I don’t quite know how it happened, but in 2016, I noticed a shift in my own tastes. It happened as a gradual thing and snuck up on me—it was only when I saw that my to-be-read pile had changed complexion did I notice it. I’m sure a lot of… Read more
Most of us love the idea of islands—their beauty, their singularity, their separation from the wider world. And, of course, we all believe that life may somehow be easier on islands, more laid back, simpler, even Edenic. But islands have their dark side, too. And just as most of us… Read more
Archaeological excavations are underway at Oxford, and the student diggers have unearthed something they probably didn’t expect to find: a dead body wrapped in recycling bags. It’s enough to send police cars screaming to the scene, followed at a slightly less frantic pace by Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) and his… Read more
It’s the last episode of Series 2, and we’re still dealing with the fallout from Gary Bell killing Abigail Redmond in Episode 1. Gary was executed for Abigail’s murder, and hunky vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton) hasn’t quite gotten over it. He’s drinking to excess, hanging on past last call… Read more
Amanda (Morven Christie) has thrown herself into Sidney’s campaign to have Gary Bell released from prison. She’s calling in favors from her rich, influential friends. She’s meeting Sidney in a tea shop and ordering his tea with not too much milk, just the way he likes it. She’s talking about… Read more
We’re back to the Gary Bell story from Episode 1, in which Gary is on trial for murder and Sidney plans to testify in Gary’s defense. “Tell the truth,” Sidney advises him. “Have faith, the jury will believe you.” Is it a spoiler to remind ourselves that Sidney’s advice isn’t… Read more
Daughter of Albion by Ilke Tampke is a historical mystery set in Ancient Britain on the cusp of Roman invasion (Available April 19, 2016). A baby girl is abandoned on the doorstep of the Tribequeen’s kitchen. Cookmother takes her in and names her Ailia.Without family, Ailia is an outsider in her… Read more
Things between Sidney Chambers (James Norton) and Margaret Ward (Seline Hizli) have progressed to the point where they’re kissing in front of the parishioners. Has the Hunky Vicar taken a step in the right direction at last? Mrs. Maguire the housekeeper doesn’t think so. She thinks Margaret is disrespectful. “She… Read more
If your TV series is set anywhere in the vicinity of Cambridge in the 1950s, the story will eventually turn to Soviet spies. Real-life agents Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, who were recruited to Cambridge and fled to the Soviet Union in 1951, made that link indelible. The real village… Read more
The first words are “What the Dickens?” uttered by the curmudgeonly housekeeper Mrs. Maguire. Seconds later, Sidney Chambers (James Norton) strips down to swimming trunks, lest we’d forgotten he’s the Hunky Vicar. His BFF, Geordie Keating (Robson Green), also in trunks and less hunky only by comparison, gets all theosophical… Read more
