I was looking for a new series to bring on my book tour in June, paperbacks I could easily pack and tote, and a friend recommended The Dales Detective Series by Julia Chapman.
I started with the first, of course, 2017’s Date with Death, which introduces protagonists Samson and Delilah, who couldn’t be more opposite. I was charmed by the rural Dales setting, graphically brought to life by Chapman’s lush prose, and the eccentric cast of characters she introduced. I gobbled it up and reached for the second and the third. Soon I had worked my way through all nine to date, 2024’s Date with Evil, and I’m happy to report I’m still charmed by the series, which has grown as the characters have.
Here’s Julia taking about the genesis of the series in her own words:
When I first moved to the Yorkshire Dales, I was still writing a series of books set in the French Pyrenees. It was disconcerting at times – trying to remember all the facets of the stunning Pyrenean scenery while living amongst the fells of Northern England. But every time I went out for a run or on my bike I was struck by the beauty of the area around me; an area I wasn’t even writing about. It seemed criminal…
When I finished the French series, my mind still didn’t turn to home. Not immediately. I was looking further south. To a big city. A series of thrillers set in a bustling metropolis. I’d been planning the books for a year or so, my mind tweaking and pulling at ideas when I was out on the fells with the sound of the larks as my only company.
What changed? The Dales crept up on me. Just as animals can be imprinted by humans if they spend too long with them, so I became imprinted with this amazing part of the world. While I was trying to plot murder in the city, I was constantly noticing the shade of the heather on the hills as September bleeds into October. Instead of turning my thoughts to the voices of the city-dwelling characters I was creating, I was hearing the first call of the curlew as spring arrives. And rather than describing crowded streets and the mayhem of city life, my eyes were drawn to the rainbow colours on the ewes’ rear ends as the breeding season got into full swing! The landscape and its inhabitants got under my skin. How could I not write about them?
And so, after quite a few runs up on the fells where I do my best thinking, the Dales Detective Series was born. Characters arrived, locals and offcumden – folk from beyond the dale – all thrown together by mystery and murder. They congregated in The Fleece, a pub where everyone knows everything about you – and sometimes even before you! They gathered in the market on the cobbled square. They frequented Peaks Patisserie, a cafe I want to one day open for real! They were inhabitants of Bruncliffe, a typical Dales town.
Why a fictional town when there is an adequate one right there, on the map? (A gorgeous one too, I might add!) Well, it’s more versatile. I can move the town centre around. Relocate the town hall, put a pub where there’s a house. Create a butcher’s where there’s a hardware shop. And no one can say ‘Oh, but that’s not how it is …’
But while Bruncliffe may be fictional, the world it’s set in isn’t. The Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside feature heavily. The limestone pavement patterns the fells. Swaledale sheep outnumber people. And the locals are as blunt and sharp-witted as their real-life counterparts.
Marni: Julia, that’s a great history to the series. Can you tell us who were influences on your writing?
M: What are you working on next?
MIss Demeanors
Author
Thanks so much for joining us, Julia. I love the idea of being imprinted by the part of the world you’re in. Will definitely read this series.
Thank you for visiting us, Julia!