The twelfth-century Welsh monk is caught up in civil war and captured by Danish mercenaries, in the Silver Dagger Award-winning medieval mystery series. In the summer of 1144, a strange calm has settled over England. The armies of King Stephen and the Empress Maud, the two royal cousins contending for the throne, have temporarily exhausted each other. On the whole, Brother Cadfael considers peace … Cadfael considers peace a blessing. Still, a little excitement never comes amiss to a former soldier, and Cadfael is delighted to accompany a friend on a mission of diplomacy to his native Wales.
But shortly after their arrival, the two monks are caught up in another royal feud. The Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd has banished his brother Cadwaladr, accusing him of the treacherous murder of an ally. The reckless Cadwaladr has retaliated by landing an army of Danish mercenaries, poised to invade Wales. As the two armies teeter on the brink of bloody civil war, Cadfael is captured by the Danes and must navigate the brotherly quarrel that threatens to plunge an entire kingdom into chaos.
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Again, another great book by Ellis Peters. Hopefully there are readers out there in the World who adore books written about events in the Middle Ages.
well researched.
I am a huge fan of Brother Cadfael and read all of Ellis Peters Cadfael books in my teens. Fifty years later they still hold their charm.
The Cadfael series has long been a favorite historical mystery series, and I enjoyed re-reading this one.
any book about Cadfael is a riveting read
Basically Cadfael books are “history with a personality “ that shows not only the history as it affects the rulers but especially how it affects the rest of the people,with rich, balanced characters who are human with faults, foibles and virtues
Always great!
Not the usual Cadfael story. I enjoyed the reunion of father and son and the new grandchild, however the history lesson was dry for me,
I always enjoy Brother Cadfael for a fun, informative, interesting and soothing read-perfect for a summer afternoon or fall evening- and there’s always a bit of a twist, but everything comes out ok in the end!
This is the third Cadfael book I have read. The writing style takes a little getting used to since Ellis tries to use the language in a way to make you feel that it was an actual account of things taking place in the Middle Ages. The mysteries though are constructed like an Agatha Christie novel. Lots of twists and suspicious characters. This book is about an invasion of Danes, oh, and there is a murder along the way.
All of the Cadfael books are entertaining and have good mysteries to solve. There are lots of historical details which flesh out the stories beautifully.
I have loved every one of Ms. Ellis Peter’s books!
Ellis Peters has written many books about Brother Cadfael and his associates, filled with interesting characters and plots that keep you guessing and this one is no exception. Our current leaders could learn from the way These ancient Danes and Welsh leaders interact with each other.
Love this series
If you’ve seen the TV serialization on PBS years ago, you’ll like this. Adventure, historical fiction, medieval monk as detective, almost everyone–except the odd body or two–ends up happy, what’s not to like?
Always love reading about Cadefel’s adventures.
I enjoy reading Ellis Peters’ “Cadfael” mysteries because of the glimpse it gives me into a world and a time period I can only dream about.
I am not a Catholic, but I have studied a good deal of ancient history (Greek & Roman) & the beginnings of the Reformation, as well as the Meridian of Time. Cadfael gives me a window into what has been a gap in my historical understanding of people and culture (albeit a fictitious one!) after the loss of Christ’s apostles and before Martin Luther.
The only difficulty is, if one reads the novels very quickly in succession, one can get the impression that one is retreading the same story over and over again, with different characters acting out essentially the same plot….
found Ellis Peters’ character Brother Cadfael recently and been reading pretty much all I get my hands on.
Great series
I’ve enjoyed each Cadfael novel from beginning to end. Ms. Peters research into the time period is excellent and very informative.