Richard Cole’s is well placed to write a murder mystery book set around a church and it’s worshippers in the village of Champton St Mary with his ecclesiastical knowledge not saying he knows about murder. The Rector Daniel alongside his mother Audrey and his dogs Cosmo and Hilda find their quiet lives disrupted by a murder swiftly followed by another and Daniel is very well placed to observe his parishioners and their lives from the Rectory can he solve the crimes before another murder occurs.

I was expecting so much more than I got from this book.

As I began reading this book I assumed it was set in the present day. References to Tenko and To the Manor Born being on the TV made me rethink that. I decided it must be the 1980s - rechecked the blurb, but no clues there. Then a character had what the Rector thought was a mobile phone in her handbag - he had never seen one. Well, in the 1980s a mobile phone was still very brick like, and not found in a ladies handbag! I was there.

Finally a clue (not about the storyline) - a Eurovision song was mentioned and it put the year at 1988. Meanwhile all this guesswork had distracted me from the story. It still read more like 1958 than 1988 to me and reminded me of the style of Barbara Pym.

I was 25% in before anything actually happened in the story and was beginning to wonder how long it would take to continue to "scene set". Far too many characters had me getting them muddled up, apart from the Rector and his family, and the rather awful Stella.

As you would expect the writer had the church scenes absolutely correct. Right down to the squabbling and in fighting with Church committees and such like. But for me it was too detailed in the high Church goings on, bible quotes and Latin references - The Vicar of Dibley this is not. I found it extremely dry reading.

At 74% there began to be a sort of Hercule Poirot moment of grey cells working and something caught my attention. Unfortunately it soon lapsed back to being a plod of a book for me. I did read to the end as I had invested so much in it. I wanted to know whodunnit!

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton. He has been there for eight years, living at the Rectory 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 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, stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs. As the police moves in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his fractured community together... and catch a killer.

I really enjoyed this, a well written murder mystery with clever plotting and a whole village of characters. We are introduced to the rector, Daniel, and spend the first part of the story getting to know everyone, how they fit together and the lie of the land in the village of Champton. I rather liked Daniel's mother, Audrey, not to be messed with. If you have ever lived in an English village or been part of a church community like this, you will see so many peope you recognise. There are plenty of liturgical references and the ebb and flow of life in a Church of England rectory. Lots of humour, some dark but mostly just comical and with a very dry wit. Great plot, I didn't guess who dunnit until you were meant to. Some murder mysteries leave clues for the reader but in this one I'm not sure we were given everything as in the end it was something Daniel had seen that revealed the identity to him. I don't think we saw what he did. Anyway, it was very well done, had a good pace and as we now know all the characters I shall look forward to more to come from the village of Champton. Highly recommend!

In this scene-setter to a presumed series, we meet Canon Daniel Clement, the rector of Champton, a village and church presided over by the local wealthy family (of course fallen on fairly hard times). We're in the 1980s or early 90s, as Cagney and Lacey is on the telly and mobile phones are just coming in - I'm not sure why this is done, unless it's so he can get in a long series without having a murder in the village every five minutes. Anyway here the murder doesn't happen until a third of the way through the book or so, so we have plenty of background, with a cast of mainly older folk (including Dan's mother, Evelyn, who lives with him and is a slightly odd character herself) apart from a slightly stereotypical poacher/Traveller and a surprisingly cultured police officer.

What slightly surprised me was the depth of liturgical detail and church lore involved in this high Anglican based story. It's lovey and respectful that faith and God are celebrated and woven in; Canon Clement does nothing that would undermine that, gathering his faith and doing the right thing by people. There's kindness and understanding of why people might not respect a church "because they don't know" which is striking.
There's a lot of detail and I was glad I happened to have read a book about church history recently that clarified a few places I might have been a bit woolly on terminology. Which does ask the question: who is this aimed at, as the churchgoing public with an interest in church terms must be fairly small, and the group of non-religious people like me with an interest in church terms smaller. Anyway.

It is a good read. There are some charming dogs, some poisonous gossips and a big house full of slightly damaged posh people. The discovery of the murderer works, although I did think that the reader is supposed to see all the clues so as to work it out for themselves and I'm not sure that exactly happens, as one point seems to be only seen by the Canon. Anyway, I was OK with that and maybe it was there and I missed it. It was a little non-diverse apart from some gay male characters, but would you expect that much diversity in an English 1980s village? I would certainly read more in the series.

My online review here: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/06/14/book-review-richard-coles-murder-before-evensong/

Thanks to Richard and NetGalley for allowing me to read Murder Before Evensong before the publication date.
This cozy mystery is a cross between Midsomer Murders, Grantchester and To the Manor Born which does seem to be what Richard intended.

Whilst believable, the machinations of the flower group and the power struggles within the church conjured up images of a farce and I am sure that many readers will have experienced similar behaviour in real life.

The village of Champton is the home of Canon Daniel Clement; he is at the Rectory there as is his mum, Audrey. The peace is disturbed when Daniel makes known his intention to put a lavatory in the church. Then Anthony Bowness, cousin to Bernard de Floures, the patron of Champton, is found dead, stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs.

The novel is set in the Spring and opens with a sermon; the reader is engulfed in a throng of individuals immediately. I didn’t guess whodunnit as I struggled to remember who everyone was, though this hasn't put me off from continuing the series, so far. I appreciated the part Audrey played who was wonderful and wicked. Of course Daniel's dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda deserve a mention. The wry humour dotted hither and thither really contributed to my enjoyment of Murder Before Evensong. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I’ve always wondered how you can believably make a transition from pop star to vicar, but Rev Coles seemed to have pulled it off. Being the erudite man that he is, to now have become an author as well was merely a matter of time.
His meditation at Compline:
“all began to fade from his thoughts. And in that vacated space silence unpacked itself and through the static and hiss, a deeper silence came, like the depths of the sea.”
The intricacies of parish life with all its self-important, bustly characters are portrayed rather well - a gaggle of Hyacinth Buckets bickering about the trivia of putting a lavatory in the church. Add to that the (former) splendour of the local manor house and its still resident family and drop in a murder or two.
A delightful condensed version of Midsomer in elegant prose, a gentle amble of pastoral village life.
Could do with a tad of editing to tighten it.

Canon Daniel Clement has been the rector of Champton, living with his fearsome mother Audrey and his dachshunds Cosmo and Hilda. Life is generally peaceful in the village, with the most exciting and controversial thing to worry the populace being Daniel’s plan to install a toilet in the church. But things aren’t going to stay calm forever…

When Anthony Bowness, cousin to the patron of Champton, is found dead in the church, stabbed in the neck by a pair of secateurs, it is only the beginning of the trouble. When a second body appears and the police seem clueless, it falls to Daniel to save his community by finding the killer in their midst.

So we come to Round Two of well-loved British celebrities with dark hair and glasses called Richard writing cosy mystery novels. For my overseas readers who might be unaware, Richard Coles has had a varied career, from a member of Bronski Beat and the Communards, to the vicar of Finedon, via a multitude of TV and radio appearances, whilst inspiring the lead character in the sitcom Rev and Tom in the Bridget Jones novels. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s written a mystery novel.

It’s pretty obvious that Coles has drawn on his own life experiences to create Daniel – the natural image in my head when reading it was Coles himself. The book is set in the eighties – with enough real-life events mentioned that you can date it to the exact days – but really all that does is cut out mentions of cell-phones, it’s a fairly timeless tale really. But as a mystery, is it any good?

Now you may recall, I wasn’t completely thrilled with the other Richard’s debut – it was fine, but as a mystery, it was lacking in those pesky clue things. Of course, thanks to my mildly sniffy review, the book plummeted into obscurity, never to be mentioned again. So I don’t think I’m going to do this Richard any harm by being mildly sniffy once again.

It’s a well-written book. The text is light-hearted and intelligent and, in case you were worried, it’s not preachy. Yes, Daniel’s faith is important to the story but there’s no lectures to the reader on the wonders of the Trinity. There’s a lot of interesting stuff in here, and Coles has written a very readable book with good central characters in Daniel and his mother. The plot trundles along nicely with an interesting pair of murders to mull over. There is also a bit of dark humour, such as the dogs discovering the corpse in the church.

But the clueing isn’t really there. For the second book in a row, the clue that makes it all click for Daniel is visual. It all ties together well enough although the motives for the two killings don’t gel as well as they might have. There’s also a few too many characters – a dramatis personae might have helped.

So, all in all, it’s not perfect, but it’s an enjoyable read with enough potential for the future – given it’s billed as “A Canon Clement Mystery”, I’m guessing there’ll be more to come…

Richard Cole’s has drawn on his experience as a village vicar to create the characters in this novel ,and has written an entertaining murder mystery.It’s the first in a series,so there’s a fair amount of scene setting and character introduction before the murders actually happen. I read this on a Kindle,so wasn’t able to look back and check on characters as easily as I would have in a hard copy ,and there are a lot of names and details to remember.It’s humorous and some very amusing sections which I am sure are drawn from personal experience.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Rather pedestrian, nothing much happens even the murders are a low key event. Not sure Rev Daniel Clement even likes his mother and brother. I thought that the Rev and the Policeman were going to form an exciting duo to solve the murders but they just had a few quite chats!
The two best characters, a shady father and son, who could have livened up future investigations for the Rev, were written out in the last few pages. All in all a good effort but must try harder.

A cosy crime novel by ex Communards musician Reverend Richard Coles. This was a decent read and a solid start to the Canon Clement series that left me thinking that it has a lot more to offer. We get a good insight into the characters and the novel was well written making it an entertaining read.

The Rector of Champton, Canon Daniel Clement is lives with Audrey, his widowed mother and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda in the Rectory. The big news in the parish is the announcement of a new toilet in the church which seems to cause more rumpus than anyone expected.

But talk soon focuses on the murder of Anthony Bowness when he is discovered dead at the back of the church, stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs, This is the start of further deaths in the community as the police race to catch the killer.

I feel fairly confident that I will as the characters grow on me the novels will continue to improve.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

As a teenager during the 1980s, I remember Richard Coles as one half of the pop duo The Communards. He has since become a vicar, which gives authenticity to his first foray into crime fiction. Richard Coles is a likeable, warm and erudite person and this is reflected in the book.

It is little surprise that the setting is tied to a church in a rural community, bringing to mind the TV series 'Father Brown' and other vicar-related dramas.

Canon Daniel Clement has the cure of Champton, with its multifarious characters including the titled de Floures family. A murder takes place in the church not long after Daniel announces the need to install a lavatory. This does not sit well with certain members who want their flower room extended, chief of whom is Stella Harper.

Daniel's mother, the redoutable Audrey, put me in mind of Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton meets Hyacinth Bouquet (Bucket) by imposing her personality on all around her, including her two sons. Theo, an actor about to film a new drama about a vicar married to a doctor, wants to shadow his vicar brother as he goes about parish business, a prospect that fills Daniel with misgivings. The two brothers have quite distinct personalities.

A second murder occurs near the bath house on the de Floures estate and Daniel is convinced that the two crimes are linked and the murderer someone in his own congregation. As events progress, he gradually unfolds a picture in his mind of who that someone might be, the final moment of clarity coming to him during a funeral service.

It is then that a third victim is discovered as well as the identity of the murderer.

I enjoyed this book immensely with its portrayal of a rural church community, its petty dramas, gossip, and social interactions well realised; however, those not familiar with church-related language will need a dictionary to hand.

There is gentle humour in many scenes and clever references to the 1980s, where events are set. I also loved the reference to the Bishop's curate that invoked Anthony Trollope's clerical novel 'Barchester Towers'.

Dog lovers will be delighted at the characters of Daniel's two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda, who have a crucial role to play in the murder narrative as it is they who inadvertently discover the first victim.

Further mysteries are planned for Canon Daniel and I look forward to reading them.

I received an ARC of this book from Orion Publishing Group, in return for an honest appraisal.

I relished looking forward to reading this one; it was everything I hoped – an utter delight from beginning to end!

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton where things have always been done a certain way and when he announces plans to install a much needed lavatory in the church, it cause untold upset among certain quarters of the congregation and battle lines are drawn. Daniel lives with his two dogs, Cosmo and Hilda and his mother has joined them in the rectory; Audrey relishes being in the thick of things and isn’t quite the docile old lady she first appears. When a member of the local nobility is found dead in the church – stabbed to death with a pair of secateurs, no less – Daniel needs to discover what’s going on in the community if he has any hope of keeping his flock together.

My first thought on finishing this book was how I could ‘hear’ the author’s voice throughout and, indeed, The Reverend Richard Coles narrates the audiobook – who else? Everything is right about this novel; the characters are deliciously created, the mystery is skilfully crafted and humour is peppered throughout. Frankly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Miss Marple herself had popped up partaking in afternoon tea! 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 fully deserves a full house of shining stars and my very best recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Whilst reading this book, I could hear Richard in my head reading it to me. I found it very funny in parts and a joy to read.

I should be one of the few human being who read this book and didn't know who is the writer so I had no expectation.
I thought it was going to be a cozy mystery and, maybe, there was something of Barbara Pym and her vicar&ladies.
The first part was brilliant: I loved the old dragons, the parish dynamics, and liked William. I had fun and laughed.
The mystery started and the story dragged as not a lot was happening till something happened and the book was again gripping.
The last part was excellent and kept me turning pages.
I liked the description of the social relationship and the story behind the characters. It's an excellent book that describes life in a small village and the relationship with the past. I think that the author did an excellent job in developing the village and the dynamics.
The mystery could have been a bit fast but it kept me guessing.
Even if I found it very slow at times it kept me hooked and entertained.
I only missed the Church Times (any Barbara Pym reader knows)
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I've enjoyed Richard Coles' autobiographical writing, and was pleased to find that his move into fiction was just as good. I loved entering the world of Rector Daniel Clement, meeting his congregation and getting a glimpse into the life of the parish. I've a few friends who are ministers of religion, and it was fun to see what I recognised, and what was new to me, but you wouldn't need to know anything about the Church of England or the role of a rector to find enjoyment in his writing - we hear about the joys and the challenges of such a calling, all the quirks and foibles, the potential encountering pettiness but also generosity. It took me a little while to get the hang of who the various congregants are, as we're introduced to them in fairly quick succession, but that might just be me, and once we got into the swing of the goings on in the village it was easy to remember who was who.

The murder-mystery element was well done, with plenty of potential suspects and motives, and I was kept guessing through to the end. And we get to see Daniel having to be many things to many people - rector looking after his parish, police liaison as the person to find the first victim, son to his energetic and slightly interfering mother, slightly frustrated sibling to his actor brother who's visiting to gem up on his new role as a vicar in a television series. It interested me that we mainly see Daniel through his calling rather than getting to know a lot about him personally. We know he's very good at what he does, warm and friendly but not afraid to challenge people when necessary, keeping out of village gossip unless people expressly come to speak with him, practical and conscious of the limitations and flaws of his calling, and yet devoted and faithful in the rhythms of service. This reminded me of something that my minister friends have told me, in that it's difficult to have deep friendships with members of the congregation, because no matter how much you strive to keep away from hierarchy, the role has an element of leadership, and you are slightly set apart, and perhaps don't feel entirely free to be completely open and at ease. I think the only place I started to see glimpses of Daniel the person rather than Daniel the rector was in his interactions with Neil Vanloo, one of the detectives involved in the case. I really hope this is the start of a friendship that we'll see in the other books in the series.

And of course, throughout we get Coles' warmth and wit, with beautiful prose that brings Daniel and the village of Champton to life. A very enjoyable read, and looking forward to the next one.

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton, a small village with its own stately home owned by Bernard de Floures. The most exciting thing to happen in Champton is the argument as to whether the church should install a lavatory or a buttery for the flower arrangers, then Bernard de Floures' alcoholic cousin is found by Daniel, murdered in one of the pews, with a pair of secateurs no less! But no sooner have the press departed to pastures new and the village returned to some sort of normality, than another body is found floating in the lake.

Oh dear, obviously I read a completely different book to all the celebrities who have written glowing endorsements of this book.

First, when exactly was this book set, I'm sure if I could be bothered to piece together the clues I could work it out, late 1980s/early 1990s? There is no indication (that I can see) as to when it is set, which is hugely discombobulating to the reader who imagines it must be present day.

Second, this was like some nineteenth century novel that you got forced to read at school, billed as a funny detective story. There was an interminable amount of detail about the life of a rector, the prayers, the ceremonies, and a lot in Latin which meant nothing to me. In addition, frankly there are absolutely no clues whatsoever to help the reader guess the murderer and the identification of the murderer comes out of left-field. Half of Daniel's (and his mother's) thoughts went straight over my head, too obtuse and loaded with religious terminology.

I was hoping (given The Reverend Richard Coles' past life and amusing anecdotes) for something like Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club books, but featuring a rector, alas it was not to be. I kept reading right to the end but the style didn't change. I don't think I will be requesting the next book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

3.75 stars rounded up.
There are lots of things I enjoyed about this book but, equally, there are also lots I didn't. I'm going to try and explain without spoilers.
Firstly, the author uses some very obscure words. I have a very good vocabulary and I had to reach for the dictionary on several occasions whilst reading. Luckily I was on my kindle and only had to touch the word for it to pop up, but even that brief interruption took me out of the book. I am not sure why authors do this, it only serves to alienate people and it's not big and definitely not clever!
Secondly, on the same theme, and I know it is set in "The Church" but, again, obscure words and rites and maybe a bit over the top there too. Again distracting.
Which leads me to the plot. Which was a bit thin. If you take all else that is going on around and about then it leaves it all a bit thin. Not that what is going on outwith the crime isn't interesting. It is. It's just that I was sold this as a "Murder Mystery"...
It's slow to start too, and not just scene setting and character introduction. Although I understand that this being the first in series, there are certain things that need to happen. Foundations need laid and all that. But here it was a little too much for me.
Oh and it was set in the 80s. Which I didn't twig until quite a way through. The author relying on telling rather than showing this to the reader.
But. If you take away the crime, you are left with a wonderful character study of village life and that which the church surrounds itself. Full of larger than life characters, bickering, jealousy, secrets, lies and more than a dollop of duplicitous behaviour. Hence the murders...!
Canon Daniel Clement is an interesting chap. His wry sense of humour, his obsession with installing a toilet, and his relationship with his mother, all made me chuckle along the way. He's passionate about what he does, and that shines from him. He loves his home, his church, and his village and serves them all to the best of his ability.
As to whether I will continue with the series? It's too early to sack it off. Some of the best series I still read started with a bit of a bump for me and went on to be firm favourites. I do have high hopes for this one too.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a delightful cosy murder mystery, the first in a series featuring Canon Daniel Clement. Set in the parish of Champton St Mary, Richard Coles festoons us with an eclectic cast of characters, quite numerous and you do need to keep track of who’s who. He spends quite some time introducing us to the Daniel and his parish, and I thoroughly enjoyed his observations and commentary on the everyday life: for instance Daniel buying a pencil eraser - never asking for a rubber! I absolutely adored Cole’s use of language in these moments and thought he captured the essence of a typical English country parish perfectly. And then a shock discovery in the church throws the parish into turmoil. A murder in their quiet little village.
I liked how the history of the events of the wartime years in the big house were woven into the story and how hidden secrets were revealed as the story developed. It kept me guessing to the end as to who did it, which I was pleased about. Daniel is quite an incidental detective in that it’s not his main goal to solve the crime, rather to care for his flock, and this gave a different perspective to the popular (and excellent) cosy murder mysteries of the moment. I couldn’t help but see and hear Rev Richard as Daniel, but for me that added to the charm of the book. I’m looking forward to the next episode already! This is set to be one of the summer’s top reads I’m sure!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Lovely start to a new cosy crime series.

Wonderful characters and scenery, witty fun conversations and a really enjoyable storyline.

I think Richard Coles has got off to a great start with his new cosy crime series and I look forward to book 2.