Red Slayer: Being the Second of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan [Mass Market Paperback]

I came to the Athelstan series after being somewhat spoiled via my exposure to the more well-known Medieval clerical sleuth, Brother Cadfael, who had the added advantage of being the subject of a very well done British television series. Despite their commonality as clerical sleuths, Athelstan and Cadfael have significant differences. Cadfael is a Benedictine monk, living in a monastic community, reporting to superiors, and jostling with his fellow monks. Athelstan is a Dominican, a parish priest who lives alone and (in this novel, at least) reports to no ecclesiastical superiors. Athelstan has a frustrated and somewhat sublimated romantic interest in the parishioner Benedicta; Cadfael does not, at least in his current circumstances, have an ongoing romantic interest. Above all, Cadfael lives in a small town in the remote and beautiful countryside near the Welsh border, whereas Athelstan lives in a lower class suburb of London, which even in the 14th century is portrayed as filthy and squalid. Whereas Cadfael rubbed shoulders with artisans, merchants, and the lower gentry, Athelstan's parishioners are people of the lower working class, including dung haulers, rat killers, and even a courtesan. Cadfael's world is filled with people - including the villians - who are well-spoken, and the harshest word you hear will be "bastard." Athelstan's neighbors and associates speak the language of the street, often in shockingly vulgar and modern-sounding terms, e.g., "Bugger off!"

Whereas Cadfael has a rather pleasant world, focused on his herb garden and private, aromatic workshop, Athelstan lives in a world characterized by trenches full of human excrement, swarming rats, flies, decay, and death. Cadfael's world is somewhat romanticized, whereas Athelstan's is quite grim.

Cadfael is something of a philosopher, given to theologizing and commenting on the human condition; Athelstan is more reticent in those matters, less prone to make the grand statement or the sweeping gesture of beneficience and forgiveness.

But both Cadfael and Athelstan are ex-soldiers, and both look on their soldiering days with some regret, although - somewhat surprisingly - Athelstan seems to regret those days - having lost his brother in war - more than does Cadfael.

Athelstan is sidekick (and friend and mentor) to the fleshy and hard-drinking Cranston, Coroner of London. (The coroner in that era was much more a police official than he is now, acting more as an investigator of crime than as a medical man ascertaining the exact cause of death.) Cranston and Athelstan find themselves investigating a series of deaths which seem to have their source in events that occurred in the Middle East some years before. There are suspects a-plenty, and the tale is well-told, but even I guessed the culprit, yet not too far before the end of the story. Not a bad read, but lacking much of the feel-good quality of the Cadfael stories.

i read the first and second in this series this weekend-these are must reads for those who like medievil mysteries.^The plots are outstanding and you find yourself identifying with athelstan and the widow benedicta.There is romanse mystery and terrific plots.Not to downgrade ellis peters but i am not sure his novels are quite as good as these.These are books you cant put down and after reading them you will wonder as i did why the author stopped writing them.Read these and you wont be disappointed

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  4.0 out of 5 stars