Ellis Peters again delivers a wonderful historical mystery.

Brother Caedfael often helps people in love. In this book, there are three couples, each couple very much in love, but in three very different ways. The action of the story comes about naturally from who each person is, and comes to light just as naturally.

Ms. Peters does seem prone to the trope of "the first suspect is never guilty", but I hadn't realized it until just now. She doesn't beat you over the head with it. Frankly, by about half way through this novel, I had at least three different theories about who did what and why, all of them supported by the facts revealed that far. And had I not been so very caught up in the excellent writing, and the wonderfully real characters, I could have figured it out - all the information was there. But I preferred to stay immersed in the time and place of the story, than take the time to work out the plot ahead of time.

"'It is not shelter against sin, it is the provision of a time of calm, when the guilty may examine his soul, and the innocent confide in his salvation.'"

Cadfael is getting two quotes for himself at the start of each review on quite a regular basis now.

"Fear for yourself crushes and compresses you, but fear for another is a monster eating out your heart."

Once again, Ellis Peters has surpassed all the previous Cadfael novels with this one. All that detained me from raising it up to a solid 4-stars was knowing that she will intensify the political intrigue in the further instalments and keep on improving the quality of this series.
The Sanctuary Sparrow opens with the most exciting scene to date. "Rabble, stand off! Back, before I blast your souls eternally!" A howling mob pursue a travelling minstrel into the abbey church where the monks' right of sanitary is all that protects him from death. The psychology of mob-mentality is brought vividly to light in the certainty and coherence with which the accusers act. But the ragged stranger they are hunting on the supposed charge of murder is far from a suspicious felon in Cadfael's opinion. "The lad was far gone in weakness, and reef from fear, and truly it sounded as if he did not know why he had been threatened. So the fox must feel, acting innocently after its kind." Out of compassion for the malnourished and aggrieved young performer, Cadfael takes it upon himself to investigate.
It turns out, no murder has been committed, as the mob had been braying, but the local goldsmith's entire reserve has been stolen. "A wedding party provides at once large numbed of witnesses, and a powerful argument for doubting the half of their evidence." Cadfael has access to the goldsmith's household through the brooding and critical figure of the eighty-year-old grandmother whom he tends for just about every ailment under the sun. "Even this avaricious, formidable old woman, tyrant of her family and terror of her servants, had certain virtues of courage, spirit and honesty that were not to be despised." Peters' sublime characterisation really comes to the fore here. She creates a whole family of unique, abrasive characters warped by the perditions of wealth into bizarre charicatures. It is a great underrating skilfully executed for one mere instalment in a crime series. As well as the terrifying old grandmother, there is the pathetic middle-aged goldsmith even more frightened of her than of failure, his dandy son, the new wife, and the long-suffering daughter. "A good girl, people said. Except that her girlhood was gone. The keys at her waist were her only jewellery." Keeping even their crimes closely within the family, the old woman's words on her deathbed from a stroke give Cadfael just enough information to trace the adversary she has identified and alert the law. "Her twisted mouth suddenly worked, looked for a moment like a mouth that might speak memorable things."
This was a book that contrasted the open honesty of poverty with the twisted jealousy brought about the amassing of wealth. "Long acquaintance with injustice and despite does not reconcile the heart." The injustice of inheriting a small dowry is again and again brought up against that of destitution. It's sordidly human, how propriety usurps compassion and gratitude for this family. "'If I must pull the roof down on myself, I'll pull it down also upon as many of the innocent as I can contrive to crush with me and not go alone into the dark'" Perhaps a dark ending was inevitable for the first from those who do not understand mercy, even when offered to themselves.
"'That's well, for faith is necessary. Without faith nothing is accomplished.'"

Below is why I love this series so much:

The last lines of the book (no spoilers):

"And now, I suppose," he said, seeing his friend's face still thoughtful and undismayed, "you will tell me roundly that God's reach is longer than man's."
"It had better be," said Brother Cadfael very solemnly, "otherwise we are all lost."

Another masterful story from Ellis Peters, of Brother Cadfael as he pursues his calling in the abbey of Shrewsbury.

Another good book worth reading from Ellis Peters. 4 ½ I would like to give it.

(after fourth reading, June 2016)

“You must not attribute evil to what is natural misfortune.”

Unlike many Cadfael mysteries, this book exists in a temporal vacuum. Set in 1140, it makes no reference to its historical situation. For that reason, lovers of mystery may prefer it while lovers of historical fiction may be less enthralled.

“No man can be wise for another.”

The team of Cadfael and Hugh ferret robbers and murderers, protect the innocent, and occasionally sit down to a cup of wine in the monastic’s herbarium. Several strong female characters, each with her own burden and little love shared.

“No need to despise the gifts of this world when they come honestly.”

Not the best mystery, but all are gentle and entertaining. Almost medieval cozies.

“God’s reach had better be longer than man’s, otherwise we are all lost.”

Cadfael series: excellent historical fiction. Ellis Peters draws the reader into the twelfth century with modern story telling but holds us there with a richness of detail which evokes a time and place which might as well be fictional. Though the foreground of each chronicle is a murder mystery, behind it a nation and a culture are woven in a wondrous tapestry.

I’ve been on an Ellis Peters mystery marathon! This one is enjoyable but I didn’t like it as much as some of the previous ones. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as others even though the mystery is solved and in a way I was only starting to suspect it left me feeling sad. The premise of this is that a performer, Liliwin, seeks sanctuary at the abbey when he is accused of robbery or murder during the wedding of a local artisan’s son. The artisan is a miser and most of his family are also horrible people. It’s the artisan that is attacked and robbed while counting out the bride’s dowry when putting it in his strongbox. Cadfael has 40 days to prove that young Liliwin did or did not commit the offenses of which he is accused. Well written and historically interesting.

This is probably my favourite Brother Cadfael mystery so far. Peters has such a way of writing that reflects on human nature - it makes me wish I could see things in the calm and non-judgmental way that Cadfael himself does. Great story and lovely writing.

Kirkus Reviews
More puzzles to be solved and innocents to be saved - as wise Brother Cadfael again works herbal wonders in his 12th-century Benedictine monastery. Cadfael's primary concern this time: Liliwin, a young, half-starved, itinerant juggler who is accused of murdering and robbing goldsmith Walter Aurifaber. Convinced of the lad's innocence, Cadfael helps him to take church-sanctuary from a vengeful mob. And the monk then turns sleuth, of course, looking into both the attack on Aurifaber and the subsequent drowning of Aurifaber's tenant, locksmith Baldwin Peche. Some of the suspects within the miserly Aurifaber household: newly married son Daniel; his bride Margery, jealous of sister-in-law Susanna (a competent, 30-ish spinster who runs the household); maid-of-all-work Rannilt, who has fallen in love with Liliwin; and even Waiter's sick, ill-tempered, still-powerful mother, who eventually backs Margery in the feud with Susanna - a dramatic turn of events that leads to the exposure of the killer and the transformation of Liliwin into a hero. Much the same mixture as before, with a little more sentiment and a little less action - but a welcome treat for Brother Cadfael fans.

Enjoyed, despite Liliwin and Rannilt being pretty darned dumb.

Another favorite in the Brother Cadfael series--who can but love and admire his wit, wisdom, and approach to life and theology? Jongleur Liliwin is a great character, and the plot is superbly done. Although it's been more than 10 years since I've reread these books, I have remembered Liliwin.

Three and a half stars here. Always enjoyed Derek Jacobi’s many performances and he was particularly suited as Cadfael in the old PBS series. So, it was about time I read one of the books it was based upon. Had to get used to the linguistic style, vocabulary, and Welsh names (there is a glossary in the back, but it didn’t cover all the archaic terms used,) but it ultimately added to the sense of transporting me back in time and at times proved quite beautiful. Cadfael was indeed a major character, but didn’t seem quite as prominent as my recollection of the PBS series. Could be just this book or my faulty memory. It didn’t diminish my enjoyment as the other characters were well drawn & the story's uniqueness to the times & customs. Will definitely check out more in this book series.