Julia CHAPMAN : Date with malice (The Dales detectives #2)

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. But after a series of disturbing incidents at Fellside Court retirement home, he begins to wonder if there is something to her claims after all...
With Christmas around the corner, Samson is thrown into a complex investigation. One that will require him to regain the trust of the Dales community he turned his back on so long ago. Faced with no choice, he enlists the help of a local – the tempestuous Delilah Metcalfe.
Against the backdrop of a Yorkshire winter, Samson and Delilah must work together once again if they are to uncover the malevolence threatening the elderly residents of Bruncliffe. Could the danger be perilously close to home ?

 

 

 

What more is there to say about those novels except "I really like them !" ?

 

I'd read the first book in the series but missed the second until I saw it at the library. It's a very entertaining series that takes place in Yorkshire, in a small community where everybody knows everyone, complete with a nursing home, a huge dog, possibly gay sheeps, a dating agency and typical Yorkshire temper. There is also a conclusion about foreigners that you'd like to see more in those small town stories - especially with the effective Brexit closing in.

It's a fun read, you grow to love the characters, you're dying to know what is troubling Samson and why he won't talk about this business in London. My only reluctance in all this is that I see a romance coming while I like Samson and Delilah just as they are, as friends.