This follows on from Rev Coles' first book 'Murder at Evensong' where a number of murders rocked the community. As Canon Daniel Clement tries to calm and steady the villagers of Champton in the aftermath, he finds that the parish is to be joined with Upper and Lower Badsaddle bringing more change and unease. And for Daniel, himself, there's a challenging colleague to contend with, too, in the evangelical Chris Biddle, the new associate vicar.

Sadly a tragedy is in store for the village, once again, and Daniel is in the midst of it all. 

It's set in the late 1980s so we are not troubled by email or mobile phones and village life is as you might expect, at times slow and predictable but beset with politics and secrets. The characters introduced in book one feature again (though we don't need to have read the first book to appreciate them or their histories). Daniel is a delight and shares his home and life with his mother Audrey and the two dachshunds Cosmo and Hilda.

I very much enjoyed escaping to the village of Champton to spend time with Daniel Clements. There's wry humour and some wise observations and the routine of church life dictates the pace of the day, the week and the seasons. 

Read my interview with Richard Coles here.

And the visit to Woodbridge here.