blees_n_books2's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sillybillybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Visit the locations in the novel Welcome to Bruncliffe, Yorkshire
Despite the calamities and strange old people who live in Bruncliffe, oh and despite the fact it’s a fictional setting, I really want to live there! Delilah and Samson are the funniest twosome I’ve come across in fiction for a long while. All wrapped up with witty Yorkshire asides and a pot of Yorkshire tea brewing over the page…
Samson has a sense of humour to rival the next man – He wants to move on , away from Bruncliffe, back to London, where there sill be “No more old ladies making wild accusations and no more smelly farmers”
A series of crimes involving an old age people’s home might not sound exciting, but in the hands of Julia Chapman it is! Funny, dark and quite poignant in places, no character is your cliched typical old person but they have some very interesting characters there! Samson knows the place well as he has connections there himself…a nice interesting thread to the story.
There’s a strong sense of Yorkshire’s charms all the way through the story- humour, landscape, farming history and more but it’s the characters who shine – each delicately crafted and ruffed up before appearing on the pages. I could see them all clearly, scowls and all, and it’s a cracking mystery in this one – go Samson!
With the Christmas overtones, it’s a nice one to read when the nights get even chillier and if it snows like in the book – so much the better!
julie7's review against another edition
3.5
3.5 ⭐ =Quite Good.
#2 in the Dales Detective series, and I enjoyed this one slightly more than the first.
This didn't take quite so long to get into the plot. Perhaps that was because we were already familiar with many of the characters.
A gentle read - well as gentle as it can be when murders are involved!
#2 in the Dales Detective series, and I enjoyed this one slightly more than the first.
This didn't take quite so long to get into the plot. Perhaps that was because we were already familiar with many of the characters.
A gentle read - well as gentle as it can be when murders are involved!
mscezik's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
helenephoebe's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this one slightly more than the first in the series, [b:Date with Death|34303357|Date with Death (The Dales Detective, #1)|Julia Chapman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487076377l/34303357._SY75_.jpg|50329914], and realistically would give this 3.5 stars (hurry up and add half stars, Goodreads!). A cosy crime murder mystery brimming with interesting characters, this is great for a snowy day to listen to in front of the fire, or radiator.
I wasn't really very fond of Samson in the first book, but he really grows on me here, especially as we see a lot more of his relationship with his father. Delilah I still love, but I had hoped to see more of her with her family in this one, so was a little disappointed on that score, but maybe in future books. I hope.
Based at a retirement complex, this mystery isn't what I expected, as the characters came to life so easily, though at times I thought the plot was a little lacking in substance and could have been more concise as some things that happened seemed to have no purpose at all.
Nevertheless a lovely easy read and I've got the others reserved on the library app and looking forward to delving into more of the adventures of Delilah and Samson and seeing how their relationship develops.
I wasn't really very fond of Samson in the first book, but he really grows on me here, especially as we see a lot more of his relationship with his father. Delilah I still love, but I had hoped to see more of her with her family in this one, so was a little disappointed on that score, but maybe in future books. I hope.
Based at a retirement complex, this mystery isn't what I expected, as the characters came to life so easily, though at times I thought the plot was a little lacking in substance and could have been more concise as some things that happened seemed to have no purpose at all.
Nevertheless a lovely easy read and I've got the others reserved on the library app and looking forward to delving into more of the adventures of Delilah and Samson and seeing how their relationship develops.