THE latest in the Dales Detective series of books starts with a wedding, but before fans get too excited, it's not Samson and Delilah who are trying the knot.

Date with Justice, the ninth and penultimate book in the hugely popular series written by Dales-based writer Julia Chapman, is set in Bruncliffe, a fictional version of Settle.

Picking up from where the last book left off, we are back in Bruncliffe for a wedding, and Delilah Metcalfe is far from happy.

Having finally managed to get it together with Samson O' Brien in the last book, Date with Evil, he is back in London where his job with the Metropolitan Police has delayed him heading back Up North for the wedding.

Samson, an undercover drugs detective is facing a big decision, whether to stay put in exciting London, or go back to Bruncliffe, the place where he was born.

There's never a dull minute in Bruncliffe mind. The day after the wedding and a body is discovered, in the Hoffman Kiln on the edge of the town no less.

Its clearly a case for Samson and Delilah's Dales Detective business, and things get complicated when Delilah's hot-headed brother Will becomes the prime suspect.

Samson is only back in Bruncliffe for a week's rest and recuperation, so solving the murder as well as getting to the bottom of nightly shenanigans at the Dales Patisserie is going to take some doing.

There is also unrest amongst the elderly residents of Fellside Court  following a change of hands, will the rents be put up, will they be thrown out?

And not only that, there is the sale by auction of Samson's old family home. His father had been forced to sell the farm several years earlier - even if Samson could afford it, would he really want to leave the bright lights of the capital and settle back in the Dales with Delilah?

Date with Justice is the penultimate book in the series, the last will be with us in April 2025.

The books are due to be adapted for British television audiences, having already been turned into a hit television series in France.

Date with Justice is published by Pan and comes out on April 4, priced £9.99. It can be pre-ordered from Limestone Books in Settle and The Stripey Badger in Grassington and online. Julia Chapman will be signing copies of the book at Limestone Books on April 4 from 2pm to 4.30pm.