Sidney Chambers, the Vicar of Grantchester and Honorary Canon of Ely Cathedral, is a thirty-two year old bachelor. Tall, with dark brown hair, eyes the colour of hazelnuts and a reassuringly gentle manner, Sidney is an unconventional clergyman and can go where the police cannot.In The Grantchester Mysteries, Sidney, together with his roguish friend Inspector Horatio Harry’ Keating, must enquire … Keating, must enquire into the suspect suicide of a Cambridge solicitor, a scandalous jewellery theft at a New Year’s Eve dinner party, the unexplained death of a well-known jazz promoter and a shocking art forgery the disclosure of which puts a close friend in danger. Sidney discovers that being a detective, like being a clergyman, means that you are never off duty, but alongside the mysteries he solves he manages to find time for a keen interest in cricket, warm beer and hot jazz, and the works of Tolstoy and Shakespeare – as well as a curious fondness for a German widow three years his junior.
With a whiff of Agatha Christie and a touch of Midsomer Murders, The Grantchester Mysteries introduces a wonderful new hero into the world of detective fiction.
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I like the way he structured this book as a series of separate stories, which nonetheless were in chronological order, followed the same characters, and built on the relationships. He’s a wonderful writer.
The book just doesn’t grab my attention.
I love this entire series!
It was a nice change of pace from my normal reading. The characters were non traditional but very engaging which made for fun and easy reading.
I enjoyed the first several books in the series, which I read shortly after the first season of the TV series came out. Readers coming to the books after seeing the adaptation might want to be aware that the books follow a very different path romantically. I know this may be verging on spoiler alert, but sometimes fans of a show can be very disappointed to learn that the source material is markedly different–and some may find it less satisfying just because it’s not aligned with what they first encountered. It’s not bad–just different, be warned.
I enjoyed the book more than the TV series.
Great series, lovely characters.
light hearted mysteries. Entertaining. Main character is inspirational in his approach to life and people.
Delightful English mid-20th c. mysteries with an engaging, convincing, conscientious protagonist.
Not up to the tv show
Enjoyed this book.
I liked the series on PBS and so this was a fun read because the series is based on these books.
Love watching on t v.
ENjoyed reading this book.
Think a young eligible father brown and you have Sydney. A British pastor just home from the wars and somewhat conflicted between his church work and the many mysteries he is called on to help solve by his parishioners and his friend the police detective. A good read but a bit slow.
If you watch the TV show, it is the same cast of characters and the same type of show. I enjoyed the book and think others would also, especially if you enjoy Sydney and Geordie and their adventures.
good stories
Never saw the tv shows, but now I need to look for more of these stories.
loved it!
Love Sidney and the Grantchester series!
British prose is always a joy!