An intricate plot set in the 1920s English countryside and Frances Brody's "refreshingly complex heroine" (Kirkus) Kate Shackleton make A Death in the Dales an absorbing 7th installment in this mystery, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Agatha Christie. A murder most foul When the landlord of a Yorkshire tavern is killed in plain sight, Freda Simonson, the only witness to the crime, becomes plagued with guilt, believing the wrong man has been convicted. Following her death, it seems that the truth will never be uncovered in the peaceful village of Langcliffe... A village of secrets But it just so happens that Freda’s nephew is courting the renowned amateur sleuth Kate Shackleton, who decides to holiday in Langcliffe with her indomitable teenage niece, Harriet. When Harriet strikes up a friendship with a local girl whose young brother is missing, the search leads Kate to uncover another suspicious death, not to mention an illicit affair. The case of a lifetime As the present mysteries merge with the past’s mistakes, Kate is thrust into the secrets that Freda left behind and realizes that this courageous woman has entrusted her with solving a murder from beyond the grave. It soon becomes clear to her that nothing in Langcliffe is quite as it appears, and with a murderer on the loose and an ever-growing roster of suspects, this isn’t the holiday Kate was expecting... Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton returns in A Death in the Dales with another mystery that's sure to "hold the reader attention and make them continue reading into the small hours of the night" (York Press, UK).

Samson O'Brien has been dismissed from the police force—quite unfairly, according to him. Now back in his home town of Bruncliffe in the Yorkshire Dales, Samson sets up the Dales Detective Agency while he fights to clear his name. However, the people of Bruncliffe aren't entirely welcoming to a man they see as trouble. Delilah Metcalfe, meanwhile, is struggling to keep her business, the Dales Dating Agency, afloat. When Samson gets his first case, investigating the supposed suicide of a local man, things take an unexpected turn, and soon he discovers a trail of deaths that lead back to the door of Delilah's agency. With suspicion hanging over someone they both care for, Delilah and Samson soon realize that they need to work together to solve the mystery of the dating deaths. But working together is easier said than done, and the couple must find a way to kiss and make up before more villagers wind up dead. Julia Chapman's Date with Death is the newest installation in the delightful Samson and Delilah Mystery series.

Originally published: Great Britain: Piatkus, 2016.

Suspecting the true nature of a theater actress' invitation to a viewing party at a school chapel during an eclipse in 1927 Yorkshire, Kate Shackleton investigates the suspicious death of one of the actress' co-stars, the third to have died recently under mysterious circumstances. --Publisher.

The close-knit community of a Yorkshire village is rocked when local secrets are revealed in Date with Mystery, the third 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. The Dales Detective Agency’s latest assignment appears to be an open and shut case. Hired by a local solicitor to find a death certificate for a young woman who died over twenty years ago, Samson O’Brien is about to find out that things in Bruncliffe are rarely that straightforward. Particularly when the solicitor insists that Delilah Metcalfe, with her wealth of local knowledge, works alongside Samson on this sensitive investigation. Delilah is eager to help, needing to take her mind off the impending custody case for her precious dog, Tolpuddle, and problems with her dating agency. As Samson and Delilah begin their inquiries they soon become embroiled in a mystery that has lain at the heart of the town for decades. But in uncovering the truth have they exposed secrets that some would prefer remained buried? Full of wit, warmth and comforting characters, continue the gripping mystery series with Date with Poison. ‘Bags of Yorkshire charm and wit’ – The Northern Echo

Frances Brody's eleventh Kate Shackleton mystery is sure to delight readers of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear. Two murders. A one-way ticket to trouble. And it's up to Kate to derail the killer. London, 1929. In the darkness before dawn, a railway porter, unloading a special train from Yorkshire, discovers a man's body, shot and placed in a sack. There are no means of identification to be found and as Scotland Yard hits a dead end, they call on the inimitable Kate Shackleton, a local sleuth, confident her local knowledge and investigative skills will produce results. But it's no easy task. Suspicion of political intrigue and fears of unrest in the Yorkshire coalfields, impose secrecy on her already difficult task. The murder of a shopkeeper, around the same time, seems too much of a coincidence. The convicted felon was found with blood on his hands, but it's too tidy and Kate becomes convinced the police have the wrong man. By then it's too late. Kate finds herself in a den of vipers. The real killer is still at large, and having tinkered with Kate's car, nearly causes her to crash. Not only that, but Scotland Yard has turned their back on her. As Kate edges toward the shocking truth, she's going to need all the strength and resourcefulness she can muster to uncover this sinister web of deceit.

The thesis of A Question of Accountability: The Murder of Angela Dales is that the shootings at the Appalachian School of Law on January 16, 2002, were inevitable because law enforcement and school officials failed in their responsibilities. The book details the warning signs that Peter Odighizuwa was known to be disturbed and potentially violent and chronicles instances of school officials ignoring those signs. The book recounts the troubling problems Angelaas family had in trying to find answers to questions such as, aWhy was the most seriously wounded student the last to be evacuated?a The question remains, aWhy do elected officials and private citizens continue to be so blind, so callous, and so unwilling to analyze and gain knowledge from tragedies in order to prevent their repetition?a

When the untimely disappearance of Master of the Mill Joshua Braithwaite disrupts the peaceful town of Bridgestead, Kate Shackleton is tapped to discover the missing man's fate, only to stumble on dangerous secrets.

Date with Malice is the second book in a delightful new English village mystery series by Julia Chapman, set in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales. When a pensioner turns up at the Dales Detective Agency and tells Samson O’Brien that someone in her old people’s home is trying to kill her, he dismisses her fears as the ramblings of a confused elderly lady. But after several disturbing incidents at Fellside Court, he begins to wonder if perhaps there is something malicious at the heart of the retirement community after all. With Christmas around the corner, Samson is thrown into an investigation that will require all of his detective skills. He also needs the help of the tempestuous Delilah Metcalfe in order to infiltrate the local community, which Samson turned his back on so long ago. Against the background of a Yorkshire winter, Samson and Delilah must work together to uncover the malevolence that is threatening the lives of Bruncliffe’s senior citizens; a malevolence that will come perilously close to home.

Poisoned pooches and a missing teenager bring our detective duo back together in Date with Poison the fourth cosy crime novel in Julia Chapman's Dales Detective Agency series. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club and M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series. Spring is in the air in the Yorkshire Dales, but not everyone is filled with the joys of the season. Samson O’Brien of the Dales Detective Agency is being questioned by police about a murder, with the truth about his policing past about to be brutally exposed. Delilah Metcalfe is busy defending Samson to everyone in Bruncliffe, when her nephew runs away from home and a frantic search begins. And with attention elsewhere, only a local vet is paying attention to a worrying spate of canine poisonings happening throughout the village. Bruncliffe is turning toxic and with suspicion raining down on him, Samson knows he has to ask Delilah for help. Can she forgive his transgressions and help him so that they can find the missing boy and the poisoner, or has the poison already spread too far? Full of wit, warmth and characters you'll care about, continue the charming mystery series with Date with Danger. 'A delightful Dales tale to warm the cockles!' - Peterborough Telegraph 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