James Runcie is an award-winning film-maker and the author of ten novels that have been translated into twelve languages, including the six books in the Grantchester Mysteries series. In October 2014, ITV launched Grantchester, a prime-time series starring James Norton as Sidney Chambers, which aired its fourth season in spring 2019. James Runcie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Commissioning Editor for Arts at BBC Radio 4. He lives in London and Edinburgh. www.jamesruncie.com www.grantchestermysteries.com @james_runcie
Written with a delicate intelligence … Sidney Chambers is as convincing as any flesh-and-blood creature, not just an idea of a parson. This is because Runcie has thoroughly imagined him and in this coming-of-age novel he shows us how and why he became what he is -- Allan Massie * Scotsman * Charming, clever and warm: perfect comfort food for the soul -- Joanne Harris * Daily Telegraph * Hugely enjoyable … Some of the finest writing I have ever read about the sorrow and the pity of war * Herald * A tremendous novel — shrewd, compelling and full of insight — James Runcie elevates the genre to impressive new heights -- William Boyd Written with such tenderness, and very moving – I loved it * Elizabeth Buchan * Runcie excels at evoking the look and feel of warfare … Casts the show’s first three series in a disturbing but satisfying new light. One can hardly ask for more * independent.co.uk * If you love the TV series Grantchester, don’t miss this captivating prequel. It reveals the backstory of how a young Sidney Chambers, carefree in London just before the Second World War, came to be the charming crime-fighting clergyman we know today * Yours * The brand new prequel to Runcie’s much-loved series takes Archdeacon Chambers right back to his time as a demobbed young soldier in post-war London * Mail on Sunday * Fans of Grantchester will be more than delighted with the latest instalment of this historical series ... A truly engaging read * Woman * If you love the TV series Grantchester, don’t miss this captivating prequel. It reveals the backstory of how a young Sidney Chambers, carefree in London just before the Second World War, came to be the charming crime-fighting clergyman we know today * Yours * An engaging and witty prequel * Washington Post *