James Runcie is an award-winning film-maker and the author of nine previous novels. Sidney Chambers and The Persistence of Love is the sixth book in 'The Grantchester Mysteries' series, which began in 2012 with Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death. In October 2014, ITV launched Grantchester, a prime-time series starring James Norton as Sidney Chambers. The second season aired in spring 2016 and the third in spring 2017. James Runcie is Commissioning Editor for Arts at BBC Radio 4. He lives in London and Edinburgh.

www.jamesruncie.com

www.grantchestermysteries.com

@james_runcie

Grantchester Mysteries 6

The sixth book in the James Runcie's much-loved series, adapted for ITV's Grantchester which stars James Norton as Sidney Chambers. Perfect for fans of M. C. Beaton.

Life is never straightforward when you're a full-time priest and part-time detective. So when a walk in a bluebell wood takes an unexpected turn, Archdeacon Sidney Chambers finds himself plunged into another murder investigation: who would want to kill a harmless old hippy - and why was the man foraging for poisonous plants?

Sidney's findings soon lead him into sunny Granchester's dark underworld, where love is free and motives are shady. But his investigation, together with his continual inquiry into the divine mysteries of life, love and family, is blown apart by a devastating loss that will change his world forever.

Perfect reading for a sunny English garden

There is no denying the winning charm of these artfully fashioned mysteries

Beautifully crafted and surprising

A perfect accompaniment to a sunny afternoon, a hammock and a glass of Pimm's

Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe is going to have to look to her laurels! Sidney Chambers's adventures are thoroughly captivating and engaging

No detective since Father Brown has been more engaging than Canon Sidney Chambers. Perfect company in bed

There is no reason at all why this series should not run and run and why Sidney Chambers should not occupy the same place in the pantheon as Miss Marple or Poirot

As a writer unafraid to delve into the human predicament, James Runcie is pitching triumphantly above the parapet of conventional crime