Daniel is a young priest with a sympathy for all. This is the 1980s when AIDS erupted and was thought to be a plague on the homosexual community. Daniel feels even AIDS patients deserve love, understanding and compassion. This attitude is rare among the town and is not appreciated by Bishop Creggan (Ken Bones), who chastises him for overtly tending to the AIDS patients. But Daniel is steadfast in his commitment to bring love and compassion to everyone.

So, when the detective in charge, DS Neil Vanloo (Amit Shah), brings up the idea that perhaps the murderer mistakenly killed another man and Daniel was the target, things get a little stressful in his house. His meddling mother Audrey (Amanda Redman) just moved in with her son and is on the side of the Bishop. She does not think her son should be seen with the AIDS patients. She turns out to be a formidable woman in her own right.

Daniel has been receiving threatening letters and now there are dead animals showing up on his front door. Was he really the target of the murderer or is this just a coincidence?

The townsfolk are unusual in their own way. There is the snooty shopkeeper Stella (Tamzin Outhwaite), the Lord de Floures (Adam James) whose standing in the community is highly regarded, sisters Kath and Dora (Marion Bailey and Amanda Hadingue), the groundskeeper Edgy (Francis Magee) and a slew of others who, when combined, create a long list of offbeat characters. Any one of them could be the murderer, according to the detective.

There are plenty of secrets being held by the folks and, one by one, Daniel discovers that these people have a lot to hide. He takes it on himself to help the detective in the investigation, using his skills as the local priest to get the parishioners to open up to him, and investigating on his own.

When more bodies are discovered, the investigation widens and eliminates Daniel as the original target. The mystery deepens and the secrets are slowly coming to light.

What is interesting, besides the strange characters and the murders, is the town’s link to the past, namely World War II. It has been decades since the war ended, but there are remnants within the village. And there are secrets being held about the town’s involvement in the war.

There are six episodes in this first season and a second season has not been announced, but it is in contention. The whole storyline wraps up in the sixth episode, so even if there is not a second season, viewers will be satisfied with the conclusion.

The series is based on the novel of the same name by The Reverend Richard Coles. For viewers trying to place where the series is actually filmed, that location is Worfield in the West Midlands in the center of England.

All six episodes of “Murder Before Evensong” are available to stream on Acorn TV, part of the AMC networks. It can also be added to a Prime Video membership.