Death After Evensong (1969) by Douglas Clark

Today’s read is August’s book club choice, and I suggested this title (always a risky business) after reading Barzun and Taylor’s recommendation for it: ‘Except for the incessant animosity between Chief Insp. George Masters and his Insp. Green, this story of murder in a small village of the fens […] is absolutely first-rate. Detection is abundant and most of the clues are original, including the fact that the parson is shot without any bullet being found, the site being a disused schoolroom. Moreover, the way in which the deceased’s detestable character comes out bit by bit, with instances quite out of the common but entirely credibly, is masterly.’ Having now read this book, I would only agree in part with this assessment, which I will come on to in a minute. Death After Evensong is the second out of twenty-seven mysteries in the Masters and Green series and this is my first experience with Clark’s work.