Six books set in the stunning Yorkshire Dales countryside including the tales of The Yorkshire Vet star Peter Wright

Six books set in the Yorkshire Dales

Date with Evil by Julia Chapman

This is the eighth instalment of Julia Chapman’s Dales Detective series. It follows her previous book in the series Date with Betrayal and a ninth book is set to be released next year called Date with Justice.

Evil actions are taking over the streets of Bruncliffe and the Dales Detective Agency is being inundated with cases.

However, with the agency being understaffed with Samson O’Brien staying in London to help Met Police clear his name and the newly appointed member of the investigations team, Ida Capstick, preoccupied with her brother George’s belief that their farm is haunted, Delilah Metcalfe is struggling to meet the mounting demands for the agency’s services.

So when the mother of a local estate agent arrives at the offices insisting her son is missing, Delilah is pleased that Samson returns to help out.

Though the detective duo are unaware that several of their cases are about to clash when identifying the whereabouts of the missing man becomes something more sinister.

The process of exposing the evil that has been festering throughout the Dales town over the past decade will place Delilah in danger.

The Wonderful World of James Herriot by James Herriot

This book is perfect for fans of All Creatures Great and Small as it is a charming collection of classic stories as told by James Herriot in his popular books, with insights into his life and work from his children Rosie and Jim.

The book tells the astute observations and humour and through these careful examinations country vet James Herriot captures the spirit and essence of the Yorkshire Dales and rural communities on the cusp of change, before tractors and machines had taken over.

Readers will also be treated to a beloved cast of characters, from quarrelling brothers Tristan and Siegfried to Herriot’s courtship and eventual family life with Helen Anderson.

Haunted Yorkshire Dales by Summer Strevens

This book uncovers the untold darker side of the Dales with a scary collection of true-life tales from across the region.

It features never before published stories, and guaranteed to terrify you and is ideal for locals and paranormal enthusiasts alike.

War Comes to the Dales by Betty Firth

Set in April 1941, this book follows the journey of Bobby Bancroft who arrived in Silverdale to take a job as a reporter on The Tyke magazine; the sleepy Yorkshire Dales village made him feel like he had a connection with it long before he moved there.

While the majority of the country had been suffering nightly bombing raids during the Blitz, life in an isolated Yorkshire Dales village continued as it had for 100 years or more. However, by summer of 1941, war makes its way to Silverdale and villagers face new hardships when shortages and rationing begin to affect locals, young men become scarce as more and more are called up for duty, and Bobby finds herself juggling her job on the magazine with a new role as an ARP warden.

Meanwhile, she is also growing closer to the village vet who is preparing to leave the village to begin training with RAF. Bobby is left with a difficult choice to make: Stay and continue working in her dream job or leave the village to be with the man she loves?

The Tales and Tails of a Yorkshire Vet: All in a Day’s Work for Peter Wright

Yorkshire’s popular vet Peter Wright reflects on his funniest, most shocking and heart-breaking animal encounters and situations he has experienced over his long and successful career.

The Yorkshire Vet recalls some of the key moments of his career as well as his most memorable patients as the tales take you back to the basics when vets were on first-name terms with their clients and there was always time for a chat.

Peter has been through it all - from lancing abscesses to carrying out castrations on young bulls; from clipping the claws of cats to putting beloved pets to sleep whose lives have become too painful or uncomfortable to endure.

The Yorkshire Farm Girl by Diane Allen

This is an emotional novel about a family dreaming of a better life when war looms over their village in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Fothergill family are going through a lot as they try to make ends meet while living on their farm in the Dales. Bob Fothergill has set his sights on buying his own farm instead of renting the one they currently reside in. His teenage daughter, Sally, wishes her father would see that she could help more with the farm, but he believes that a girl’s place is in the home. While his youngest son, Ben, has no interest in farming so is ignored. Sally’s mother makes do, knowing her husband wants what is best for them.

However, when Bob decides to take a well-paid part time job, collecting milk for the local dairy, it causes tension in the family, particularly on New Year’s Day in 1939. Ivy and Sally’s lives change and Sally gets her wish to be more hands on with the farm, coping with a bad winter and lambing sheep on her own. A stranger walks into Ivy’s life who shows her the affections she yearns for and her heart is lost to him.

Times are challenging when war undermines everything and the future is uncertain, but maybe the coming years could bring better times, only time will tell. Will the Fothergills survive the oncoming storm?