Murder Before Evensong

The parish needs to come together, Detective Sergeant. To mourn. Everyone is very raw. You know how a violent death affects a community. It brings all sorts of things to the surface, griefs long buried.

Its 1988, and the postcard-perfect village of Champton is a tight-knit parish community full of familiar faces and quietly simmering rivalries. At its heart is St Marys Church and its rector, Canon Daniel Clement.

When a shocking murder shatters the calm routines of village life, suspicion spreads and long-buried secrets rise to the surface. As the bodies mount, Daniel must hold his fractured community together – and uncover the killer in their midst...

Adapted by Paul Hart and Shaun McKenna from the Reverend Richard Coles bestselling novel, Murder Before Evensong is a gripping mystery where every pew holds a secret, and anyone could be guilty of murder. It premiered at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2026, directed by Paul Hart.

Cosy crime with a cutting edgeSunday Times on the original novel