I found that the author hovered too much around his characters, and I missed the sermons from the TV show.

JOANNE'S MYSTERY PICKS
This first volume of interconnected stories in this series introduces us to Canon Sidney Chambers. He’s not your everyday vicar. He prefers a pint of beer over a glass of sherry; jazz is his preferred choice of music; and he’s very fond of a good game of cricket. He’s a good listener (certainly a pre-requisite for a vicar) which makes it easy for him to ferret out bits of information that people would not normally reveal. His foray into crime detection comes completely by chance but since he’s proved to be good at it, he’s called on by all and sundry to help solve a variety of crimes, much to the displeasure of his house-keeper, Mrs. Maguire.
Along with his friend Inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney investigates a suspicious suicide, a jewelry theft, the murder of a jazz-promoter’s daughter, and an art forgery that puts a good friend in serious danger.
This series comprises five books to date, with a sixth in the works. The books are best read in order as the stories follow Sidney chronologically. I found them highly enjoyable, with each subsequent story showing us a new aspect of Sidney’s character. The books stand very well on their own next to the current Grantchester Mystery Series on television.

Are the facts too clear but not clear enough? This thought runs through the mind of Sidney Chambers, Vicar of Grantchester, as he softly...softly interviews parishioners, villagers, the deceased man’s secretary and his widow among other women in his life in the first death of this tale. The body count doesn’t end there with one character commenting, “Be careful if you have Canon chambers over...it could be fatal.” But that is what makes this series so enjoyable...what will happen next and to whom? As we can trust, the truth will out.

The reader, Peter Wickham, aptly handles voicing the old and young, men and women in this cozy British mystery. His pacing and tone along with the author’s words take the listener to the English countryside near Grantchester with it’s village gossip and green rolling hills.

The cozy mystery genre is such a relaxing comfortable yet intriguing listen. Your who-dun-it assertion is withheld in this murder mystery. Using a Vicar as detective is an interesting approach to baring the facts. Giving ear to this book is a pleasant way to spend an evening.

The book is definitely darker than the adaptation for TV. At the same time, it gives additional insights into the vicar's mind and you see just how seriously he takes his duties.

I read this book before I watched the television series of the same name. I found the book to have unbelievable characters, dialogue and story lines. I wasn't impressed. However, I really enjoyed the television series, as the writers made the characters more believable, as well as changing many of the original story lines to make them more interesting. The TV series made the books come to life, which seems backward. In most cases, I've found that the movies rarely live up to the books they were based on (with the exception of the Harry Potter series).

FIRST BOOK IN THE GRANTCHESTER SERIES. I have enjoyed the Grantchester series on PBS so I wanted to read the books behind Sidney Chambers. This book should really be listed as a series of short stories, as each "chapter" involves a different mystery. In general I prefer mystery books that have one continuous story line. The character development is excellent, however, and I probably will read more books in the series. Kristi & Abby Tabby

I highly recommend the book series for those who enjoy Grantchester, the show which is based on the books. Canon Sidney Chambers is a delightful character, and I enjoyed being able to picture the actors from the show as I read the book. Looking forward to continuing with this series.

I picked this up because I'd heard good things about the TV series based on the books. The novel itself is solid but nothing really exciting. Sidney is a wonderful character and I found him and all the characters in his life interesting but somehow the novel lacked a certain something. Perhaps given the time period the novel is set, I was expecting something a bit more like Agatha Christie and found it lacking the sparkle of her novels. That being said, I can see the mysteries have serious potential as a TV series so I do still plan to watch it at some point.

Whether it is murder in a jazz club, a stolen ring or a kidnapping, Canon Sidney Chambers uses his faith and quiet persistence to solve what ever mystery comes his way.
Fans of Agatha Christie will love this series.

The mysteries aren't so deep. Nice post-war story.