The medieval monk digs for clues when a body is unearthed by a plow: “His detecting talents are as dazzling as ever” (Publishers Weekly). When a newly plowed field recently given to the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul yields the body of a young woman, Brother Cadfael is quickly thrown into a delicate situation. The field was once owned by a local potter named Ruald, who had … named Ruald, who had abandoned his beautiful wife, Generys, to take monastic vows.
Generys was said to have gone away with a lover, but now it seems as if she had been murdered. With the arrival at the abbey of young Sulien Blount, a novice fleeing homeward from the civil war raging in East Anglia, the mysteries surrounding the corpse start to multiply.
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Over the years, I have read almost all of the Brother Cadfael books and have loved every one of them. Ellis Peters tells his tales with clarity, suspense, many touching moments and the delightful character of Brother Cadfael. Once started, they are hard to put down and you’ll be anxious to get the next book started! S.T. Pierce
Classic Cadfael (although I keep hearing Derek Jacoby’s voice when Brother Cadfael speaks.) The setting is pretty accurate of the time period. Cadfael himself is an herbalist monk, wise, thoughtful, but having once been a soldier, he’s seen the darker sides of human life. All of the Brother Cadfael mysteries are full of detail, and the same human reactions we still have today.
All of the Cadfael books are fantastic if you like historical mysteries. They are very well-written and historically accurate, both in events and culture. I highly recommend you try them. Each is able to be read as a stand-alone, not as a series.
Brother Cadfael gets right into this mystery early in the story. He’s overseeing the plowing of the Potter’s Field, given to the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul by Haughmond Abbey in exchange for other lands. The plow turns up the bones of a woman. With no identifiable marks, Cadfael, Hugh Beringar, and Abbot Radulfus go about finding out who this woman is. Several quick leads are quickly proven false, but in the end, all is told.
I didn’t figure this one out at all. I had suspicions, but I focused on the wrong person. It was the right family, just the wrong member of that family. Looking forward to wrapping up the series over the next several weeks.
I have read most of the books by this author and have enjoyed every one of them.
The stories are believable and fun to follow.
Appealing characters and the plot twists are not too unrealistic. I found it a pleasant read and that’s what I was looking for. Characters act a little more realistically than in other mystery novels of it’s type.
The Cadfael books are great fun, a great sense of place and great characters. I cannot recommend the series enough, for fans of medieval mysteries, this sets the standard.
Cadfael is a delight!
Love all of his books.
My first book to read in this series. Didn’t know if I would like something set in the medieval time period, but I did! Am probably going to try another as the author made the characters and setting fascinating and believable! I recommend this book.
I have read the whole series more than once and enjoy all of them every time.
Delightful read, well researched, the mystery believably and gradually evolved.
In the Cadfael mysteries you have at least a chance of figuring out who did it and why, although I rarely get both.
I enjoy all of the Cadfael books. I am always up for a mystery. The twists and turns are always fun.
Cadfael as usual…always enjoyable
All the Caedfell books are marvelous. The author clearly knows the period, the details are interesting and informative. There is always a bit of romance with a happy ending. And the author seems to actually understand why someone would become a religious. I love these books. One of my half dozen favorites.
Always an enjoyable relaxing read
I love all the Cadfel series!
I am in the processor reading the entire series, in order. Every book leaves me wanting more.
The I love Cadfael. His curiosity and logical reasoning are very advanced for the age he lives in