Murder at the Monastery (Canon Clement, #3) by Richard Coles

Murder at the Monastery (Canon Clement, #3) Reviews

• 
  Sara Eames

  A fun cosy mystery that takes place shortly after the end of the previous book.
• 
  Caroline

  Murder at the Monastery continues from where its predecessor left off. Following his friend Neil's revelation, Daniel heads off to the monastery in Yorkshire where he was once a novice.
  As per the title, there is a murder, and it is in a monastery, but it takes a back seat, as the bulk of the book is taken up with Daniel trying to sort out his feelings, and Mrs. Clements trying to sort out repairs to the vicarage while temporarily living at Champton hall.
  That's not to say this isn't an enjoyable read, because it is, and there are many humourous moments. It is a little heavy on the religion, but the protagonist is a clergyman so this should come as no surprise.
  Love the mention of The Communards. Those of us of a certain age will remember them fondly.
• 
  Donald

  This is really about the minutia of monastery life, the murder is almost an afterthought as is solving it. Murder on the Orient Express isn't a classic because Christie included the timetable and the dinner menu.
• 
  Louise Culmer

  Daniel,having suffered a severe disappointment, has departed from Champton very suddenly to spend some time at the monastery in the north of England where he had spent some years before he became a parish priest. He hopes it will be a peaceful time, but of course it isn’t long before he is dealing with another murder. Inbetween the scenes of monastic life we get some episodes set in Champton. This one contains a great deal of heart searching, and while on the whole I prefer detectives to have uncomplicated personal lives and get on with solving crimes, it was interesting enough to keep me reading. And there is another surprise ending which I was not expecting at all.
• 
  Les

  Really enjoyed the first two books and the twist at the end of the second one was very cleverly played which this follows straight on from.
  
  I have to say this book is a disappointment, unless you are interested in the inner workings of a monastery and some obscure religious practices. The murder hardly gets a mention in over 300 pages until right at the end.
  
  It is redeemed by the trips back to Champton with the usual cast characters there with Miss March slowly coming into her own and an interesting link to a character from the previous book which will no doubt be pursued.
• 
  MJ

  More about the protagonist’s personal problems, less about murder. Nice reading all the same.
• 
  Clare

  A little less religious detail and these would be great murder mystery stories!
• 
  Lee Prescott

  Glacially paced - I couldn't really discern anything happening apart from lighting a few candles for about 150 pages with a plot that stretches the bounds of credibilty this one was a struggle to get through. The similies used in this book drive it down to a 1 star - how on earth would the Reverend Coles know what the sails of Vasco da Gama's be doing off the coast of Africa 500 years ago and be able to use them in comparison I don't know. Unfortunately, it's not the only example.
• 
  Melanie

  Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me; so, I have generously awarded 4. This third story starts immediately after book 2. I had very high hopes for this but it didn’t really deliver for me. I wanted more murder and detection but it seemed to get bogged down in theology and life in a monastery. And although this was interesting in some ways I felt it did rather over dominate. The story also kept flitting briefly back to the other characters and it all became a bit disjointed and with no real point in my view. I will persevere though if there is a number 4 in the series.
• 
  Adam Carson

  What Coles does well, he does really well. This story is primarily a character tale, focussing particularly on Canon Clements emotional anguish. Pretty much every character is well drawn, you understand their motivations and you are let into the minutia of their lives in the most endearing way.
  
  The problem for me is that at times it’s all a bit too much and I found it slow going. The whodunnit element is most definitely secondary, and as a result pretty weak. I think that almost doesn’t matter if you like the characters though.
  
  What made it a a bit of a drag for me was the endless pages describing of religious procedure in the titular monastery. It almost felt at times that Coles was using it to make his own theological and academic arguments. To be fair, you should know what you’re getting - it’s a story written by a reverend with the lead character a rector. It was just all a bit much for me, and I found myself skim reading the most ecclesiastical sections to get to the genuine character and plot development.
• 
  Lilypad_doodle

  This one is the weakest in the series. I understand that it's set in a monastery and the author is a priest but there's too much digression into the theology and traditions of the church. It kind of forgetting there's suppose to be a murder at the centre. Maybe that's just overly morbid of me but.... I came to see Daniel catch a killer not get a lecture on the Anglo-catholic church
• 
  Mer

  Dim llawer o beth. Am wn i ma 10% olaf y llyfr oedd yn ei achub rywfaint. A fynte yn sgwrsiwr mor ddifyr, siomedig
• 
  Jo

  After the shock ending of the previous novel, Daniel heads to a monastery in Yorkshire on retreat leaving behind his family, friends and parishioners. But trouble is never far behind and one of the brothers is found dead, presumably murdered. I liked how the narrative moved between Daniel and the people back in Champton. Although he is the main character it shows how the 'supporting cast' are just as important. Good mix of humour and drama with some highly emotive scenes. And, that ending!!
• 
  Jamie Bowen

  With Daniel shocked to his core at the end of the last book, he has retreated to the monastery he once attended. His sudden disappearance creates lots of speculation back in Champton, and his mother Audrey is pursuing her own plans. But Daniel finds murder follows him around.
  
  This book felt more like Daniel trying to discover who he really is, than actually any murder that takes place. An ok read.
• 
  Mark Rose

  Like a few other readers, I found this a bit heavy on the religious technicalities. The actual mystery is good, and I enjoyed catching up with Daniel and the gang, but I did skip over some of the religious descriptions!
• 
  Stephen Robert Collins

  Father Brown meets Brother Cadfiel with gay love
• 
  Jonathan

  an good murder mystery along the style of P D james, a death in holy orders
• 
  Annarella

  Reading.
  
  Quite slow burning but there's a moment when I thougt the right song was
  
  "Say Hallo, Wave Goodbye":
  "We're strangers meeting
  For the first time, okay?
  Just smile and say hello"
  
  or Torch
  "I'm lost again
  And I'm on the run
  Looking for love
  In a sad song"
  
  Having fun and loving the references, the plot and the characters. Juno the cat is great
  
  A mystery complex, multilayered, and entertaining. A great surprise at end.
  4.5 upped to 5
  
  
• 
  Laura

  I liked it but.... there's too much writing about religion, when it has nothing to do with the story and the plot. I find the religious debates to be boring, on the most part. I'm puzzled as to why I have read the whole series. Maybe it's because I like the characters and the old-fashioned setting.
• 
  Anna Robinson

  Didn’t have a clue about the religious stuff but the ending!!!! Loved it!