I am a fan of Rev Richard Cole’s and was pleased to be given the opportunity to review it for Netgalley. I really wanted to enjoy it and give a good review, sadly I found it so slow and couldn’t warm to the characters. It was written with Richards glorious turn of phrase but would have benefitted from a little more ruthless editing. It galloped along toward the end but by then I had lost interest.

When I found out that the Reverend Richard Coles had written a work of fiction, I knew I wanted to read it immediately. I find the author intelligent and quietly witty, always bringing a smile to my face.

The year is 1988, which I wasn’t initially aware of. Canon Daniel Clement is the Rector at St Mary’s Champton, a genteel English village. Four years ago, The Rector was joined by his elderly Mother Audrey; and more recently, is being pestered by frequent visits from his actor Brother Theo. The two resident dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda, are never far from Daniel’s side. Usually, the most troubling issue to concern the village, is the power wrangling within the Parish Church Council. This is the very last place you would imagine to be the scene of a murder, but happen, it does.

The parishioners are well studied, warm and colourful characters, so much so, you wonder if the author may have encountered similar individuals in his own parishes. I enjoyed the popular culture references of the time, comments about Celine Dion’s Eurovision attire, and Nellie Boswell brought a smile to me.

If you like your murder mysteries wordy and slow burning, your stories character driven, and your villages Marple-esque, Murder Before Evensong is the book for you. The author’s character shines through every word on the page, in this light 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ cosy crime mystery.

I love a good mystery but this wasn’t it. I found the beginning a bit slow but warmed to the storyline as the book progressed. I suppose I was expecting a bit more Father Brown which was my expectation. I also found a too many characters which for a first book was possibly key. Maybe introduce more in book 2 and so on. The comings and goings of the vicarage rang true for someone who has lived in a church house. Thanks Richard and your publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is the first book in a new series featuring Canon Clement. I was looking forward to reading this but it was a very slow burner. There was an awful lot of background information about the various villagers, the church, Champton House etc etc. Too many characters to remember at that stage and it was about 30% into the book before anything actually happened! And what is the preoccupation with toilets and related matters - too much of it for me. Now for the good bit. Once the murder had taken place the pace definitely moved up a tad and I found it a lot more enjoyable. Very well written and a good plot line.

Briefly, Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton and lives in the rectory with his mother, two dachshunds and most recently his actor brother. The idyll of rural life is shattered when he finds Anthony Bowness stabbed in the church. But that is only the start and as the dead body count rises Daniel feels he must get involved. Can he help prevent further killings?

This is a slightly highbrow cozy mystery that reminded me a little bit of Grantchester. I thought my command of the English language was pretty good but I had to google quite a number of words as I was reading this. There are some really great characters living in the village à la Miss Marple and they made the story for me. I did love the regular references to 80’s social content and the World War II details. All in all it was an enjoyable read and I’ll look forward to the next book in the series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A quite cosy whodunit, in the style of Granchester, or Midsommer Murders, with a tiny splash of the Vicar of Dibley. Lots of characters to keep track of but this is a very enjoyable English country murder mystery and I look forward to reading the next instalment.

The different characters and their interactions in this book make the murder plot almost secondary as for me Canon Clement's daily life is the real story. The style is quite wordy but I enjoyed it despite having to reread the occasional passage to work out who was saying what, also it wasn't immediately clear when the book was set which caused me some confusion at the start.

The little nuggets of information about liturgy and music added to the appeal and I think it's a worthy start to the anticipated series.

This was one of my most-anticipated books of the year so I was delighted to receive an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is perfect for fans of cosy crime novels. It begins with a heated debate amongst residents of a sleepy village about the installation of a new toilet in the local church, but things soon take a dark turn... There are funny moments, especially with the protagonist's mother. The novel is unmistakably in Richard Coles' voice and he is able to examine some interesting philosophical concepts with a light touch. I'd be interested to read what he writes next.

This was slightly slow to begin with and not at all what I was expecting, it wasn't crime thriller nor was it cosy crime, it sat somewhere awkwardly between the two. Some of the religious language went over my head but I loved the characters, though I did have to go back and remind myself who a couple of them were. I feel Daniel could have been developed a little more, I felt I knew more about his parishioners than I did him. Despite all of this I feel Richard's writing definitely has potential and I would read the next in the series.

A slow start to this story but stuck with it and really enjoyed it. Didn't guess who the murderer was at all! I got to really like the characters and especially the way Daniel was with his parishioners.
I was slightly confused with some of the characters in this book and had to go back a couple of times to figure out who was who, but basically a good cosy murder story and I'm really looking forward to read the others in this series.
Thank you netgalley

Sadly, as far as I'm concerned, the blurb was more exciting than this novel. Murder Before Evensong is Richard Coles' first foray into fiction and, at times, it felt as though he'd forgotten that. I found the novel heavy, weighed down by the author's knowledge of, and research into, the history, traditions and liturgy of the Anglican Church. He felt the need to share more of the intricacies of all three than was necessary for my understanding and enjoyment of the plot. The book needed an editor brave enough to cut vast swathes of what my university professor would have described as padding.

And yet, the characters were beautifully drawn. I could feel Daniel's irritation with his mother and brother's lack of understanding of his calling and all that it entails practically, never mind spiritually. Edgy and Nathan come off the page with the greatest of ease, as do, from the other end of the village's social hierarchy, Honoria and Alex, children of the aristocracy. And the bishop, who has a small role, has stepped straight out of wheeler-dealing of Barchester.

The plot is a little sparse and lacking in the clue and pointers I think are necessary for any crime novel. I have an intense dislike of the 'cosy crime' label but that is where this book will be found; and I don't think it plays fair with its probable readers who will want to attempt to solve the mystery for themselves. And I was also left unconvinced by the murderer's reasons for committing the crime; they didn't feel strong or important enough.

But, will I read on in the series? Yes. Because the characters are real and the setting is beautifully evoked. And I've read enough debut novels to know that most authors learn from the writing of them and tighten both the writing and the plot. So, give this a try and wait in hope for the sequel.

This was such a joy. Maybe it's because I listen to Richard Coles on the radio, but I could actually hear his voice reading it to me in my mind. No, not hallucinations but it really sounded just like him and sounded so honest and believable. As a lover of cosy mystery stories and Agatha Christie this was right up my street. Please write lots more, I would buy them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "Murder Before Evensong" by Richard Coles. For full transparency, I have been a fan of his music and his celebrity presence prior to him writing.

This book had so much potential! Similar to tv shows such as 'Father Brown', I expected Canon Daniel Clement to be witty and smart. However, the actual murder of this book felt like an after thought and it focused much more on religion than I expected. I wished that the murder wasn't subdued and that the final reveal of who did it was more shocking. I was truly disappointed in this one.

I was so excited to hear the author had written his first book. So I decided to make it an epic afternoon. Cup of tea. Strawberry scone. Sitting in the summerhouse. I quite literally drifted away to an afternoon of murder and cozy crime. I absolutely loved it. I’m not a follower of any faith but loved the whole church setting. Hopefully more to come. Brilliant start!

Daniel Clement, Rector to the parish of Champton, thinks that the biggest issue in his community is the proposal to install a lavatory in the church, necessitating the removal of a handful of pews. Little does he realise, this divisive issue will be overshadowed by a brutal murder with the suspect likely to be among his parishioners. Encouraged by the Police, and eagerly aided by his mother, brother and two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda, Daniel must use his understanding of his flock to catch a killer.

Readers expecting ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ but with a parish church setting (as I was) may be in for a bit of a literary culture shock. Whilst ‘Murder Before Evensong’ absolutely bears all the hallmarks of an excellent cosy crime novel – a village setting, a Lord of the Manor, cakes, secrets, intrigue, murder using a pair of secateurs – Coles’ writing is more erudite and injects quite a lot of ecclesiastical information and terminology that may turn off some looking for an easier read. I would say that the book is extremely well-researched, but of course, The Reverend Coles has his own work-related experiences to draw from in this area. I cannot vouch for the 1980s references, however – the novel is set in 1988, not before my time but only very shortly after it began!

I confess, I did struggle also to keep track of the different characters and their backstories, but the reveal when it came was actually quite affecting. I had had a suspicion from relatively early in the plot and this turned out to be correct but there was much more to it, which I thought was great.

Overall, an enjoyable read that will best suit anyone who has either lived in a small village community and/or has had dealings with the Church of England, its politics and peculiarities. I’ll certainly consider reading the next in the series.

Many thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for the advance copy on which this review is based.

As soon as I heard that Richard Coles was writing a crime mystery I eagerly anticipated it and I wasn’t disappointed.

Featuring Canon Daniel Clement, the rector of Champton St Mary it is filled with delightfully drawn characters who could have come straight out of (the blessed) St Mary Mead, not least Audrey, Daniel’s wonderful gossipy mother.

I love the machinations of the various factions on the Parish Council and the controversy at the mention of installing a loo in the church (shock, horror!). Richard has obviously sat on many such a meeting himself.

At first I was a little confused as to Canon Daniel’s age (not to mention his mother’s) when he referred to remembering 1950’s rationing near the start of this book, but when his brother arrived in a brand new Golf GTI I realised it was set in the eighties!

I also liked his slight obsession with stationery (Faber Castell eraser anyone?).Who isn’t slightly obsessed with stationery?

There is a good smattering of murder starting with the cousin of the Lord of the Manor and churchwarden Anthony Bowness, and I didn’t guess the murderer’s identity until it was revealed.

A thoroughly enjoyable first effort into Midsomer style crime and I will look forward to the next installment of the likeable Daniel’s adventures.

I loved loved loved this book. I have been so excited for this one from Rev Richard Cole’s since hearing about it, so I’m so happy to have been approved! A great cosy Murder mystery

This novel was not at all what I had expected. Rather than a cosy village whodunit, read in one sitting, this book needed several sessions, and was much easier to put down early on than I thought it might be.

The first quarter of the book moved slowly, with such a large number of characters introduced (including many ladies of a certain age), that I found it quite confusing to remember who was who, and their relationships to each other. Once the gory parts of the plot got going, however, the book was more difficult to put down, and the Canon himself turned out to be very likeable

Parts of the text might have benefitted from more ruthless editing, especially towards the beginning, and some choices of expression, for example, "the dogs had done their poopoos", were bizarre and might have been better rephrased.

In spite of my reservations, given the compelling main character, I am looking forward to reading the next books in this series.

I was pleasantly impressed by this debut Murder mystery from Rev Coles - likeable and pleasant characters brought vividly to life, a slower and gentle approach to mystery, a well thought out plot. There were several little nods to knowledge, and occasionally these would digress into the minutiae of the church. But overall, this was a very enjoyable book and I’d happily read more. One tiny question - I don’t think it was ever really explained when this was set. There were no mobiles or computers (though an early computer is referenced at one point), and Canon Clements’ mother is watching Eurovision at one point, featuring Celina Dion (so 1988... except the UK act that is mentioned wasn’t our actual entry that year?).

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This is very enjoyable. For those of us who enjoy listening to and watching Richard Coles (now ex Rev), it’s not a surprise to read such an intelligently written, warm and funny book. This is the first of a series apparently. For a first attempt at writing crime fiction, I think it’s pretty good. There were perhaps too many characters introduced initially but I suppose it was important to set the scene and introduce us to Daniel Clement (I can’t see him as anyone else but the author), his parish and work. I am sure much of it will be based on his own experiences and certainly Daniel Clement’s personality is very reminiscent of Richard Coles’ own. I laughed out loud a few times. I didn’t guess whodunnit, although that didn’t surprise me as I was still trying to work out who was who. I enjoyed reading it and will look forward to reading the second in the series. Happy retirement, Richard! If this is how you’re going to spend it, lucky us!

I struggled with this one. Like others, I really like Rev. Richard Coles and enjoy his appearances on TV. I also enjoy cosy mysteries and I was looking forward to reading something light hearted and easy reading. It's not quite either of those things.

As others have said, it's very wordy and I think this impacts on its accessibility. It took ages for the plot to move forward as the reader is introduced to a cast of many, many characters (at the start it wasn't immediately clear who was a major character and who was a minor or incidental character) and I had to talk myself into keeping going. I'm glad I did as I enjoyed many of the characters and the plot itself. I didn't enjoy the overly detailed descriptions that padded out the book and slowed the plot down significantly. I have studied Latin and yet, whenever there was a Latin phrase included, I had to stop and comb through my brain to translate it.

I enjoyed the last third of the book most of all when major characters had been established and the overly detailed descriptions had calmed down enough to focus on just the plot. It became a much easier and enjoyable read at this point,

As the start of a series, I think it shows promise. With interesting characters, a setting without the trappings of 21st century technology and a likeable protagonist, there is much to engage readers. For the next one, I think it would benefit from some ruthless editing and an acknowledgment that not every reader will have the wide and rich vocabulary that the author does.