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Charges of heresy and murder are complicated by the contents of a mysterious treasure chest In the summer of 1143, William of Lythwood arrives at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, but it is not a joyous occasion--he's come back from his pilgrimage in a coffin. William's body is accompanied by his young attendant Elave, whose mission is to secure a burial place for his master on the abbey grounds, despite William's having once been reprimanded for heretical views. An already difficult task is complicated when Elave drunkenly expresses his own heretical opinions, and capital charges are filed. When a violent death follows, Sheriff Hugh Beringar taps his friend Brother Cadfael for help. The mystery that unfolds grows deeper thanks to a mysterious and marvelous treasure chest in Elave's care. … (more)
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This story deals with the subject of heresy in the 1100s, England. An issue that was beginning to heat
The mystery of course is paramount and the outcome, a happy ending is clear as Peters seems to unite some couple in love in each of these stories, but what is not clear as has been so these last few books is the culprit. Not only do we find a story that takes a complex turn as it delves into heresy, a very real proposition of the time, but we find a mystery having a complex twist to it also.
This twist is the redemption of so many of the previous adventures. Though there is no herbology involved, Cadfael the investigator, the man who is always near the center to momentous events once again helps solve the mystery and brings about our happy ending. Here is a mystery worthwhile.
NOTES: p. 163: why twelfth-century heretic hunters hated each other.
Extended review:
In the sixteenth chronicle of Brother Cadfael, our favorite twelfth-century monastic gumshoe yields the foreground to the inevitable thwarted young couple. Perhaps shifting the focus away from her series
In any event, Cadfael seems to yield the spotlight graciously, while the well-matched pair of lovers takes center stage. The clever deductions and the setting of the final trap fall to them, and they carry off their parts with spirit.
At the same time, the author gets in a full complement of asides on various religious, political, and social topics together with plenty of time-and-place atmosphere and well-researched detail. I thought the information about the making of parchment and fine books was interesting and well integrated into the story.
God bless cozy mysteries, an antidote to many an ill.
When Elave returns from a pilgrimage to the Middle East as William's scribe and assistant, he returns with a gift of a exquisitely
When Aldwin turns up murdered, things are looking even worse for Elave and Brother Cadfael and Hugh Beringar must figure out who actually did murder Aldwin and why?
Ellis Peters has always used morality and justice in her Cadfael books, but, to the good brother, only God is the judge of human actions. Here the author discusses infant baptism and original sin as well as predestination and works versus deeds. There is the official church position and there is God's position and they may be widely separated. An interesting look into the theological world of the 12th century.