James Runcie is an award-winning film-maker and the author of seven novels. Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death, the first in 'The Grantchester Mysteries' series, was published in 2012, soon followed by Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night, and Sidney Chambers and The Problem of Evil. In October 2014, ITV launched Grantchester, a prime-time, six-part series starring James Norton as Sidney Chambers. James Runcie lives in London and Edinburgh.

www.jamesruncie.com

www.grantchestermysteries.com

@james_runcie

Grantchester Mysteries 2

Loveable full-time priest and part-time detective Canon Sidney Chambers is back, continuing his investigations. A mysterious stranger seeks sanctuary in Grantchester's church; a shooting weekend in the country has a sinister end; a friend receives poison pen letters; a piano falls on a musician's head; a school cricket match has an explosive finish; and on a holiday in Italy, Sidney is accused of stealing a priceless painting. On the home front, his new curate has become irritatingly popular with the parish and his daughter is starting to walk and talk.

The fourth of James Runcie's delightful Grantchester Mysteries, which ought to bring about a critical reappraisal of the genre rather dismissively referred to as "cosy crime" . The ongoing plots bind the stories, yet each in themselves is precise . They are a joy

All manner of nostalgic delights. Perfect reading for a sunny English garden

The author knows the location well and has caught its dour charm and great art treasures to perfection. The story is a little art lesson in itself

The violence in the Chambers stories takes place off-stage; the moral crises are internal. Perhaps the most startling aspect of these low-key, beguiling tales is their matter-of-fact depiction of a person of faith incorporating spiritual aspiration into daily life