THE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER ‘I’ve been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs . . . et voila!’ Dawn French ‘Cosy crime with a cutting edge’ Telegraph ‘Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice’ Ian Rankin ‘Charming and funny’ Observer Even better than I knew it would be’ India Knight ‘Pitch perfect’ Philip Pullman Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton, where he lives alongside his widowed mother – opinionated, fearless, ever-so-slightly annoying Audrey – and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda . When Daniel announces a plan to install a lavatory in the church, the parish is suddenly (and unexpectedly) divided: as lines are drawn, long-buried secrets come dangerously close to destroying the apparent calm of the village. And then Anthony Bowness – cousin to Bernard de Floures , patron of Champton – is found dead at the back of the church. As the police moves in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his community together . . . and catch a killer. ‘Quintessentially English’ Sunday Express ‘An absolute joy’ Adam Kay ‘Wry, tongue-in cheek and whimsical’ Daily Mail ‘Glorious’ Robert Webb ‘Beautifully written, charming, funny, intelligent and mordant too ‘ Sunday Times ** Richard Coles’s Murder Before Evensong was a Sunday Times Number One bestseller in paperback in the first week of March 2023