The Holy Thief - Brother Cadfael, Bk 19 Author:Ellis Peters At the height of the hot summer of 1144, a lucky hit by one of King Stephen's archers rids the Fen country of Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, who has amassed his castles and gold by robbing rich and poor alike. Thus, the Benedictine abbey at Ramsey, long used as a den for Geoffrey's raggle-taggle marauders, is returned in a thoroughly rui... more »ned state to the good brothers of that order. The news comes to Brother Cadfael or the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shrewsbury in the person of the dour, raw-boned Brother Herluin who is soliciting funds and aid to restore Ramsey Abbey to its former splendor. Of much more interest to Cadfael is Herluin's companion, Brother Tutilo, a slightly built lad with a guileless face surrounded by a profusion of brown curls. But Brother Cadfael, long a shrewd judge of character, notes on that brow an intelligence that bespeaks more of mischief than innocence, and he muses that this Brother Tutilo bears watching. The arrival of a French troubadour, his servant, and a girl with the voice of an angel gives Cadfael a feeling in his wise bones that something is about to happen. It does. The late autumn rains bring flood waters right to the altar where the abbey's most precious possession reposes - the bones of Saint Winifred. Only Brother Cadfael knows that moving the holy relic can expose a long hidden secret. He never envisions that the results of disinterment will be the theft of the cherished bones...and murder. Suspicion quickly falls on a guilty-looking Brother Tutilo. But did he do it?« less
If you haven't read about Brother Cadfael's medieval detective work this one would make a good start. A young, seemingly naive monk, a ribald French troubadour, a girl with a beautiful singing voice, rising flood waters, the disappearance of the abbey's beloved relics, and murder all mix together to make holy mayhem.
Brother Cadfael is at it again. One unjustly accused man, another dead, and more hiding secrets. Surprise twists and turns. You never know till the end with his books! I love the series.
Mary Anne M. reviewed The Holy Thief (Brother Cadfael, Bk 19) on
Ellis Peters is one of the finest writers ever. Her imagery of medieval England, and her character development are not to be found very often today. I find all of the Brother Cadfael books to be excellent.
"Twelfth-century Shropshire comes vividly alive when peopled with Peter's aristocratic ladies, sturdy lawmen, eager squires, and above all, devout
& devious monks, " states Publisher's Weekly. "The remarkable Peters... continues to charm her leigon of loyal reader with her serie featuring Brother Cadfael, the medieval monk who wears the cowl of a Benedictine monk, but who would be equally at ease in Holmes'deerstalker cap," says the Buffalo News. While the Los Angeles Daily News reports, "These are full-bodied novels that capture not just the spirit of the age, but also the temperments of a widely diverse cast of characters. And it is all done within the contx of a good mystery plot."
Ah, the adventures of Brother Cadfael continue as he encounters a French troubadour and a girl whose voice is so pure it compared to an angel. Then a flood threatens the bones of the Saint Winifred. Of course, there is a murder and the bones of the saint disappear. Are the two incidents connected? It's up to Brother Cadfael to investigate both and find out. Can the murderer be apprehended and the bones recovered? This is another delightful adventurous mystery with Brother Cadfael who has the where with all to solve it all. A delightful read.
