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 naive 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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I read this book in September, 2024.

This is book two in the Canon Daniel Clement series by the Rev Richard Coles. It's an OK read if you accept that it's a book by a vicar about the life of a vicar in a rural, feudal English parish (patron local Lord Bernard de Floures), and so of course it's full of church day to day practice, and has many biblical references, quotations, prayers, orders of service, etc etc. It's set in 1989 in the fictional village of Champton. Although I said it's an OK read, I have one caveat - it has a terrible ending concerning Daniel's private life. Misdirection is part and parcel of crime fiction, and is perfectly OK / desirable regarding the crime mystery, but here we are mislead and manipulated in the private lives story. I read someone called it a "cop out". I won't disclose the ending, but I felt cheated. My advice is to caution that we are being told things from the Rev. Daniel Clement's point of view. Others may see things differently.

I now write these mini reviews under three headings - Main Characters , Privates Lives and Main Plots.

Characters :
The Rev. Daniel Clement is the vicar of Champton St Mary, in whose rectory he lives with his 80+ year old mother, Audrey, and his two dogs, Cosmo and the pregnant Hilda.
Audrey Clement is Daniel's mum.
Theo Clement is Dan's younger, impulsive brother, a TV soap actor.
Neil Vanloo is a DS of Braunstonbury CID, and Dan's close friend.
Lord Bernard de Floures lives in grand Champton House, and is patron of Daniel's church. He has 3 children, all with red hair, Hugh, Alex and Honoria. Hugh, the heir, lives in Canada, and is engaged to Michelle Glaison, who happens to be a native indian, a Mohawk. Alex lives both in London and locally, and is in a loving homosexual relationship with the gypsy Nathan Liversedge. Honoria is an events organiser.
Nathan Liversedge is a gypsy lad who lived on the estate with his grandfather Edgy. He disappeared after last year's murders, and is having an affair with Alex de Floures.
Chris Biddle is an associate vicar forced on Daniel by the amalgamation of Champton with neighbouring Upper and Lower Badsaddle. Chris is married to Sally, a church deacon, and they have 16 year old twins Lydia and badly behaved Joshua.
Mrs Shorely is housekeeper to Bernard de Floures.
Miss Kimberley Marsh is the new, but very old fashioned in dress, owner of local Stella's Ladies fashion shop.
Mrs Muriel Hawkins of Upper Badsaddle Manor is a very wealthly but vulnerable old and dying lady.
Jean and Roy Tailby are vultures preying on old people with inheritances.
Dora Sharman is the sister of deceased murderer Kath Sharman.
Brandon Redding is a thug whom Dan antagonised at a football match. He is a friend of Josh and Lydia Bidding, and he supplies magic mushroom drugs, including to Alex de Floures.

Private Lives Stories :

There are lots of little stories all muddled up together. The main ones are the Neil Vanloo and Dan Clement friendship, and the arrival of new associate vicar Chris Biddle and his family. Lesser stories include Dan's dog Hilda having puppies, a fire at the rectory (arson), and the interlinked Mrs Hawkins, the Tailby's and Miss Marsh story.

Chris Biddle is the new associate vicar at neighbouring Upper and Lower Badsaddle who has a very literal interpretation of biblical doctrine. Chris and his wife Sally are a socialist, peace camp attending, boiler suit and bead wearing couple with two ill behaved children, Lydia and especially Joshua. Perhaps they are not best suited for a rural, tradition based parish. They create a bad impression at a welcoming dinner held by Bernard de Floures - Joshua throwing bread rolls. Lydia loves Dan's dogs and strikes up a friendship with Dan. Sally has a list of renovations required but Bernard makes it very clear that he is patron only of Champton St Mary. Chris criticies Dan, and antagonises old and dying Mrs Hawkins who asks if Daniel can visit her instead. When Dan tells Chris out of courtesy, Chris asks if he would be as attentive to a plain Mrs Bloggs, as to wealthy Mrs Hawkins of Manor Lodge. We will hear more of Chris and Joshua Biddle in the main plot.

Mrs Hawkins is old and dying, and has asked Dan to be her vicar. When he gets there he finds Roy and Jean Tailby have turned up and and made themselves indespensible. They have a reputation as vultures for appearing when there is booty to plunder. Dora Sharman is also there trying to protect Mrs Hawkins and her possessions. Jean covets a valuable broach, and later steals it, but Dora retrieves from the tea caddy in the kitchen where Jean hid it. Mrs Hawkins dies. Surprisingly she made her money as a successful medium, calling herself Caduceus, and operating the Caduceus Society giving mail order readings and having monthly and golden subscriptions. Caduceus would put one hand on the submitted letter requesting help, touch her sacred Hermes broach with the other hand, and then write a reply. Miss Marsh had consulted Caduceus to get in touch with her greatly missed dead father. The reply contained elements only her father would have known. When Caduceus communications start to dry up, Miss Marsh goes to investigate and finds out that Mrs Hawkins is / was Caduceus. (Surprisingly Sally Biddle had also contacted Caduceus). Mrs Hawkins had asked Dan and Audrey to be her executors, and Audrey seems to be hard at work doing this with relish. Dan and Audrey only have barely enough money to make ends meet. Later Dan discovers that Audrey has taken over Mrs Hawkins Caduceus business and was running it for money. Hence her forthcoming London visit staying at the Goring. Miss Marsh finds out about what Audrey is doing, and they have a shouting match. Miss Marsh had noticed the Caduceus broach, and wants to buy it from Daniel, the executor. She ends up getting it as a reward for saving Audrey's life and helping Dan solve the main crime.

Hilda had been behaving strangely - she had been warning Dan of impending danger but he thought it was just her pregnancy. She has 3 puppies, the first two without trouble but with the third, "midwife" Audrey screams for help. Luckily Nathan, downstairs with Dan, knows what to do and gets the puppy breathing again.

The main private lives story is the Dan and Neil Vanloo friendship. They get along well together, Dan invites Neil to the Harvest supper, Neil and Dan go to a football match together, the police know Dan as Neil's vicar friend, Audrey watches their friendship grow etc, etc. They tell things to each other they could not speak of to anyone else. All this most readers will take as the start of some sort of relationship - cf Alex and Nathan. It's the 1980s, Neil is a serving police officer, and Dan a country vicar in a traditional parish. And we know the author is gay, and so is probably speaking from exprience. At the very end of the book, after the ups and down and the betrayals and apologies, Neil and Dan are finally alone together, and about to speak "the love that dare not speak it's name". I won't say any more other than echo the "what a cop out" comment.

Main plot : There is a murder which Dan and Neil Vanloo eventully solve but stangely it occupies only a small part of the book. Dan is at a football match with Neil when a PC at the end of the row appears with an urgent summons for Neil. There has been a murder, and Neil later calls for Dan saying get to Champton asap. It take Dan ages to get away from the car park crush, and mistakenly he rushes straight to Mrs Hawkins house. There is confusion when the Tailby's answer the door and Dan says he has arranged to meet Vanloo there. It's soon sorted. The murder is at a sunken chapel at the old airport - the very place which Dan had shown Lydia when they took the dogs for a walk. Sadly, its 16 year old Joshua Biddles, who is draped over the altar and has had his throat cut in some apparent ritualistic act. Later a clue will be found in two sets of footprints at the scene - wellies, of sizes 9 and 10. Neil asks Dan to accompany him to the Biddles to break the news to the family - they are devastated. There are suggested suspects. Joshua had been a Goth - was it some wierd ritual that went wrong. Possibly Josh had been supplying drugs (Libery Cap mushrooms) with his friend, the thug Brandon Redding. Also Miss Marsh always seems to have been on the scene.

Neil's invetigation continues. The police had been told of the murder by an anonymous phone caller, but his voice on the call recording had been recognised as that of the gypsy lad, Nathan Liversedge. Dan knows where to find Nathan - with Alex at his cottage. Dan tells Nathan that the police want to question him only about finding Josh's body - and nothing to do with last year's murder. It's best if Dan arranges that Nathan meet his friend Neil who can be trusted. And so Nathan and Alex go to Dan's as arranged. Horror and betrayal! Neil turns up with two police constables and straight away arrests Nathan and Alex on suspicion of the murder of Joshua. Dan is deeply hurt. Honoria arrives at Dan's. How could you ! She stalks off. Apparently Neil had intended only to question Nathan, but a last minute bit of evidence turned up - Nathan and Neil's wellies were the right size and had the correct patern. Neil, had to arrest Nathan to prevent him disappearing again. Alex is released with the help of the de Floures lawyer, but Nathan is detained. There is a second attempted murder - Audrey at the vicarage and an arson attack. A hooded figure, a man, was seen there. Dan had earlier had a run in with Brandon Redding at the earlier bonfire night celebration. Was it Brandon ? Again Miss Marsh is on the scene, and rescues Audrey (and the dogs and puppies). What she was doing there she later confesses to Dan under the secrecy of a church confessional. Her discussion with Dan earns her the coveted Mrs Hawkins broach but also allows Dan to work out both who did the murder, and why.

And so we are into the climax, and I will say no more - always trying to avoid writing spoilers. There is another book in this series, and no doubt I will get it if I come across it in some charity shop, but it's not a must read or series I will search for, and this particular story has a terrible private lives ending.

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