A monk embarks on a dangerous quest to find a trio of missing travelers in this medieval mystery by an Edgar Award-winning author. The winter of 1139 will disrupt Brother Cadfael’s tranquil life in Shrewsbury with the most disturbing of events. Raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two orphans from a noble family, a boy of thirteen and an … thirteen and an eighteen-year-old girl of great beauty, and their companion, a young Benedictine nun. The trio never reaches Shrewsbury, having disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside.
Cadfael is afraid for these three lost lambs, but another call for help sends him to the church of Saint Mary. A wounded monk, found naked and bleeding by the roadside, will surely die without Cadfael’s healing arts. Why this holy man has been attacked and what his fevered ravings reveal soon give Brother Cadfael a clue to the fate of the missing travelers. Now Cadfael sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. The road will lead him to a chill and terrible murder and a tale of passion gone awry. And at journey’s end awaits a vision of what is best, and worst, in humankind.
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Wonderful language and characterization!
Brother Cadfael is one of my favorite literary detectives. I read the entire series, years ago and am now re-reading – and enjoying every word!
Seemed to take forever to get through the plot. Not her best one or my favorite one.
Cadfael is kind of the Medieval Father Brown.
Talented author! A lovely stroll in history with interesting characters and a good mystery to solve.
Personally I like historical fiction that enables me to picture in my mind the life at that time. The Brother Cadfael books do that very successfully and thus I enjoy them thoroughly. The good Brother is a man of deep and sincere faith and at the same time accepts the human condition with all of its warts. No judgment no matter how much he disagrees.
This is one of Ellis’ best Caedfel books.
If only the world had more Cadfaels in it! Ms Peters’ title character is wonderfully drawn, the opposite of the churchmen one might associate with the early middle ages based on other tales. He is warm, understanding, and intelligent, and this is, in addition to the description and solution of the murder mystery, an expansion of our knowledge of Cadfael’s life before the monastery. Another winning entry in this series!
Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mysteries are murder mysteries set in a Medieval English monastery near a bustling river town. Welshman Brother Cadfael, formerly a Crusader who travelled to Jerusalem in his youth, has decided to finish his years in a quiet, contemplative monastic setting, but his keen powers of observation and sharp, well-rounded intelligence make him a perfect Sherlock Holmes in tonsure and cloak. The town’s sheriff, a smart man in his own right, has learned to trust Brother Cadfael’s insights. The two men solve the many puzzling deaths that occur in the surrounding hamlets, woods, in the town and in the monastery.
The Virgin in the Ice is a story of lost children and a nefarious gang of cutthroats who hide between capers in a cleverly hidden fortress.
These historical mysteries bring the reader back to an era of sharp class distinctions where people’s lives are tightly bound to the rhythms of the seasons, but these are not dull tales! We meet characters who fit in in any era: hard workers, lazy bums, wily conmen, shrewd and careful housewives. There are arranged marriages, elopements, festivals, funerals. And just like any good mystery, there are murders most foul!
The book is about an detective, but in the Middle Evil world with no magic
I have enjoyed all the books that I have read in this series. The historical settings and the characters. The plot is not predictable but keeps you interested.
Caedfel is always entertaining
This is the second time I’ve read it, and I still couldn’t put it down! Brother Cadfael has to be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. He’ll do anything to help those who need it, no matter what opposition he faces. And he’s so down-to-earth. He has very high standards, but he is compassionate to others. He doesn’t judge, but instead always seeks to understand what is going on. We need so much more of that in this old world.
Love this author
One of my favorites in the series. Introduces a recurring character very important to Cadfael. Also, the effect of traumatic events on mental stability lends an interesting slant to the plot. I read all 21 of these at least every other year.
I love the Cadfael books. Every one is a guaranteed good read.
I always enjoy reading the Cadfael series of books.
These books are very fun to read if you enjoy history
I love the whole Cadfael series.
one of my favorite characters and authors