Book #13 Sidney Chambers and the Problem of Evil

Sidney Chambers and the Problem of Evil by James Runcie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another delightful journey through the pastoral world of Canon Sidney Chambers and his good friend DI Geordie Keating in the early 1960s. James Runcie's sense of time and place is very accurate, which makes these four longer stories so enjoyable.

Sidney is settling into married life with his German bride Hildegard but things rarely stay quiet for long for our clerical detective in Grantchester. He soon attempts to stop a serial killer who has a grievance against the clergy; investigates the disappearance of a famous painting after a distracting display of nudity by a French girl in an art gallery; uncovers the fact that an 'accidental' drowning on a film shoot may not have been so accidental after all; and discovers the reason behind the theft of a baby from a hospital in the run up to Christmas, 1963.

Whilst reading these four stories I cannot help but visualise James Norton and Robson Greene in the two major rôles in "The Grantchester Mysteries" aired on ITV. The next series will commence soon. I wonder how close the scripts will follow these stories...

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The Perils of the Night

Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night by James Runcie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second volume of the Grantchester Mysteries held me spellbound. An evocation of childhood for me, the wonderful pastoral atmosphere that surrounds the gentle Canon Sidney Chambers and the dour Inspector Geordie Keating, has much to remind me of my childhood growing up in a country parish. Runcie's ability to capture the atmosphere of the 50s and 60s with reference to actual events adds to the enjoyment. His description over several pages of a village cricket match held me in suspense, an erudite ball to ball commentary that would have graced the BBC Light programme of my youth. For those who think that the Grantchester series is merely a number of short stories, think on. They are all linked, which adds to the pleasure if you have read 'Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death'. If you haven't then start with that highly recommended volume. There is a dollop of Midsomer Murders here, shades of Morse that would delight Colin Dexter, particularly in "Appointment in Berlin", and the beguiling romance between Sidney and Hildegard. As Country Life said: "Totally English, beautifully written, perfectly in period and wryly funny". I loved this book.

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It's Great in Grantchester

Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Despite so many poor reviews on Goodreads I thoroughly enjoyed this first book of the Grantchester series with its delightful, pastoral atmosphere. Full of charm and old fashioned values and set in a period before computers, tablets and mobile 'phones. Very well researched to provide an authentic 50s setting. What's not to like?

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