A Death in the Parish: The sequel to Murder Before Evensong (Canon Clement Mystery)

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A Death in the Parish' is the second book in the Canon Clement Mystery series by Richard Coles, a Church of England clergyman. Rachel isn’t really called Rachel. It is the name Aidan Thomas gave her, after he took her years earlier and imprisoned her in a shed in his garden. Aidan is a serial killer, who has murdered eight women. Rachel is the ninth, and she is determined to stay alive. “Rule number one of staying alive in the shed. He always wins.” But after five years in one room, things are changing, and Rachel needs to be ready for her chance to escape. Clémence Michallon’s debut novel The Quiet Tenant (Abacus) is a nail-biting terror of a read, slowly revealing how Rachel, already a little bit broken, ended up where she did: “When you found me, it didn’t surprise me. Of course you found me. You had to happen to someone, and you happened to me.” And then following as her courage incrementally ratchets up, as, brainwashed and terrified, she starts to eye, and then discard, her opportunities to escape. I finished it at very high speed, heart pounding, absolutely loving it. Richard Coles can have a heavy hand with the similes but is gloriously astute on the details of village interactions There are indications here that he could be a good writer, but he needs to make up his mind whether he is going to write about villages, religion, or ridiculous crimes – rather than slapping them all together in a messy parcel. Champton joins St Mary Mead and Midsomer in the great atlas of fictional English villages where the crimes are as dastardly as the residents delightful' - DAMIAN BARR There are much better crime mysteries out there, but A Death in the Parish will surely sell in huge numbers, and Richard Coles will get attention that those better authors couldn’t hope for.

Champton joins St Mary Mead and Midsomer in the great atlas of fictional English villages where the crimes are as dastardly as the residents delightful’– DAMIAN BARRI had enjoyed his first novel (last year’s Murder before Evensong) although I found it a bit of a slow burner, with the opening chapters setting the scene occasionally veering off towards the ponderous, but once the murder had occurred, it all fizzed along very merrily. This time around it all flows much more easily. Reluctant as I am to endorse the current mania for signing celebrities up to write novels, I think Coles may be the best of the new writers to have emerged from the “cosy crime” boom – partly, perhaps, because his clout enables him to get away with a pleasingly idiosyncratic, allusive style that his publisher might have tried to smooth away in the work of a common-or-garden author. First off, I grew up in a very involved C of E family in exactly the time period these books are set, and so the internecine conflicts that ravaged the church then - Anglican tradition vs Christian evangelism, the ‘problem’ of female priests - are familiar to me and felt quite cosy and comforting in a way that childhood memories do. However, for those readers not as well versed in scripture and church politics, I can well imagine the detail to which Coles goes into could be dull and alienating. How these conflicts eventually play out in the mystery is also a bit much: while I am absolutely no fan of evangelical Christianity, the way it’s presented here is somewhat beyond belief (trying not to give spoilers….!)

From the 1880s, it became increasingly common for poor, but not destitute, persons to enter the workhouse purely for medical treatment in its infirmary. If such an individual died, their death would be recorded as being in the workhouse infirmary, although their family might well be living outside the workhouse. Finally (and with a mild spoiler warning) the frankly weird friendship between Daniel and the police detective made for strange enough reading, without the queer-baiting about-turn at the end. It's an absolute joy for those of us familiar with a bit of theology and Church dogma, but still very readable as a cosy murder mystery for those that aren't. Set in the 1980s, before the ordination of women in the Church of England, it projects an aura of rural conservatism onto a very disturbing and bizarre sequence of events, and the effect is both credible and captivating. According to the experts, federal environmental regulations have failed to protect people residing in “Cancer Alley”.Couples were usually married in the bride’s parish. Marriage records typically include the bride and groom’s names, residence, date and location of the marriage, names of witnesses, condition (bachelor, spinster, widow, or widower), and the name of the officiant. Some records may also include the father’s name and occupation. Early records may contain less detail. Moreover, the book offers a unique perspective on the role of faith and spirituality in the face of adversity. Interesting details of parish life is humorously set out for our enjoyment. Local gossip which Clement’s widowed mother considers her son should know adds to our amusement. Then, within the parish of Badsaddles, there’s a particularly grisly – some villagers say, ritualistic - killing. The mood changes dramatically.

It'll be interesting to see where a third Champton novel will take us, as it's very hard to see how and where certain relationships will go from the end of A Death In The Parish, but I will enjoy finding out. The 1980s setting — Mrs Thatcher is Prime Minister, the M25 has just been opened, Howard’s Way is the favoured Sunday-night television viewing — reminds us of how much less complicated life was in the era before social media and universal My-Truth-Trumps-Your-Truth syndrome. But the seeds have already been sown: “There is a peculiar forgetfulness of our age, thought Daniel, so enchanted with novelty and the extraordinary success of science and technology, that the longer story of the evolution of the values and institutions and virtues that have long shaped our lives gets lost.” In Partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields. This series of nine lectures is inspired by the words of Martin Luther during the Reformation. Distinguished speakers investigate those things in which we believe deeply – and for which we would be prepared to make a costly stand. The Reverend Richard Coles, has certainly had a portfolio career so far, encompassing roles as a member of a successful band in the 1980s, a long spell as an ordained vicar in the Church of England, and latterly as a reality television star, participating in MasterChef and Strictly Come Dancing among others. I suppose, therefore, that it was inevitable that he might try his hand at writing a novel, and he has also come close to nailing it. Not to be too mysterious about it, the murder victim in this book is a teenage boy, killed on an altar in what appears to be a ritualistic manner. He is the son of Richard’s new colleague after the parish boundaries have been altered. From the moment they first meet it is clear that Daniel, our Canon, and Chris, the new arrival don’t see eye to eye when it comes to theological matters. Why anybody would want to kill his teenage son though, is a complete mystery.

Steady paced, plenty of twists and turns and I kept myself firmly planted in the world. I always feel that every book I read should impart knowledge of some sort, in this case it was small town English life and the life and politics of a Canon! Yet when a character muses at one point whether Champton is in danger of turning into St Mary Meade, it's a pertinent question. For all that A Death In The Parish is set in 1989, Champton and its inhabitants - including Daniel himself - seem to be in a time-warp. This book reads very much like something set in the 50s-early 60s - a B&W Ealing film even which, for me, is highly appealing. If there were any criticisms to be made, it would be that some readers may find the novel's resolution a tad predictable. However, this does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story. Canon Daniel Clements, a man accustomed to a peaceful existence, finds himself once again thrust into a world turned upside down in his parish of Champton. The merging of Champton with Upper and Lower Badsaddle brings forth unexpected changes, demanding that Daniel extend a warm welcome to a new Vicar and his family.

We call on the United States and St. James Parish to recognize and pay reparations for the centuries of harm to Afro-descendants rooted in slavery and colonialism.” A ray of hope Burial registers typically do not include a date of death, but in the vast majority of cases, this will have taken place within the previous few days. So he ceased even to notice sport at about the same time his peers ceased to notice religion – the point at which it was no longer compulsory As before, there are lots of references to Church of England hierarchy, politics, ritual, administration, dogma, and hymns, along with lots of Biblical scripture. Coles also includes a great deal of information about what seem to be very arcane aspects of CofE belief, liturgy, and feast days: it's the kind of Christianity I like best. He makes it all sound incredibly mystical and ritualistic, with talk of titles that could have come straight out of a fantasy novel: The Covenant Code, The Book of The Covenant, and so on.Magic mushrooms are discovered growing in the local forest, hard drugs are being peddled in the local town of Braunstonbury, and Gothic behaviour is emerging amongst the young. Richard Coles is really getting into his stride with this second in the series featuring loveable cleric Canon Daniel Clement, his feisty mother Audrey, and the good (and not so good) people of the parish of Champton - now joined with neighbouring Upper and Lower Badsaddle and throwing High Church Daniel into conflict with evangelical new priest, Rev Chris Biddle.