Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night

Grantchester, Book 2

By: James Runcie

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

Bloomsbury presents Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night by James Runcie, read by Joe Jameson.

The second book in The Grantchester Mystery Series, and the inspiration for the primetime PBS/Masterpiece television series, Grantchester.

The loveable full time priest and part time detective Canon Sidney Chambers continues his sleuthing adventures in late 1950's Cambridge.

Accompanied by his faithful Labrador Dickens, and working in tandem with the increasingly exasperated Inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney is called on to investigate the unexpected fall of a Cambridge don from the roof of King's College Chapel; a case of arson at a glamor photographer's studio; and the poisoning of Zafar Ali, Grantchester's finest spin bowler, in the middle of a crucial game of cricket. As he pursues his quietly probing inquiries, Sidney also has to decide on the vexed question of marriage. Can he choose between the rich, glamorous socialite Amanda Kendall and Hildegard Staunton, a beguiling German widow three years his junior? To help him make up his mind Sidney takes a trip abroad, only to find himself trapped in a complex web of international espionage just as the Berlin Wall is going up.

Here are six interlocking adventures that combine mystery with morality, and criminality with charm.©2013 James Runcie (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Terrific book!

Grantchester on PBS tailored the story to have Sidney and Amanda in a furious involvement that was destructive to her marriage and his vows. This story ended happily, and I loved it.

A step down from the first book

Like many people, I thoroughly enjoyed the Grantchester TV series. So I thought I would try the books. The first book was solid. It was a compilation of four short classic cozy mysteries. Each one about 50-60 pages. The second book is much the same as the first book. Again it is a compilation of four relatively short, classic, cozy mysteries, again each one about 50 to 60 pages in length. However, these stories seem to me to be a lot more about the protagonist, his friends, and his family and less about the mysteries. I thoroughly enjoy reading about the protagonist, Canon Sydney Chambers. So I enjoyed the second book. On now to the third book in a series of six books.