Richard Coles is a writer, broadcaster and an Anglican priest. He co-presents Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4 and appears, from time to time, on QI, Have I Got News For You, and Would I Lie To You? He has won Christmas Masterchef, Celebrity Mastermind twice, and captained Leeds to victory in Christmas University Challenge in 2019. A contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, he scored a lamentably low mark for a Paso Doble. He writes regularly for the Sunday Times, and is the author of half a dozen books, including a bestselling autobiography, Fathomless Riches, and the bereavement bestseller The Madness of Grief, after the death of his partner, David Coles. Murder Before Evensong, the first book in the Canon Clement Mystery series, was an instant number 1 Sunday Times bestseller. Richard is Patron of Greatwell Homes, a Housing Association providing social and affordable housing in east Northants, and is Chancellor of the University of Northampton.
"PRAISE FOR MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG 'Cosy crime with a cutting edge' Sunday Telegraph 'Even better than I knew it would be' India Knight, Sunday Times 'I've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs ... et voila!' Dawn French 'Charming and funny' Observer 'Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice' Ian Rankin The best of the new writers to have emerged from the ""cosy crime"" boom... with a pleasingly idiosyncratic, allusive style -- Jake Kerridge * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH * It's proper Miss Marple territory... for an intelligent study of human nature that transports you to a tranquil church where a choir is singing Brother James's Air, it's unbeatable. * COUNTRY LIFE * The sequel to Murder Before Evensong is every bit as intriguing at the Rev Coles' debut... Nicely paced, this whodunnit will leave you on tenterhooks. * BELFAST TELEGRAPH * Great cosy crime. * THE I PAPER, Best Books for June * Gloriously astute on the details of village interactions... [this is] charming, cosy crime. -- Alison Flood * OBSERVER * Full of intrigue, this is a thoroughly entertaining sequel. -- Susan Watson * MY WEEKLY * A good holiday read, with much gentle humour peppered among the village characters. -- Hannah Stephenson * INDEPENDENT * First-class entertainment but with more of an edge than most ""cosy crime"" books. -- Jake Kerridge * DAILY MIRROR * Praise be!.. Fans still in withdrawal after Coles's withdrawal from Radio 4's Saturday Live can once again bask in his wit, wisdom and insight. -- Rose Shepherd * SAGA MAGAZINE * A book to appreciate as well as enjoy. -- Jeremy Black * THE CRITIC *"