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The Sanctuary Sparrow (Brother Cadfael, Bk 7)
The Sanctuary Sparrow - Brother Cadfael, Bk 7 Author:Ellis Peters In the gentle Shrewsbury spring of 1140, the midnight matins of the Benedictine abbey suddenly reverberate with an unholy sound - a hunt in full cry. Pursued by a drunken mob, the quarry is running for its life. When the frantic creature bursts into the nave to claim sanctuary, Brother Cadfael finds himself fighting off armed townsmen to save a ... more »terrified young man.
Accused of robbery and murder is Liliwin, a wandering minstrel who performed at the wedding of a local goldsmith's son. The cold light of morning, however, will show his supposed victim, the miserly craftsman, still lives, although a strongbox lies empty. Brother Cadfael believes Liliwin is innocent, but finding the truth and the treasure before Liliwin's respite in sanctuary runs out may uncover a deadlier sin than thievery - a desperate love that nothing, not even the threat of hanging can stop.« less
Alas, about one-third of the way through this book I remembered watching the video years ago. Unlike other Cadfael videos I saw, I remembered who the killer was in this novel.
Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying how Ellis Peters sets things up. This is a good one in that you are startled when the killer is revealed (unless you also saw the video).
Not all the Cadfael videos (not all the books were made into TV movies) follow all the plot themes, but it is pretty hard to change who the killer was.
Another great period mystery/detective story by Ellis Peters. This one was adapted for TV early in the Cadfael series and required that Abbot Radolphus be replaced by Abbot Hereford. Derek Jacoby as Brother Cadfael got to deliver most of the abbot's good lines. Other than that it was more faithful to the book than many of the TV episodes.
Both the book and the TV episode are eminantly entertaining and I can recommend both. Peters does a great job of evoking life in England at that time. ANd the book is as much an excuse to spend time in that period as to present and solve a mystery.
As always there are character details and subplots that had to be simplified for TV viewing so the book is a worthwhile read even if you are already familiar with the TV episode and vice versa.
This is the first book in which Brother Jerome appears that he's as hateful as he appears in the TV series.
