A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES. In 1137 the head of Shrewsbury Abbey decided to acquire the remains of St Winifred. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to her final resting place in Wales and they find the villagers passionately divided by the Benedictines' offer for the saint's relics. Canny, wise and all too worldly, Cadfael isn't surprised when this taste for bones leads to bloody murder. ONE CORPSE TOO MANY. In 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes Brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden to the bloody battlefield. Not far from the safety of the Abbey walls, Shrewsbury Castle falls, leaving its ninety-four defenders loyal to the Empress to hang as traitors. With a heavy heart, Brother Cadfael agrees to bury the dead, but discovers ninety-five bodies awaiting his attention. MONK'S-HOOD. Brother Cadfael's herb garden is flourishing under his care, then a local dignitary is poisoned with one of the herbalist's own concoctions and Cadfael finds he has to defend himself and another suspect whom he is sure is innocent.
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Review
A pleasing, and unusual mixture of suspense and historical fiction. EVENING STANDARD Soothing, but no shortage of mayhem. OBSERVER A cult figure of crime fiction. FINANCIAL TIMES
About the Author
Ellis Peters is one of the pseudonyms of Edith Pargeter who wrote several books under her own name and also Peter Benedict, Jolyon Carr and John Redfern. She was the recipient of the Crime Writers Association and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award. She died in 1995.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Keckster
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A friend gave me a couple of the later Brother Cadfael books and I wanted to start from the beginning. These mysteries stand the test of time, beacuse they take place in another time. A good page turner.
By Kimbo67
Format:Paperback
I've been a big fan of Cadfael for years. I'd borrowed the books from my local library the first time I read them, but I wanted to reread them recently and discovered that the library no longer had many of the books. They are excellent mysteries and historically accurate -- a great read. The omnibus was a good deal and saves room on my crowded bookshelves.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ellis Peters at her best
May 4 2008
By Keen Reader
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
It took quite some time for the author to get round to him, but the Brother Cadfael mysteries were a winner from the start. The mixture of medieval atmosphere, strong characters and intrigue keep us reading, but it's the honest, intelligent, sympathetic, fair-minded and occasionally grumpy Cadfael himself who makes these books so memorable.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
the first few Cadfaels are the best ones
Dec 5 2007
By Stuart Thiel
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you are unfamiliar with Brother Cadfael, buy this book and read the second story, "One Corpse Too Many," first. IMHO, it's the best of the whole series. You can go back and read "A Morbid Taste for Bones" later.
Not counting "Bones" (which is a sort of "prequel" like the Hobbit is to the Rings saga), the 17-story series follows a tight chronology, pacing a real civil war that plagued England for several years beginning in about 1137 (which ended in a stalemate, where both claimants to the throne agreed to support their mutual nephew, Henry Plantagenet as king). The first three or four stories should be read in order, so while you're at it, buy the Second Cadfael Omnibus too. These set the scene and the characters. They're also the best -- the later 12 stories are quite readable, but only intermittently excellent, and often recycle plot devices from the first few.
But, heck. Do what you want, as long as you read "One Corpse Too Many."
Not counting "Bones" (which is a sort of "prequel" like the Hobbit is to the Rings saga), the 17-story series follows a tight chronology, pacing a real civil war that plagued England for several years beginning in about 1137 (which ended in a stalemate, where both claimants to the throne agreed to support their mutual nephew, Henry Plantagenet as king). The first three or four stories should be read in order, so while you're at it, buy the Second Cadfael Omnibus too. These set the scene and the characters. They're also the best -- the later 12 stories are quite readable, but only intermittently excellent, and often recycle plot devices from the first few.
But, heck. Do what you want, as long as you read "One Corpse Too Many."
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
1st Cadfael Omnibus
Dec 19 2006
By Kathleen Klok
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
These are the books contained in this Omnibus: A Morbid Taste for Bones,
One Corpse Too Many, Monks-Hood
One Corpse Too Many, Monks-Hood
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews
4.9 out of 5 stars
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