Critic Reviews

His [Matthew Lewis'] chemistry with Amanda Redman, who plays Daniel’s mother, Audrey, is top-notch. .... Their occasionally prickly bond is built from equal parts snarky banter, emotional repression, and affection, resulting in something that feels unlike almost anything else in this genre space at the moment.

While the show took a while to get cooking, I'd advise viewers to stick with it – by episode 3, I was totally hooked. .... Make no mistake, the entire cast is phenomenal, but many of the show's standout scenes come courtesy of Daniel and his mother, Audrey.

“Murder Before Evensong” has just enough edge — including a zinger of a finale — to keep us hooked.

Murder Before Evensong is an engaging mystery that builds a world around Canon Daniel Clement as he becomes the sleuthing vicar that will likely solve murders in future series.

Murder Before Evensong joins the ranks of Father Brown, Sister Boniface Mysteries and Grantchester. Unlike its bedfellows, however, this series is not purely escapist and Coles has used the generic framework of cosy crime for his own, more personal purposes. Without Amanda Redman’s Audrey, however, it would be as dry as a Communion wafer.

The plotting works nicely, with a tidy list of suspects and some well-paced action. The main disappointment is Canon Clement. He has no discernible personality or character traits.

He is still essentially a man in a dog collar who is terribly nice in that churchy way and just wants this horrid business to be over. I slightly felt the same about this drama.