Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night (Grantchester) - Softcover

James Runcie is the Head of Literature at The Southbank Centre, an award-winning film-maker and the author of five novels. Sidney Chambers and The Shadow Of Death, the first of 'The Grantchester Mysteries' series, was published in 2012. He lives in London and Edinburgh. @james_runcie

Runcie is emerging as Grantchester's answer to Alexander McCall Smith. The book brings a dollop of Midsomer Murders to the Church of England, together with a literate charm of its own: civilized entertainment, with dog-collars * Spectator * The clerical milieu is well rendered as an affectionate eye is cast over post-war England - a perfect accompaniment to a sunny afternoon, a hammock and a glass of Pimm's * Guardian * The series has a charming quaintness and deftly turning plot twists but what renders it unique as detective fiction is its overtly Christian content -- Arifa Akbar * Independent * Totally English, beautifully written, perfectly in period and wryly funny. More, please! -- Leslie Geddes Brown * Country Life * It takes a first-class writer to put together a convincing storyline for such unlikely circumstances. James Runcie does it admirably ... He is a good man in an imperfect world and we should welcome him to the ranks of classic detectives * Daily Mail *