I suspect that this will be the first of many reviews coming in 2024 of Ellis Peters' Cadfael mysteries. As I mentioned previously, I picked up all seven 3 book omnibus versions of these stories - 16 novels and a number of short stories, that I will hopefully be reading at a nice sedate pace. The problem will be finding something better to read.
In any event, two more novels, this time from the Second Cadfael Omnibus.
My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.
Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below.
The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters A
In this story we have a young lady of 18, an heir to a large English estate, being forced to marry a 60 year old nobleman, as a business deal arranged by the young women's guardians. The wedding is to take place at the Abbey of St Peter and Paul. The young lady is in love with a squire of her future husband, and he is in love with her. When this is suspected, the squire is framed for theft, and when the bridegroom doesn't show up for the wedding, for murder. Along the way we have a mysterious Leper currently residing in the leper house of St Giles, as well as the usual crew of unlikely suspects... As always, an entertaining mix of murder mystery with a monastery and medieval backdrop.
In all these stories, Cadfael is the monk who is out and about because he has a far wider experience in the world, having spent his first 40 as a soldier and a sailor during the Crusades and is trusted to look into the worldly matters. Thus h's the one to examine the bodies, and investigate the circumstances surround them. And he's always to determine truth of the events, based on his wide experiences. That said, a lot of the story goes on around him as well, so it isn't all Cadfael all the time. This usually makes the stories more interesting, as each one features new, and often young, people in trouble. Still, as you will find in the review below, it doesn't always work.
The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters B-
My least favorite entry in the series, so far. I think because it was rather unfocused and too sprawling. Plus there seemed a lot of coincidences needed to tie everything together in a pretty bow.
The basic premise is that the sacking of Worchester during the ongoing civil war in England, resulted in a lot of refugees. These refugees including two orphans; an 18 year old girl and her 13 year old brother, along with a nun, who were bound for the monastery of St Peter & St Paul, but never arrived. A search is made for them. In the meanwhile Cadfael is called to a neighboring monastery to doctor a monk found naked in the snow. This mook seems to have some contact with the missing children and nun, which leads Cadfael out into the winter woods where he finds a woman frozen in a creek - the murder to be solved in this murder mystery. But there are the children to be found and lost again as well, plus, a band of bandit raiders to be located and dealt, plus there's the square of the King's enemy, Empress Maud, who has been sent by the children's uncle to find his niece and nephew who Cadfael must be consider a as well. As I said, sprawling and somewhat disjointed, more of a mediaeval adventure story than a mystery.
Worth reading as it gives Cadfael a little more background, but not quite up to Ellis' high standards for this series.
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