Brother Cadfael
Ellis Peters English writer ( 1913 - 1995 )
(Known As: Pargeter, Edith Mary; Pargeter, Edith; Benedict, Peter; Carr, Jolyon; Redfern, John; Carr, Joylon; Peters, Ellis)
Detailed descriptions of life in the Middle Ages and the medieval mindset form the backdrop for this series of mysteries involving Brother Cadfael, a Welsh-born Benedictine monk. Cadfael joins the monastery later in life, having first been a soldier, sailor, and Crusader. A keen observer of both people and his surroundings, Cadfael knows both the secular and the ecclesiastical worlds, knowledge he brings to his investigations.
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A Morbid Taste for Bones (1978) ) (TV aired Aug 25 1996)
The novel introduces the chronicles of Brother Cadfael, a former Crusader turned Benedictine monk. The ambitious prior of Cadfael's order decides to appropriate the sacred remains of Saint Winifred from her proper resting place in Wales. The Welsh Cadfael goes to translate and is soon investigating a murder.
One Corpse Too Many (1980) (TV aired May 29, 1994)
The historical fall of Shrewsbury Castle in the dynastic struggle between King Stephen and Empress Maud provides the background and conflict for Brother Cadfael's second chronicle. He is asked to administer last rites to a number of hanged prisoners and discovers one corpse too many. There's been a murder as well as an execution.
Monk's Hood (1980) (TV aired Jun 19, 1994)
Gervase Bonel, a guest at the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the husband of the woman that Cadfael once loved, is found poisoned by a dose of Cadfael's own potion of monkshood. Suspicion falls on Bonel's stepson whom Cadfael defends out of his pastconcern for his mother.
St. Peter's Fair (1981) (TV aired Aug 19, 1997)
St. Peter's Fair is an annual celebration in Shrewsbury, a holiday mingling of knights, gentry, and merchants. In the midst of the festivities, a wealthy merchant is murdered. His niece is left with a perilous task and is embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy, which Brother Cadfael must untangle before another death occurs.
The Leper of St. Giles (1982) (TV aired June 12, 1994)
Brother Cadfael comes to the defense of two thwarted lovers--a princess about to be married to a man she does not love and a young nobleman who is charged with the murder of the prospective bridegroom. Cadfael sets out to prove Jocelin's innocence, and the answer to the mystery comes from an unexpected source: the leper house of St. Giles.
The Virgin in the Ice (1983) (TV aired Dec 26, 1995)
The English dynastic struggle between King Stephen and Empress Maud drives two orphans and their chaperones into the wintry landscape where they are lost without a trace. Cadfael is called in to help locate them. Evidence of murder is discovered, linked to the priory of Bronfield.
The Sanctuary Sparrow (1983) (TV aired June 5, 1994)
An itinerant acrobat is accused of robbery and murder and seeks sanctuary at St. Peter and St. Paul's. Cadfael is not convinced of the boy's guilt, and he sets out to investigate. His inquiries reveal some dark family secrets.
The Devil's Novice (1984) (TV aired Aug 18, 1996)
A young novice in Brother Cadfael's order creates so much disorder that he is called the Devil's Novice. When a political envoy on a mission to end England's civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud disappears, Cadfael investigates the mystery of which the young novice appears to be a part.
Dead Man's Ransom (1984)
The civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud rages on. In the battle of Lincoln, the sheriff of Shropshire is captured, and the king himself is being held by his enemies. An exchange of prisoners is arranged, but when one dies under mysterious circumstances, Brother Cadfael investigates.
The Pilgrim of Hate (1985) (TV aired Dec 28, 1998)
Pilgrims flock to the Benedictine Abbey at Shrewsbury to venerate the sacred relics of St. Winifred. Brother Cadfael establishes a link between the murder of a knight and a pair of pilgrims. A miracle cure and love complicate the mystery.
An Excellent Mystery (1985)
Brothers Humilis and Fidelis are refugees of the dynastic struggle between King Stephen and Empress Maud. Cadfael wonders about the curious allegiance of the pair. Soon a second mystery, the disappearance and the presumed murder of a girl, becomes connected with the pair.
The Raven in the Foregate (1986) (TV aired Aug 26, 1997)
Father Ailroth is assigned to the parish of the Holy Cross, known as the Foregate. His zeal and devotion quickly alienate him from his parishioners. When his body is discovered in the millpond, there is no shortage of suspects, but there are few clues for Brother Cadfael.
The Rose Rent (1987)
The widow Judith rents her cottage and garden to the abbey for the price of a single rose per year. Brother Eluric is entrusted to make the annual payment, but he is killed and the widow disappears. Cadfael must investigate a variety of likely suspects who might wish to break the contract and acquire Judith's holdings as part of a dowry.
The Hermit of Eyton Forest (1988)
On the death of Richard Ludel, his son (also named Richard) succeeds to power but resists the domination of his grandmother. When Richard disappears and a corpse is found in the forest where a hermit enjoys the protection of Richard's grandmother, Cadfael takes up the investigation.
Brother Halvin falls from an icy roof and is injured badly enough to make a deathbed confession to Brother Cadfael, an admission of wickedness difficult to forgive. But Halvin recovers and undertakes a journey of expiation accompanied by Cadfael. Revenge and murder await them.
A Rare Benedictine (1988)
Three short stories tell how Cadfael, the renowned Medieval slueth, came to be a monk in Shrewsbury Abbey, and details the first mysteries he solved.
The Heretic's Apprentice (1990)
After his death, William of Lythwood is brought to the abbey for burial by his squire, Elave. William was once charged with heresy and Elave is overheard voicing the same views. When a murder occurs, Cadfael investigates both that crime and the heresy allegations.
The Potter's Field (1990) (TV aired Dec 23, 1998)
A field previously owned by a potter and his lovely wife is transferred to the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. When the monks begin to plow it, they turn up the body of a young woman thought to be the potter's wife. Cadfael must solve the crime that becomes entangled with the arrival of a young novice.
The Summer of the Danes (1991)
Brother Cadfael embarks on an ecclesiastical mission to his native Wales. There, he is caught up in a deadly dispute between rival Welsh princes and an army of Danish mercenaries. Cadfael is captured, and his freedom depends on bringing a murderer to justice.
The Holy Thief (1993) (TV aired Jun 23, 1998)
The Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul is visited by two brothers soliciting funds to restore Ramsey Abbey. Cadfael marks one of the brothers, Tutilo, as someone to watch. Cadfael's hunch is rewarded when a theft and a murder follow, and Tutilo is the primesuspect. But did he do it?
Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994)
In the most personal of Brother Cadfael's adventures, he learns that his son, Olivier, conceived years before Cadfael became a monk, is being held captive by a renegade nobleman who has broken his allegiance to the Empress Maud. Cadfael must break his vows and leave the cloister to search for his missing son. In Coventry, he encounters Olivier's brother-in-law. Cadfael must save him from danger while gaining entrance to the dungeon that holds his son.
BBC Article with Audio Link
Website on Brother Cadfael and Pargeter
Webpage on Brother Cadfael and Pargeter
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