I wanted to love this. I really did, but it took way too long for a murder to occur. By the time it did. I was so bored that I checked out.

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 pruning shears. 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. A delightful cozy and the start of what I hope will be a long series!

This was a wonderful story. The mystery was just right and enjoyable. It’s always interesting to read a story about a priest doing detective work. I highly recommend this author.

Sad to say this missed the mark for me. I was really excited about the premise, but the first 100 pages moved really slow and once the murder happened honestly not much changed. It was hard to keep track of all the characters, and Daniel as a character wasn’t entirely intriguing or interesting to me. I wish there had been more excitement around the murder and less explaining of the surroundings. The ending felt rushed so all in all not for me.

The Reverend Richard Coles has released the first cozy novel in the Canon Clement Mystery Series, Murder Before Evensong. which is a bestseller in the UK. Daniel Clement, who is the rector of Champton and lives in the rectory, announces that he is going to install a lavatory in the parish church, and that draws ire from some old ladies who have been attending for years, and who are opposed to it; these ladies are plotting to mess up Daniel’s plan, which leads to some humor. One night when Daniel is saying Evensong alone in the church, the dogs find the murdered body of Anthony Bowness–cousin to Bernard de Floures, patron of Champton, and Daniel, along with his other duties, investigates.

The prose is very English, and captures the ambiance of the UK, as well as the lightness and humor. Daniel, the protagonist is quite well developed, and he is very likeable. Many of the supporting characters are developed as well, but there are too many characters to keep track of. Audrey, Daniel’s mother is a fun character, and every cozy lover’s favorite characters are pets – in this case, Cosmo and Hilda, who are delightful dachshunds. The story is quite charming, and there are plenty of twists and turns, which will keep readers reading. There is also some building suspense.

Unfortunately, Cole’s writing style is very flowery and over the top; it’s difficult to follow and very wordy. He uses a lot of words that are unfamiliar to many, and one gets the feeling he writes with a thesaurus at his side. The story is also hard to follow for those who aren’t familiar with some of the ecclesiastical practices of whatever church sect that Daniel represents. The actual story, if readers can cut through the wordiness, is delightful and the English aspects make it fun.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Who better than a Reverend to write a cozy mystery set in an English parish church and its environs? The Reverend Richard Coles is well known in Britain but perhaps American readers have not heard of him. Now, they will have the opportunity to spend time in his fictional world.

Here is an English village mystery. It has all of the usual aspects of this well-known sub genre. There is a carefully described setting, the requisite number of eccentric villagers, some dogs, a murder victim, a perpetrator and an amateur sleuth (who has a mother who also features). Interestingly, there is also an argument about installing a washroom in a church.

Those who enjoy a straightforward, albeit a bit eccentric, cozy may want to take a look at this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is a book for the Ultimate English fan. Reading it felt like reading a love letter to the English country village and all that's associated with that style of living - as much satire as mystery. The writing shines brightest in its small (and for me, an American reader, unexpected) descriptions of every day village life, whether it's the quiet moments of family time or TV-watching or gossip. Unfortunately, as an American, it also felt like I was constantly missing the true humor of the writing, and I suspect that someone more immersed in English culture would appreciate the humor much more strongly. The story itself is as much loving homage to this way of life as it is mystery - I think it took almost a third of the book before murder of any kind occurred.
Coles's perspective on being rector was particularly interesting to me, as his main character is quite a bit more introverted than I would have expected. It makes for an interesting detective story, given that the main character doesn't really seem to like people very much. An interesting book in many ways, and a good long read for an exploration of English country life.

This book did take a little bit to get into, but it was worth it. The Rev. Coles is not only setting up the characters but also the lovely town and area that this book series will take place in. Rev. Coles also did a great job at being true to his religious convictions without ever making me feel like he was trying to beat you over the head with them. The religious aspects helped, not hindered the story.

The mystery itself wasn't my favorite. I felt that the unravelling of the mystery was happening very slowly...and then bam it was all over. I still definitely recommend this title and will be picking up book #2 when it comes out in the States.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of a new mystery series in exchange for an honest review. This book, written by a current member of the English (Anglican) clergy, uses the village vicar as the narrator but not as an amateur sleuth. This is a slowly paced, 'slice of life' story, that has a first murder occur about 1/3rd of the way into the book. The vicar, Daniel Clement, is a lovely soul and very likable. The setting is properly bucolic for an English village. The characters are interesting although there are lots of them to track. The series has potential, particularly if you like your stories to slowly build to the mystery solution.

I found this a rather disappointing read: very slow pacing, no explanation of what year or even decade the events take place, and not a very interesting plot.

Fun mystery in a church setting. Wondering if this is a re-publish because some of the references seemed to be from the 1980s oe 1990s (e.g. word processor).

Though I liked the characters and plot and all, I thought sometimes there were just too many unnecessary words on the page that didn’t move the story forward…. So a little bit slower than I prefer. But very well written, natural dialogue, and fun Latin phrases to figure out.

1988. The quiet and gentility of Champton is removed when the body of archivist and cousin to Bernard, Lord de Floures is discovered in the church by the rector Daniel Clement. But could be the motive and the connection to the next death.
A slow paced cozy mystery with not much of an investigation by the Canon or the police, and the vast amount of characters were bland and not that interesting.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
(It took a while to realize that the story was set in 1988)

Murder Before Evensong is a new mystery by author The Reverevd Richard Coles an Anglican priest in the Church of England. It is a strait laced enjoyable mystery for those who like a relaxed paced plot.

Reverend Daniel lives in a parsonage with his mother. His brother (her other son) Theo makes an appearance as he, an actor, has been cast in a new television series which has his fictional vocation as a priest. He wants to study his brother a bit to get in character and the period appears perfectly appropriate.

The big concern with the congregation is the discussion around removing some church pews in order to install a restroom in the back of the sanctuary. However, events take a serious turn after a lay leader in the church is discovered murdered in the back area. Soon the police are involved and the story focuses on the clergy person maneuvering through this time with a mystery hanging over the community.

What I loved most about the story is the realistic look one gets in the life of a clergy person. This reviewer is ordained in The Episcopal Church (the only recognized Anglican presence in the United States by the Church of England) and I was both delighted to see a book written in the 2000’s where the clergy person is not the antagonist, and to read an authentic presentation of a clergyman and his congregation.

If anything is lacking, it was my expectation that Reverend Daniel (or his mom or brother ) would serve an investigator role in the story. Not the case. There are a lot of characters, history of the area, and events but very little effort by protagonists to solve a mystery.

If Murder Before Evensong is not quite a “cozy” mystery, it is not an Agatha Christie either. The “slice of clergy life” it presents may draw in the reader, as it did me, other readers might find the story lacking elements one expects in a mystery.

Still, as a first outing of Reverend Daniel, I am hooked. Author, Coles+, is an excellent writer and I feel that I know him and his flock intimately, and that alone leaves me wanting more.

Cozies set in the English countryside are my faves - add in the rector, local gentry, and a heated dispute over putting a loo in the church, and you've got a recipe for an satisfying whodunit! A very nice start to the Canon Clement Mystery series, I enjoyed it so much I've already ordered the sequel (A Death in the Parish)! A+

I so look forward to a great British cozy mystery and have for a long time. This was superb. I couldn't ask for one better. I loved the pace, the characters,the story line "Chefs kiss" absolutely perfect!
I just reviewed Murder Before Evensong by The Reverend Richard Coles. #MurderBeforeEvensong #NetGalley
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I loved how the protagonist in this mystery is a very orthodox Anglican rector. The book beautifully integrates the priest's life with his daily office and his attention to the Sacraments with village life. As the parish church attached to a large estate, the church and village are intimately connected with it. When the rector finds a body in his church one evening, the questions begin.

While the identity of the murderer came as a surprise to me, my favorite part of the book was the gentle portrayal of village life that was without so many of the cliches of other "cozies."

This was a bit dry at times but the main characters are promising in terms of future books.
A promising start to a new cozy series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Set in 1980s rural England, this mystery stays fairly cozy with little profanity and no focus on gore as it primarily follows Reverend Daniel as he investigates a murder within his flock. The book very much has the vibe and pace of a TV murder mystery. Everything begins with the smash-bang drama of Daniel proposing the old church be renovated to include a loo. The fact that he mentions such crude bodily needs offends many, but more than that there is the terrible suggestion of change. In a village where the losses of two world wars are still fresh and long-dead residents are regarded as familiar, such a thing is intolerable. Then when one person is killed, soon followed by another, the mystery slowly escalates with several red herrings, deep confessions, and unearthed old secrets. I was left uncertain of how I liked it through the middle because the pace was terribly slow, but the big reveals at the end heightened my overall opinion. Throughout, I was impressed by the authentic feel to life in a rectory, and I was delighted to find the author is himself a rector! No wonder it felt genuine.

Murder Before Evensong was written by the Reverend Richard Coles and it is a slow burner of a cozy mystery. Not to say it isn’t good but it is definitely no page turner. It is, as many other reviewers have said, very English and a large chunk of the book is taken up with church matters - the first murder doesn’t occur until 30% of the way through. The story is set in a small village and there are a lot of characters, so many that I sometimes lost track of who they were. The time period of the tale is never directly revealed but I’d guess late ‘80s or early ‘90s based on clues peppered throughout (am I the only person who didn’t know Celine Dion won Eurovision in 1988. I looked it up)

But despite all this, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. It is well-written and smart with a touch of humour. Overall, a pretty good debut and, if this is the start of a series, I would happily read more of Canon Daniel Clement’s crime-solving adventures in future books.

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review

3.5

I thought Murder Before Evensong was a very ‘English’ book, I like that it is that way, lots of references to England in the 80’s and reading about the biscuits I used to enjoy growing up!
The humour and detailed descriptions made the book enjoyable and the conclusion was a surprise but still made sense.
A good read and one I would recommend to mystery readers!