2025 #22 St. Peter's Fair (Peters) - Brother Cadfael #4

 

Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Perhaps fairs just aren't my thing, but this particular installment in the series felt like a real slog. It did not hold my interest, but I'm too stubborn to DNF, so thank goodness my library does automatic renewals. I'd be tempted to give it two stars, but I want to honor the writing here, which is, as always, excellent. Only the last 30 pages or so sparked my interest (no pun intended and that is a very weak spoiler). Emma made for an interesting character at the end -- a good balance to the angelic Aline.

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2024 #50: Monk's Hood - Brother Cadfael #3 (Peters)

 

Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was so excited to see Derek Jacobi as the reader, I failed to notice that this edition is abridged. Still, worth it to hear Jacobi's reading (and no doubt fans of the TV series will enjoy it even more). I much preferred Monk's Hood to the previous One Corpse Too Many as it returns to the cast of characters at Cadfael's abbey, including the imperious and somewhat comical Prior Robert. I'm very pleased to know that Hugh Beringar, introduced in the second book, will be a recurring character in the series. I understand that this second book was the first in the TV series to allow them to introduce Beringar, and I can see why. The subtle quips and dry humor makes this series particularly engaging.

As the book was abridged, I won't comment too much on the pacing or the plot. We do get more of Cadfael's backstory in the form of a new character, Richildis. The reveal was not hugely surprising, but still complex enough to be interesting! Sadly, while I will miss Jacobi's reading, I will return to the unabridged audiobooks read by narrated by Patrick Tull, as I enjoyed his reading of the first in the series.

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2024 #48 One Corpse Too Many - Brother Cadfael #2 (Peters)

 

One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I might go back to the audiobook format for the series, but I did enjoy this read. The characters are great, including the foe who becomes a friend. The political aspects between Stephen and Maud are left a bit blurry, with King Stephen getting more airtime, but the introduction of Godric near the beginning makes for a fun ride. This is definitely character-driven, although I found Cadfael's manipulation a bit tedious at times. Aline Siward is hard to picture in my mind, and I found it difficult to sympathize with her character, but I did love Godric, Torold Blund, and especially Hugh Beringar, one of the more interesting characters.

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2024 #42: A Morbid Taste for Bones - Brother Cadfael #1 (Peters)

 

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Given that I'm generally a fan of monastic medieval mysteries, I'm not sure why it has taken me this long to finally read Cadfael! Perhaps I was unduly biased against Derek Jacobi's rarely smiling face in the promotions for the TV series in the 90s. My mother pushed me toward Peter Tremayne's (aka Peter Ellis -- now THAT's confusing/strange) Sister Fidelma series, which I love, but somehow did not seem interested in Cadfael. I'm going to guess renegade Celtic nun beat out male Crusader-turned-monk in my mother's hierarchy of protagonists/sleuths.

I adored it--the audiobook, narrated by Patrick Tull, was wonderful in picking up the subtle wit of Cadfael's thoughts and generally didn't feel it necessarily to inject gendered artifice into the voicings, relying more upon character differentiation. Many of the characters were surprisingly loveable -- including the good-natured and impish Brother John, and Father Huw--the parish priest at Gwytherin. I also appreciated that it was four chapters before anyone died (it is a mystery, so that's not a spoiler!) It did make it a bit predictable as to who would be the victim, but it was refreshing to have so much character building first. I might quibble with the end -- a bit too much effort to ensure we get closure on the various subplots, but it is a small quibble. The pro-Welsh quips and writing of scenic detail more than make up for it. I'm excited to read the rest of the series (finally!)

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