Murder Before Evensong: The instant no. 1 Sunday Times bestseller

· Hachette UK
4.2
32 reviews
Ebook
368
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

THE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER

'Devotees of Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories will feel most at home here' Guardian
'I've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs... et voila!' Dawn French
'Cosy crime with a cutting edge' Telegraph
'Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice' Ian Rankin
'Charming and funny' Observer
Even better than I knew it would be' India Knight
'Quintessentially English' Sunday Express
'An absolute joy' Adam Kay
''Wry, tongue-in cheek and whimsical' Daily Mail
'Glorious' Robert Webb
'Beautifully written, charming, funny, intelligent and mordant too' Sunday Times
'Pitch perfect' Philip Pullman
'A cunning whodunnit' Daily Express

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton, where he lives alongside his widowed mother - opinionated, fearless, ever-so-slightly annoying Audrey - and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda.
When Daniel announces a plan to install a lavatory in the church, the parish is suddenly (and unexpectedly) divided: as lines are drawn, long-buried secrets come dangerously close to destroying the apparent calm of the village.
And then Anthony Bowness - cousin to Bernard de Floures, patron of Champton - is found dead at the back of the church. As the police moves in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his community together... and catch a killer.

Ratings and reviews

4.2
32 reviews
polxhhtx
August 20, 2023
Unless reading bible quotes and Latin phrases are part of your daily life, the book leaves the reader feeling ignorant at times which takes away from any storyline. Once you get past that, you find the plot is unnecessarily overcomplicated. The writing style consists of the author using overly long sentences, with up to a dozen commas in in some cases. This appears to be just so he can prove to the reader that he is educated to a higher level than them by inserting as many long words, many with a classics/theological basis, as possible. Even with the storyline complications, he also fails to give enough hints to the reader on who the killer might be, and as such the ending jumps out without warning and drops a somewhat unbelievable conclusion. Father Brown this isn't!
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Alison Souter
December 19, 2022
Engaging characters and an absorbing story, and I enjoyed the ecclesiastical details too. And the lovely dogs! l look forward to reading Canon Clement's next case.
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Grace J. Reviewerlady
June 9, 2022
Delightfully written and absolutely, terrifically enjoyable this is everything it promised and so very much more. The best news of all is that it’s the first of a series and I shall be reading each and every one. On top of Richard Coles being a man of many talents whose kindness and humour shines through everything he does – including his writing – he is a keen observer of his fellow human, and it shows. A sparkling read and one which deserves a full house of stars and my best recommendation.
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About the author

THE REVEREND RICHARD COLES is a writer, broadcaster and an Anglican priest. He co-presented Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4 for a number of years and appears, from time to time, on QI, Have I Got News For You and Would I Lie To You? He has won Christmas MasterChef, Celebrity Mastermind twice, and captained Leeds to victory in Christmas University Challenge in 2019. A contestant on Strictly Come Dancing (2017) and a third place finalist on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (2024) he exhibits huge bravery. He writes regularly for the Sunday Times, and is the author of half a dozen books, including a bestselling autobiography, Fathomless Riches, and the bereavement bestseller The Madness of Grief, written after the death of his partner, David Coles. The first three books in the Canon Clement series have all been No.1 Sunday Times bestsellers.

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