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When we go out for the day on Saturdays I usually hear the Reverend Richard Coles on "Saturday Live" on the car radio. He is an interesting, sympathetic character with a pleasant radio voice. When he published his first crime novel, "Murder Before Evensong" I thought why not give it a go.
Richard was born in 1962 in Northampton, attended Wellingborough School, and then eventually ended up studying theology at Kings College, London (1991 to 1994). He was a Roman Catholic from 1991 to 2001, but then switched back to Anglicanism. He got his MA from Leeds in 2005.
Richard is gay. He came out in 1978, but this proved a somewhat traumatic experience - he suffered depression, and even tried to commit suicide. He worked as a vicar, but lived with his partner David Oldham until his sad death in 2019. His older brother Andy was a police officer at the Met.
Richard is a gifted musician, playing saxaphone, clarinet, and keyboards. He formed the Communards in 1985, and they had three top ten UK hits, including a number one hit for 4 weeks. The group broke up in 1988.
As a vicar, he was curate at St Botolph's in Boston, Lincs - a place we sometimes visit - and then at St Paul's Church, in Knightsbridge. But he also conducted an atheist funeral for Mo Mowlem in 2005. Eventually (in 2011) he was appointed vicar at Finedon, in the diocese of Petersborough. He admitted he functioned as a sort of half time vicar - because of his masses of other interests. He has been a broadcaster in many game and quiz shows, he presented a special edition of Songs of Praise, and regularly hosted "Saturday Live" on Radio 4, 2008 onwards, and still going. He appeared in Celebrity Chef, and Celebrity Mastermind - in fact in too many varied shows to list here. He even competed on the TV hit "Strictly Come Dancing" in 2017 - but although musical he was not a dancer and was eliminated in the second round. He retired from Finedon in 2022, explaining that he felt the Church of England was increasingly unfriendly to gay couples.
Richard started writing in 2012, and published his first crime novel - "Murder before Evensong" - in 2022. This is the first of an intended series featuring Canon Daniel Clement.
I read this book in March, 2023.
This is book 1 in an intended Canon Daniel Clement series. It's 1988, and we are in the idealised English village of Champton where Daniel is the rector of the local church, Champton St Mary's. Daniel has a first in theology, and has been rector there for 8 years. He can write a shopping list in Hebrew, but cannot change a plug, and he is such a poor driver in his ancient, litter strewn Land Rover that sensible passengers take over the driving. Daniel is unmarried, and lives in the rectory with Audrey, his 80 year old mother - a formidable lady who looks after practical matters, and sorts out many a problem. They share the house with Daniel's two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda - love without deference. Daniel has a famous brother Theo, who plays a corrupt policeman in a TV soap. He has now been offered a part in another TV soap, playing a country vicar. He returns to Champton and asks to shadow Daniel as research. Many of Daniel's meetings are confidential, but Theo annoys Daniel and ignores convention. He tells Daniel "I find it much easier to ask your forgiveness than to seek your permission".
Lord Bernard de Floures (57) is patron of the local church, landowner and employer. All the De Floures have red hair. He lives in Champton House, a huge historical stately home with most of the rooms now unoccupied, with his daughter Honoria, and his younger son Alex. Hugh, another son and heir, is a farmer in Canada - he returns as part of this story. Bernard's cousin Anthony Bowness also lives at Champton House. Anthony had previous drink problems, and Bernard has rescued him, setting him to work as an archivist to get old estate records in order. Champton House is open to the public 2 months of the year, a deal to reduce death duties. A local, Margaret Porteous organises the volunteers there with regimental efficiency. Champton House is set in vast grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, and later Repton added "improvements" including a folly beside the lake - a bath house which features in this story. During the war Champton House was used as a hospital and accommodation camp for Free French soldiers. It was also used as a training facility.
Let's complete this introduction by naming some of the locals - most attend St Mary's. Norman Staveney is a status aware self made businessman and councillor, Dora and Kath Sharman are spinster sisters who always sit in the same rear pew, Jane Thwaite is organist, married to Ned, historian and retired junior school head, and Mrs Stella Harper and Mrs Anne Dollinger are passionate flower arrangers. Katrina Gauchet is the current primary school head - her father was Herve, one of the wartime Free French soldiers, but her mother is unknown (but not by the end of the book). Herve was a gifted painter who possible painted the mural in the bath house. Old Edgy Liversedge, of gypsy stock, is a sort of estate gamekeeper and handyman. He lives in a secluded cottage with his assistant, his grandson Nathan Liversedge. Edgy has a criminal secret past. He was a prize fighter, and then a very successful debt collector and finally an efficient assassin. The local pub is the Royal Oak, Mrs Baines runs the post office / general stores, and the local policemen are PC Evans, and DS Niel Vanloo.
The story centres round, and details the day to day life of a good practising christian village vicar. Of course the Rev Richard Coles lives this life, and writes from personal experience. I thought there was far too much "church" stuff in this book, and I could have done with a lot less detail, but we must allow the author to tell his story his way. Later we will come to the murder mystery - a double, indeed eventual triple murder. The book opens with Daniel announcing from the pulpit that he intends to install a much needed lavatory in the 400 year old church. Unfortunately this involves removing the back two rows of pews. It's change, and is not well received. At the Flower Arrangers' AGM, Stella Harper and Anne Dollinger hit back with a rival plan not involving pew removal - to extend the flower arrangers' wet area, and install a buttery / mini kitchen to serve teas and biscuits. Dan points out that this would increase the need for a lavatory, but set postions have been taken. Stella says she has a secret donation to part finance her plan, but Dan, wearing his PCC chairman hat, says he cannot accept donations from unknown sources. In short, we have an ongoing church / village politics story. As a good christian, Dan does not want to impose his view, but wants always to work towards consensus. Unknown to Dan, it's Audrey that overcomes Stella's opposition with a bit of threatened reputational blackmail. Also on the theme of church politics, the bishop will later visit Dan to offer his help, but also to tell Dan that he is thinking of amalgamating St Mary's with two neighbouring parishes - what does Dan think ? Of course, Lord De Floures, church patron, will have his own thoughts!
It's Open Day at Champton House - held every year at the weekend nearest St George's Day, i.e. 23rd April. Anthony Bowness, delayed there, is late in locking up at the church, and kneels to pray. Dan goes in later, and finds Anthony's dead body in a pool of blood amongst the pews. He tells PC Evans, reinforcements are called, and soon the church is sealed off as a scene of crime. Bernard despairs - I brought him back to his death. The place is soon swarming with Press and TV. Theo returns to help, and for more vicar's life research. DS Niel Vanloo interviews Dan. They get along, trust each other, and sort of work together. Anthony was killed with garden secateurs. Dan prays for the restoration of peace in the community.
No one ever visits the bath house, but, out for a walk with his dogs, Dan meets local historian Ned Thwaite, and goes with him to see a mural there. It's been painted by a skilled artist, and shows lots of background figures with real faces (eg Dan recognises Bernard's father) and features two lovers entwined. When Ned says someone else has been using the bath house, Dan tells Vanloo and soon the bath house too is sealed off. Alex de Floures says he sometimes goes there, and later, when we find out Nathan Liversedge also visits we get more than a clue as to what they were up to there. Had posh Alex corrupted young nieve Nathan, and how would Edgy react if he knew ?
Later Dan is called from a meeting. Ned Thwaite has been killed - it was young Nathan who found his body floating in the lake near the bath house, with his head bashed in. Two deaths - an archivist and a local historian. Had they discovered something in the past that someone wants kept secret ? Dan tells Vanloo that he has a ghost of an idea - there is something about the murders that he recognises, but he does not know what it is yet. There are two funerals a fortnight apart. Anthony's is a somewhat grand affair with a later funeral reception at Champton House. Ned Thwaite's wife and daughters attend, but stand alone - no one knows what to say to them. Rather than let Ned's funeral be overshadowed, Dan gets the bishop to officiate, but Daniel still gives a funeral oration. In the middle of this oration Dan stops talking. He knows who the murderer is and why.
I will let you read the story to find out more. It's one of those crime stories where everything is explained in the last few chapters. Yes the clue very much lies in the past and a secret to be preserved, and amazingly the pew removal story was not just church politics background. But there have been misdirections, suspects galore all with valid motives and the story does build to a climax involving a third murder. All in all I thought it an OK story, clever enough, but slow paced, and there was too much church detail for my taste - but no doubt this this will commend the series to others. I probably will buy book 2 if I see it in a charity shop. Reading book 2 is often a better way to judge a series.
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