We can’t think of a better way to kick off the Penarth Literary Festival than by welcoming bestselling author and all-around national treasure, the Reverend Richard Coles, to talk about his new novel A Death in the Parish.

A Death in the Parish– the sequel to the number one Sunday Times bestseller Murder Before Evensong– sees Canon Daniel Clement and the parish of Champton embroiled in another crime caper that you won’t want to tear yourself away from!

A Death in the Parish:

Canon Daniel Clement is back…and so are his mother Audrey, the inhabitants of Champton and- of course- Cosmo and Hilda, Daniel’s beloved dachshunds. It’s been a few months since murder tore apart the community of Champton apart. As Canon Daniel Clement tries to steady his flock, the parish is joined with Upper and Lower Badsaddle, bringing a new tide of unwanted change.

But church politics soon become the least of Daniel’s problems. His mother- headstrong, fearless Audrey- is obviously up to something, something she is determined to keep from him. And she is not the only one. And then all hell breaks loose when murder returns to Champton in the form of a shocking ritualistic killing…

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 was 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 writers 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 providing social and affordable housing in east Northants, and is Chancellor of the University of Northampton.

We’re expecting tickets to be in high demand for this event, so book early to avoid disappointment!

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