In this mystery in the award-winning series featuring a twelfth-century Benedictine monk, Brother Cadfael must travel to the heart of a leper colony to root out the secret behind a savage murder. Setting out for the Saint Giles leper colony outside Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael has more pressing matters on his mind than the grand wedding coming to his abbey. But as fate would have it, Cadfael … would have it, Cadfael arrives at Saint Giles just as the nuptial party passes the colony’s gates.
When he sees the fragile bride looking like a prisoner between her two stern guardians and the bridegroom—an arrogant, fleshy aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather—he quickly discerns this union may be more damned than blessed. Indeed, a savage murder will interrupt the May–December marriage and leave Cadfael with a dark, terrible mystery to solve. Now, with the key to the killing hidden among the lepers of Saint Giles, the monk must ferret out a sickness not of the body, but of a twisted soul.
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I love that it puts me into a story that is so unlike my life now. It’s a time machine for me.
Cadfael – what more need I say: medieval England, beautiful countryside on the Welsh border, ex-crusader monk with an avid interest in herbs & healing; who happens to be a great detective on the side. You get sucked into his world, the people he interacts with and the political machinations of the times.
If you are interested in medieval British history, I would highly recommend this. If you want a detective story from a totally different slant, Cadfael is your man.
Good book for Cadfael fans. Too bad I figured out the murderer almost as soon as they were introduced. But still a good read – Brother Cadfael always is
As always, this Cadfael book is entertaining and informative about the daily life of the era when “God and the saints” turned their back on England.
Unexpected turns and twists keep the pages turning and the characters are well written.
Easy reading
Great mystery
I have been a fan of the Brother Cadfael series for many years, and each one I read never disappoints. Peters has done her research into the life of that time, and her characters are very believable. A great read.
Classic Cadfael, atmospheric and soothing.
Enjoyed it. Like this series.
I had found these books so entertaining and informative. Really strong character developement. Interesting historical aspects of the 1100s.
Expected the best from this author and was not disappointed
Historically accurate information about that period in history, intertwined with a ‘whodunnit ‘.
The whole series is great!
Working my way through this Ellis Peters series of 21 books. All have been a great read. Written in and old English style.
As usual with the Brother Cadfael series I am often drawn to look up unfamiliar words–and it is a joy, not a chore to do so. The richness of the characters and the enormous detail of the settings add to an engaging experience reading his careful creations.
The story was somewhat predictable, but. Read a lot os murder mysteries. The characters were engaging and I did want to continue reading.
Another entertaining story about Brother Cadfeal and his investigative abilities. As the story unfolds you know something will be revealed about a character (s) but not until the end is it all concluded. Good descriptions of life at those times and how the various Classes interfaced.
Any of the Brother Cadfael series is worth reading if you are interested in history and mysteries. I believe Ellis Peters has done an admirable job of research for these novels.
very enjoyable and engaging
I always love Brother Cadfael mysteries. They make the Middle Ages come alive, with characters that are totally believable. Cadfael always solves the mystery – though a monk, he was a warrior once and has seen more of the world than one would expect from a cloistered religious.