After the recent murder in Champton, things are still in upheaval as the parish is joined with Upper and Lower Badsaddle. These means that Canon Daniel Clement has to work with the incumbent vicar there, and it is safe to say that there are differences of opinion – while Daniel seeks a compromise, his opposite number is having none of it.

These differences fade into the background when the new vicar’s son is found murdered on a disused airfield, a seeming ritualistic killing. It falls once again to Daniel to get to the bottom of things, but with countless distractions, can he stop the killer before they strike again?

I picked this one for a holiday read for one reason – the Reverend Richard Coles was the first person to write in the guest book at the holiday cottage that me and Professor Puzzle Doctor were staying in. You can see him there in the Channel 4 documentary Wild Scotland. And I did enjoy, for the most part, Murder Before Evensong.

And I did enjoy this one too, for the most part. Actually, I think it’s better than the first but there is a lot of character work here that does sideline the mystery plot at times.

That becomes pretty clear when we find out who the killer is, and my first thought was “Is that it?” So it’s to Coles’ credit that a) I was enjoying myself getting to that point and b) I didn’t particularly mind. This is never going to win any “Best Mystery” awards, but “Engaging Village Life With A Murder”? Maybe.

The last line is a bit soap opera-y though.

Will I be back for Book Three? Probably at some point when I want something comforting.