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Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: A monk's journey of amends leads to murder in this "thoroughly entertaining medieval mystery" in the Silver Dagger Award�??winning series (Publishers Weekly). Winter arrived early in 1142, bringing with it a heavy snowfall. The safety of the guest-hall roof at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul comes into jeopardy, and the brothers are called upon to effect repairs. But the icy and treacherous conditions are to prove near fatal for Brother Haluin. He slips from the roof and crashes to the ground, sustaining terrible injuries�??grave enough for him to want to make his deathbed confession. The confession is heard by the abbot and Brother Cadfael; a wicked story, of trespasses hard for God or man to forgive. But Haluin does not die. On his recovery, he determines to make a journey of expiation, with Cadfael as his sole companion. It is an arduous journey, physically and emotionally, and one that leads to some shocking discoveries… (more)
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Extended review: It's not hard to picture the author chuckling quietly to herself as she pieced together the fifteenth chronicle of a medieval monk whose monastic life seems to be as riddled with episodes of violent death as if he were a
So it's no wonder that by now the author has ventured rather far into the realm of unlikelihood, albeit with the usual complement of concealed identities, long-hidden sins, thwarted romances, and complicated family relationships.
However, if we've stayed with the series this long, we love Brother Cadfael, and we're just happy to watch him going about his business, doing what he does best, which on most days is growing and tending his herb garden, preparing remedies, and offering wise counsel to those who seek it, and on surprisingly frequent occasions is investigating crimes and exposing culprits.
In this installment, it doesn't even matter that Cadfael has almost no detecting to do. His main function is to serve as a go-between and catalyst while the dramas of others play out. That's enough. I got what I came for.
This
As we delve into the story, we see so much earlier than Cadfael what is taking place, that it leaves me wondering why the story was even written. Then the body. All good mysteries are murder mysteries and so there must be a body.
But we don't get to the body for such a long time, and by then we know the heart of the mystery so the motive for there being a body is too evident.
The reason to read the story is to pass time and keep up with the rest of the series.
This plot gives us a glimpse into the life of a Benedictine convent, and of how these beautiful stone convents and monasteries were constructed. Just a glimpse, but still interesting.
This volume could have used a map as most of the action takes place away from Shrewsbury. A welcome addition to the Brother Cadfael mysteries.