Missed the 6th so I am going back. This was even better than The Leper even though I figured early who and why.

I thought this was one of the more suspenseful and complicated plots in the series so far. Not that the murderer is that much of a surprise, but there is far more to the plot than just figuring out the murderer.

A compelling medieval whodunnit murder mystery. This is the first Brother Cadfael tale that I've read, and I'm definitely going to read some more in the series. I chose to read this one because it is a real forensic botany mystery using plants found on the victim's body to work out where the murder took place (the body was moved after death). I teach a forensic botany course at my university and I'll be telling my students about this wonderful literary example. I'd love to know about other similar examples. If you know any, please let me know.

The brothers at Cadfael's abbey are interrupted at prayer by the intrusion of a desperate young man seeking asylum from a raging mob. The lad, Liliwen, is accused of murdering and robbing an elder of the city of Shrewsbury. Naturally, Cadfael investigates.

Lots of nice twists and turns in this. I'd give it 4.5, as I liked a couple others in the series slightly better, but I'm feeling generous and I'll round up.

In the previous entries in Ellis Peters’ Cadfael Chronicles, much of the focus lies on the contest between King Stephen (1096-1154) and his cousin Empress Maud (1102-67) over the English crown. The warring cousins crowd the background. But the seventh book, The Sanctuary Sparrow, resembles a cozy mystery confined to a small community and oblivious to outside influence. A young traveling minstrel is accused of murder and theft in the town of Shrewsbury, both capital offenses in 12th-century England.

The story is set in the year 1140. Brother Cadfael, the shrewd amateur detective who is the protagonist of the series, has his doubts from the first. Resisting pressure both from the town and his superior, Prior Robert, he doggedly pursues a series of small clues to uncover the truth. And that truth is no less than explosive when it finally emerges.

UNFAMILIAR LANGUAGE THAT CONVEYS THE PACE OF THE TIMES

When reading the Cadfael Chronicles, what’s most likely to jump out at you is the archaic syntax and sometimes unfamiliar language. Peters doesn’t, and couldn’t, accurately reproduce the language actually spoken in southwestern England in those years. It wasn’t English. Instead, it was a precursor known as Middle English, which we today can’t read without intensive study and couldn’t possibly speak. We can’t listen to those who did. But the effect the author creates suggests the pace and temper of the times.

WHEN FRENCH INVADED THE OLD ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Keep in mind that the setting of this novel was in the mid-12th century, just decades after the Norman Invasion of 1066. The French rule England. King Stephen is also the Duke of Normandy. Maud, or Matilda, was also the Holy Roman Empress. With the French in command, the Saxon inhabitants of the country had become second-class citizens. And their language was fast evolving as terms from the Continent continued to gain traction in everyday life.

To read The Sanctuary Sparrow closely, it’s best either to view it online (with direct access to a historical dictionary and Wikipedia) or have at hand an edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Also useful is A Glossary of Medieval Terms used in the series. Otherwise, you may well stumble over such words as rebec (a bowed stringed instrument), burgage (a rental property in a town owned by a lord), brychans (a blanket made of homespun wool), and orts (a scrap of food from a meal). Reading this novel, and using one of these sources, will persuade you just how unfamiliar was the language in 12th-century England.

A COZY MYSTERY IN A FAMILIAR SETTING

“A poor vagrant jongleur” named Liliwin has been hired to entertain at the wedding of the goldsmith’s son, Daniel. Late in the celebration, Daniel’s drunken friends knock him over. In falling, the minstrel breaks a valuable vase belonging to the goldsmith’s notoriously intemperate mother. She forces him to leave with only a fraction of his pay. Soon afterwards, Liliwin shows up panting at Shrewsbury Abbey, pursued by a mob led by Daniel. They demand his release to them so he can pay for his crime. He has murdered the goldsmith and stolen his accumulated wealth, they insist. Though the language is unfamiliar, their fury comes through clearly. But Daniel has gained sanctuary for forty days in the monastery, and Abbot Radulfus forbids them to touch him on pain of god’s retribution. The Abbot calls on Brother Cadfael to take charge of the unfortunate lad.

It soon develops that it seems impossible for Liliwin to have committed the crime. And, in fact, the goldsmith was never murdered. Someone struck him over the head, and he remains groggy and uncommunicative for days. But he lives. Liliwin might hang, anyway, for theft is also a hanging offense. But Cadfael has gotten the scent of a crime that can only be explained if someone else was the culprit. Together with the sheriff’s trusted deputy, Hugh Beringar, Cadfael sets out on an investigation in hopes to finding the true offender before the forty days are up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellis Peters (1913-85) was the best-known of several pen-names used by Edith Pargeter, an English author who wrote scores of novels and short stories, mostly historical fiction, as well as nonfiction, primarily history. She also became well known for her translations of works from Czech, a language she learned after a visit to the country in 1947. Her Welsh ancestry is reflected in the character of Brother Cadfael as well as many of her other works. Self-taught, she never attended university.

I have had Brother Cadfael on my "someday" list for a long while, and when this title was offered as a bargain deal on Kindle I decided the time was right.

I don't often read mysteries because, truthfully, I am squeamish. This was a gentle mystery, however, and contained more pleasantries than gore. I was immediately drawn in by the writing, which included healthy doses of lovely thoughts and descriptions along with the inevitable murder. I never did guess the culprit, which made the ending quite surprising.

This was a quick and enjoyable read, and a nice change of pace from my usual reading genres. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another Lord Cadfael mystery after sampling this one.

Wonderful series

I'm old enough to remember the BBC series on TV! I wasn't old enough to really appreciate the author's talent, so I have decided to read them. Am very glad that I did.

These bookscharacters are historically accurate. Life was extremely difficult for about 98% of the population and the author has handled it well.

If you get lost wthe words there is a glossary in the back, use it. Many of the terms are not just old English, but those of Wales.

Read this one on a trip out to Ohio this past weekend ! I love this series for just being a wonderful way to engage in a mystery and love story without the brutality and gore and explicit sex that often accompanies such a genre! In this one there is not just one but a series of deaths that cause raised eyebrows and not just one but two sets of lovers ! In this book, there is a strong message that sin has consequences that could be mixed with mercy if accompanied with repentance ... and love can be blessed and accompanied with life and hope if gotten legitimately ! While the messages may seem heavy, Ellis Peters always delivers these messages in a winsome intriguing story line.

This is the seventh Brother Cadfael mystery, but my first. I hadn't read any of these mysteries, but since I've always enjoyed the PBS series with David Jacobi, I thought I'd give the books a try. I'm glad I did! Cadfael's deductions are a joy, and the personal drama and conflict is very well done. I did guess who the culprit was fairly early on, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the novel, and there were still some surprises for me.

This reads like a Western at times, and is a ripping yarn with death and injustice as well as a juggler and a monastery.

In the church tho?!? Honey NO.

I admit I was fooled. This is the second Brother Cadfael mystery I’ve read, and it was nearly as charming as the first. I’m sure I will read more of them as I lay my hands on them.