put's her brother, Will, firmly in the frame but there's no way that Delilah will accept that he was capable of taking a life. Now she needs to work out who did commit murder in order to get Will his freedom ...

This is the first I've read from this author and it was a well-planned, easy read with likeable characters. Most telling, I didn't suspect the actual perpetrator - although, to be fair, I probably had just about everyone else in the frame! If you like a nice enjoyable mystery in a lovely setting, then this could well be one for you. 4* from me.

[Liz Fedor · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 This is the first book in the series that I’ve read so I found it a bit too long with a lot going on and quite a few characters to keep up with.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you think the shenanigans in Bruncliffe are over, a new mystery rears its head and the Dales Detective Agency has another delicate case on its hands. I love this series and can't wait for the next one.

[Arlene McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have loved this book series from start to finish!

The 'Date With' books have been amazing! After 9 of them, I now want to go back to the beginning and read them all again!

[Kasia Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book - loved the latest instalment especially the ending. Can’t wait for the next one although I will be sad as it is the last.

[Susan Kumar-Merino · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite series set in Yorkshire Dales can’t wait for the next one

[Bron S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book again. Only 1 more book in the series. These are light mysteries with a bit of romance thrown in. Excellent reading

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastique! Terminé en 2 jours!!! J’espère qu’un 10ème tome suivra!

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed all the ‘Dales’ series, looking forward to the final one coming out next year.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. Comme toujours, Julia Chapman ne nous déçoit pas et nous épate avec son talent. Ce neuvième tome était absolument incroyable et un plaisir à lire. Au fil des tomes les enquêtes se complexifient et Samson et Delilah développent leur travail en incluant Ida, Nathan et Nina. Les autres personnages de la série, présents depuis le début, ont aussi leur propre histoire et leurs problèmes.
N'attendez pas pour le lire !

[Caroline Mattinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting adventure in Yorkshire

An enjoyable foray to Bruncliffe & it's wonderful community.Keeps a fast pace & makes an easy read.Great seeing how the characters develop with each story.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overjoyed to back in the cosy, if somewhat murdery, Dales town of Bruncliffe!

I was apprehensive going into this, the ninth instalment of the Dales Detective murder mystery series. While most of the cases our detective duo Samson and Delilah have dealt with have been self-contained, there were threads and undercurrents that tied the stories together, culminating in the eighth book: A Date with Evil, bringing the main ongoing criminal doings in Bruncliffe to a satisfying end, or so I thought. So how could there be more without feeling like an unnecessary sequel, how can the Bruncliffe residents be put through more drama?

But Julia Chapman has done it again! Still cosy, still maintaining the feeling of community, familiarity, still exploring relationships but with the tongue-in-cheek writing style that repeats the traits of our, now well-loved characters, and still with a very visual sense of drama, so that reader, while following the main characters, catches glimpses of villains lurking in the shadows. In Date with Justice, we get an insight of the aftermath of the climactic events of book 8 on the small town, something that never occurred to me to think about before, but is missing from the Marples, the Poirots, the Midsomer Murders (to my recollection), or the Jonathon Creeks, but Bruncliffe is a community, the people and places tied together and when a part of that is unravelled or undermined, as it was in the earlier books, then everything connected feels the impact, and the sense of connection between the reader and the characters was solidifed just because Julia Chapman explored this.

The link between the uncertainty and desperation facing some of the Bruncliffe residents and the potential motives for the central crime in this instalment also meant that this book felt tied to the others in a way I hadn't expected, with the conclusion remaining unexpected enough, yet unfortunately believable and understandable.

So pleased that I saved this for a long weekend, with nothing to distract me. I had this on my Netgalley tbr for a while but held onto it until I could devote myself to it, an Easter treat better than chocolate.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for this e-arc in exhange for an honest review, I remain a fan!

[Marion Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonne intrigue avec retournements de situations sympas même si un peu prévisible. Les personnages restent superficiels.

[Marco Giorgini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I'm surely sad this quite nice and cozy series is near its end, but I'm happy to see that this penultimate novel (the one set after the Procter thing - that's to say the MAIN thing so far, with Samson legal issues) is still a very enjoyable reading with an intriguing mystery plot - this time involving Will, Delilah's fierce brother, together with some ambiental theme.
And I've surely loved more than once advances in the Bruncliffe global plot, which makes me hope to be able to have a nice closure for this wonderful little town.

[Janette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Date with Justice is another great outing for the Dales Detectives. The story begins with a wedding that ends with a violent argument and eventually a murder. The victim is a prominent ecologist who is in the area to say if a planned camping venture can be given the go-ahead. The Dales Detective agency become involved when it appears that the prime suspect is Delilah’s brother Will Metcalfe.
This is the ninth book in this series and we meet all of the main characters again. The detective agency has expanded to include Nathan and Nina, two teenagers as well as an out of work gamekeeper however it has more than enough work to keep all of its employees busy. Not only do they have to try and prove Will’s innocence but the local bakery is suffering from a spate of thefts and the residents of Fellside are trying to find out who is buying their home. The author does a great job of making all of her large cast have individual characters and the sub-plots add to the interest of the main story.
This is an engrossing murder mystery although it isn’t quite as grim as the past couple of books have been. We get thrust completely into the lives of the people connected to the case and I loved the way that some of the characters felt really conflicted by the questions that they were having to ask and the thoughts that made them believe the worst of their friends and neighbours.
As always, the Dales setting is gorgeous and the environmental aspect of this story adds an interesting layer to the mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest instalment and will be sorry when the series comes to end after next book which is the final volume.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, Pan MacMillan, for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series (now that i’m over the character names). Well written and paced and author’s use of pathetic fallacy just makes me want to visit those dales.

[Sarah Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all of the Dales Detective series and have loved the previous eight in this series. However, I don't know why but this one was like wading through mud. I found the first two thirds of the book slow and it just didn't engage me at all. The last third however was up to Julia's cracking standard. I don't know if it was the lack of that underlying threat of Rock Proctor, or that Sampson seems to have been watered down, I'm not sure.
Yes it's a good book but just not up to the pace that I became used to. Before reading this book I re read Date with Evil, the previous book. I galloped through it in one day, staying up until 2am to finish it. I'm contrast this book has taken me five days to read which is exceptionally slow for me.
This book can be read as a stand alone, however I would recommend you read a few of the previous ones to get a grip on the people and settings in this book.

[Jane Sandell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Date with Justice by Julia Chapman was a delight from beginning to end. After having felt weighed down by the unremitting gloom and complexity of some of the books in the middle of this series, I felt this latest one had a lightness to it in spite of the fact that it dealt with another murder. But the plotline was resolved by the end of the novel which made a huge difference. Some of the police officers (especially if they're not locals!) are still a bit inept with a lack of attention to detail, and Samson and Delilah are still too inclined to break the law and/or interfere in a police investigation, but there is more co-operation and I found my credulity less stretched than in some of the earlier books. I'm looking forward to the next, and final, book appearing in 2025.

[KJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch out binoculars.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Rendez-Vous avec la Justice ?
"C'est une série que j'aime beaucoup, et même si j'ai quelques réserves et que je pense qu'elle aurait pu s'arrêter avant, je ne pouvais pas passer à côté de cet avant-dernier tome."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Après un mariage bien arrosé où tout Bruncliffe s'est retrouvé pour faire la fête, le réveil du lendemain s'avère assez difficile avec un nouveau cadavre sur les bras. Pour ne rien arranger, Will, le frère de Delilah, est le premier suspect..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"J'ai souvent pesté sur les longueurs de cette série, ces intrigues sans fin étirées au maximum en longueur pour faire durer un suspense qui n'en était plus un depuis longtemps et ce tome me conforte dans mon opinion. Maintenant que tout cela est enfin derrière nous, retourner à Bruncliffe est tout simplement un régal. Les répercussions des actes de Rick Procter sur la communauté sont bien plus interessantes à observer que sa énième entourloupe et le fait que Samson et Delilah soient enfin ensemble n'enlève absolument rien au plaisir de lecture. Cela laisse au contraire plus de place à l'ensemble des personnages de Julia Chapman, qui se serrent une nouvelle fois les coudes, et c'est bien là où elle est la meilleure et déploie tout son talent. D'ailleurs, c'est certainement l'un de mes tomes préférés. Qui ne rêverait pas de vivre au milieu de ces gens au caractère bien trempé mais au coeur tendre, qui ne vous laisseront jamais tomber, à condition de ne pas se faire assassiner bien sûr. Le seul petit bémol cette fois-ci c'est que l'on sent que l'éditeur était pressé de sortir ce tome et en a laissé passer quelques incohérences côté intrigue et traduction."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"Même s'il n'y avait pas de grandes surprises, surtout côté enquête, j'ai beaucoup aimé la fin que j'ai trouvé très émouvante a bien des égards. Moi qui disais à qui voulait l'entendre qu'il était temps que cette série se termine, avec que des tomes comme celui-ci, je pourrais vite changer d'avis."


http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few of the Dales Detective series in the past, and while they've mostly been enjoyable, I did start to get frustrated with the main characters' endless dithering over their love life! (I also have some issues with main characters being called Samson and Delilah...seriously?!!!) However, in this book, they finally seem to be getting themselves sorted out, and high time too!

The book opens on a celebratory note, with the whole community gathering to celebrate a wedding. But the celebrations take on a sour note when Delilah's brother, Will, starts a fight with one of the other guests. And when that guest is found murdered a few hours later, suspicion falls on Will.

I haven't read all the books in the series, and I missed #8, but this book had a much darker and more serious note than the earlier ones. It dealt with some tough themes, especially the impact of crime on the innocent, and how often 'justice' doesn't guarantee a happy ending for everyone who deserves it. However, it ends on an upbeat (if slightly predictable) note, with many of the series regulars being given satisfactory endings and a number of long-running storylines being tied up. Which does make me wonder if the final novel in the series is going to be somewhat anti-climactic, since in many ways, this book felt like a finale.