Murder Before Evensong
by The Reverend Richard Coles (W&N, £16.99)
THE FIRST NOVEL by The Reverend Richard Coles— whose somewhat unusual CV includes being a radio presenter, a former popstar, a Strictly contestant and a country vicar—begins on a note of deep drama. Not the murder of the title, but the plan by Daniel Clement, rector of Champton St Mary, to install a toilet at the back of the church. The trouble, you see, is that there’s never been one before, so the new loo represents something that the parishioners especially fear: change.
Then again, they haven’t had much practice in dealing with it. As the novel makes clear, Champton prides itself on its continuity. The year may be 1988, yet this is still a place where the lord of the manor remains a figure of feudal authority and there’s a strong sense of social rank. For many locals too—certainly the ones we meet here—the Anglican church maintains a central role.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
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