“The captivating prequel to the treasured Grantchester series follows the life, loves, and losses of young Sidney Chambers in postwar London.

It is 1938, and eighteen-year-old Sidney Chambers is dancing the quickstep with Amanda Kendall at her brother Robert’s birthday party at the Caledonian Club. No one can believe, on this golden evening, that there could ever be another war.

Returning to London seven years later, Sidney has gained a Military Cross and lost his best friend on the battlefields of Italy. The carefree youth that he and his friends were promised has been blown apart, just like the rest of the world–and Sidney, carrying a terrible, secret guilt, must decide what to do with the rest of his life. But he has heard a call: constant, though quiet, and growing ever more persistent. To the incredulity of his family and the derision of his friends–the irrepressible actor Freddie and the beautiful, vivacious Amanda–Sidney must now negotiate his path to God: the course of which, much like true love, never runs smooth.” – Bloomsbury Publishing

I couldn’t have said it better myself – but I’m going to try.

As someone who has always been a fan of the mystery genre, and especially a cozy British mystery, I was really surprised that I had never heard of James Runcie’s Grantchester Mystery Series.  I mean – how could I have missed this?  I have a Brit Box TV subscription, for goodness sake!  I’m all about British mysteries, but somehow this one never hit my radar – until it was announced that it was being adapted for a new PBS Masterpiece Mystery series.  Now, of course, I’m a big fan of the TV series – and it had nothing to do with the casting of the very handsome James Norton as the main character Sidney Chambers.   In fact, James Norton has moved on and left the series, and a new handsome actor has been chosen to continue in a different character role – and I still love the series.  But I digress – this post is about the new book in the series, not the TV series.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the book series, James Runcie’s amateur sleuth is Sidney Chambers, the Vicar of Grantchester. Basically, he’s a priest – but in the U.K. that designation can be quite different from what we know of the priesthood in the U.S. – moving on….

This book tells the early story of Sidney Chambers, and how the horrors of war changed him from a carefree teenager to a man who was determined to find peace.   

The book is divided into four parts –

War – which describes the camaraderie, the fighting, the loss and sorrow.  Sidney is faced with just trying to survive – the fighting was brutal and although not too graphic, Runcie does a great job of setting the scene in great detail.  Sidney is not only fighting the enemy, but also his conscience. He seeks out advice from a beloved army chaplain, and also a nurse that he meets as he convalesces from an injury, who explain to him how faith has provided to both of them a sense of comfort in such horrible circumstances.

Peace – which gives us the insight and struggle that Sidney faces in making his decision.  Sidney is lost.  He’s back home and struggling to make sense of the fact that he survived when so many others did not.  Called a hero, he feels guilty and alone – anything but a hero.  But he keeps going back to his conversations with the chaplain and nurse, and finally realizes that his vocation lies in the Church. Once that decision is made, he feels lighter – like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders – but now he needs to break the news to his family, and to Amanda, the girl who seems to understand him more than anyone and who has quite a crush on Sidney

Faith – how Sidney continues to struggle to bring his old life and new life together.  It’s only when he lets go of his old life that he finally finds a sort of happiness.  There is a melancholy tone to the book, and even to a certain extent the TV series.  We get a sense that Sidney will never be fully happy, but he has found a way to lessen the pain and guilt that he will always carry with him.  

Love – Sidney has been ordained and has been given a parish, and all of the responsibilities that go with it.  He will be the shoulder that people cry on, look to for guidance, and be with them in their final hours.  But in an interesting twist, he has finally learned to accept his painful past and to move ahead in finding his own faith and peace.  This final section of the book is titled “Love”, but Sidney doesn’t find love in the romantic sense – he’s come to love his new place in life, and maybe even to love himself once again.

I really loved this book.  Throughout I could hear James Norton’s voice speaking as Sidney, and I’m glad that I was introduced to the TV show before the books. 

Now that I’ve read this fantastic prequel, I’ll pick up the rest of the series – although fair warning, I’ve heard that there are quite a few differences between the books and the TV series.

For those interested, the books in the series include:

1. Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (2012)
2. Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night (2013)
3. Sidney Chambers and The Problem of Evil (2014)
4. Sidney Chambers and The Forgiveness of Sins (2015)
5. Sidney Chambers and The Dangers of Temptation (2016)
6. Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love (2017)

Any other Grantchester fans out there? I’d love to hear your thoughts – especially if you’ve read the books and watched the TV series!

James Runcie – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Runcie