Swipe right and make a date with a witty and wholesome debut, from a classic whodunnit series

The Dales Detective series, written by Julia Chapman, promises a cosy British mystery set in the hearts of Yorkshire. And that is exactly what the first book from the series delivers. Today's case: Date with Death.

Set in Bruncliffe in the Yorkshire Dales, Delilah Metcalfe is a struggling business owner of the Dales Dating Agency, where she strives to pair suitable candidates, to create the perfect love story they desire. Samson O'Brien, a previous police officer working in London, returns home, bringing not just the sun from the south, but also prompting a murder investigation, after a man is found dead on the train tracks. At first, all fingers point to a simple suicide. However, Samson is not convinced, and feeling an obligation to get to the bottom of this case, he brings up a sinister association to the Dales Dating Agency run by Delilah, the victim having been a previous user of this service. In a bid to save the reputation of her dating agency, Delilah and Samson are forced to work together, to save the people of Bruncliffe.

Right off the bat, the synopsis of this book has a very unique plot which immediately attracted me. The link between a dating agency and murder is enticing, curious, genius and unique to other thrillers and mysteries out there. Julia perfectly bridges the gap between a witty, light-hearted rom-com and an intense, suspenseful mystery, making this the perfect read for any readers that are fans of both of these genres.

Another thing Julia excelled in doing throughout this book, was writing the story from the perspectives of multiple characters. It wasn't simply told from the mind of Delilah, or Samson, but a variety of different characters... including the murderer! What's more, Julia managed to cleverly include the different perspectives successfully within each chapter, as opposed to starting a new chapter every time a new character perspective was included, and this made reading each chapter more engaging and interesting, and certainly kept me hooked. For the author, I can imagine it must have been gratifying to explore the story from the different angles, and give light to the different characters thought processes and mindsets, throughout the book.

This book was also very, very funny, and there were several parts of the book I had highlighted all over because I enjoyed reading it so much, including a fun darts game at the pub, an intense speed dating event and a lively viewing of an auction tv show.

The story leaves a lot of potential for the next one in the series, and I certainly intend on reading the follow up books in this series. So, light some candles, switch the fireplace on, grab a blanket, and set a date to read this one.