Synopses & Reviews
1955. Canon Sidney Chambers, loveable priest and part-time detective, is back. Accompanied by his faithful Labrador, Dickens, and the increasingly exasperated Inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney is called to investigate the unexpected fall of a Cambridge don from the roof of King's College Chapel, a case of arson at a glamour photographer's studio and the poisoning of Zafar Ali, Grantchester's finest spin bowler. Alongside his sleuthing, Sidney has other problems. Can he decide between his dear friend, the glamorous socialite Amanda Kendall and Hildegard Staunton, the beguiling German widow? To make up his mind Sidney takes a trip abroad, only to find himself trapped in a web of international espionage just as the Berlin Wall is going up.
Review
"Runcie is emerging as Grantchesters answer to Alexander McCall Smith. The book brings a dollop of Midsomer Murders to the Church of England, together with a literate charm of its own: civilized entertainment, with dog-collars." —Spectator
"The clerical milieu is well rendered as an affectionate eye is cast over post-war England—a perfect accompaniment to a sunny afternoon, a hammock and a glass of Pimm's." —Guardian
"The series has a charming quaintness and deftly turning plot twists but what renders it unique as detective fiction is its overtly Christian content." —Independent, Arifa Akbar
"Totally English, beautifully written, perfectly in period and wryly funny. More, please!" —Country Life, Leslie Geddes Brown
Synopsis
To be a major, prime-time six-part series Grantchester for PBS.
Synopsis
The second book in The Grantchester Mystery Series, and the inspiration for the primetime PBS/Masterpiece television series, Grantchester.
The loveable full-time priest and part-time detective Canon Sidney Chambers continues his sleuthing adventures in late 1950's Cambridge.
Accompanied by his faithful Labrador Dickens, and working in tandem with the increasingly exasperated Inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney is called on to investigate the unexpected fall of a Cambridge don from the roof of King's College Chapel; a case of arson at a glamor photographer's studio; and the poisoning of Zafar Ali, Grantchester's finest spin bowler, in the middle of a crucial game of cricket. As he pursues his quietly probing inquiries, Sidney also has to decide on the vexed question of marriage. Can he choose between the rich, glamorous socialite Amanda Kendall and Hildegard Staunton, a beguiling German widow three years his junior? To help him make up his mind Sidney takes a trip abroad, only to find himself trapped in a complex web of international espionage just as the Berlin Wall is going up.
Here are six interlocking adventures that combine mystery with morality, and criminality with charm.
About the Author
James Runcie is the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as director of the Bath Literary Festival and, prior to the Sidney Chambers series, author of four novels, The Discovery of Chocolate, The Color of Heaven, Canvey Island, and East Fortune. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and theater director and has scripted several films for the BBC. He directed a documentary following a year in the life of J. K. Rowling. James Runcie lives in London and Edinburgh.