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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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
I love Ellis Peters, and wish she wrote more.
Her books make you think…hold your attention…….and are interesting/informative………
Had me guessing til the end. Clever plot.
If you are interested in medieval history, this book provides an informative look at the era.
Classic Cadfael. A body is found in a field that had been donated to the abbey. Who is the woman? There are several possibilities but they all pan out. Terrific twist at the end and wonderful descriptions and language throughout. I recommend it.
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.