‘Till Death Us Do Part’ by Reverend Penny Stephens

Published by Quercus,
16 July 2026. 
ISBN: 978-1-52944-147-5 (HB)

The Reverend Clare Brakespear has already been reluctantly entangled in one murder and was able to lend a helping hand to tetchy DCI Jackie Carter. When she's invited to lead a retreat in a Cornish hotel from which a guest went missing a year earlier, she hopes there won't be a repeat performance. 

But her wish is destined not to be granted. She soon discovers that all but two of this year's retreat members had a connection with Victoria, the missing woman – and one of them is Jackie Carter, who has signed up under a false name, and is definitely not there to investigate anything – or is she? What's more, Jeremy, the hotel's events manager, is acting in a decidedly shifty manner. 

Like her protagonist, the author is herself a member of the clergy, and has been a parish priest, so Clare Brakespear is as normal and flawed as anyone – the kind of vicar who enjoys a gin and tonic, doesn't quote the Bible in every sentence and occasionally thinks uncharitable thoughts. Also, like Clare, Rev Penny Stephens is clearly a student of human nature. The characters are rounded and well-drawn, the kind of motley assortment you might meet at any gathering of this kind. 

There's Lucy, the missing woman's sister, prickly and defensive. Michael, Victoria's estranged husband, is keen to make amends for the misdemeanour that pushed them apart. Pippa, that misdemeanour, reinvents herself with every new outfit. Gareth is super-fit, proud of it and competitive. Vincent is curious, verging on downright nosy. Dan is the kind of Christian guaranteed to irritate by bringing it in every time he opens his mouth. Astrid is just there for time out from high-pressure work. 

Something else the author clearly knows well is the location: the Lizard peninsula right at the tip of Cornwall. Picturesque coastal paths, cliffs, cafes and rock-strewn beaches all come to life and provide a counterpoint to the unhappiness and shock which crime engenders. 

Even minor characters like hotel staff and the stand-offish and not exactly competent local DCI are sharp and distinct. And since this is a murder mystery after all, in true Agatha Christie manner they all have a part to play when the inevitable murder is discovered. 

So will Jackie, with Clare's help, solve not only the murder but also the mystery of Victoria's disappearance? What is Jeremy hiding under his inappropriately flamboyant exterior? And will Clare get herself out of a potentially dangerous situation? No spoilers; read the book! You'll be glad you did.
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Reviewer: Lynne Patrick 

Rev. Penny Stephens was a vicar in a village parish before working as a hospice chaplain in East London and Kent. She now takes services in the Diocese of Rochester, where she is an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral. Till Death Us Do Part is Penny's debut novel.

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.