3 1/2 stars - so far my favorite one of the series, although I've only read A Morbid Taste for Bones and The Virgin in the Ice so it hasn't had a wide field to beat. This felt more like a modern mystery; lots of pretty obvious clues, character studies and very little superstition being bought into play.

The title character in the seventh [1] Brother Cadfael mystery novel is a young man who escapes from a lynch mob by claiming the right of sanctuary at the abbey where Cadfael lives, after he is falsely accused of theft and murder after being cheated out of his fair wages for singing and playing a version of the viol at a wedding feast for a greedy family of merchants. He is an honest and decent young man whose life has been full of abuse and difficulty, a vagabondish existence where he falls in love with the first young lady who happens to be kind to him. Unlike some unfortunate people, she loves him back, and he finds safety in the sanctuary where he goes to escape trouble. Not everyone who seeks sanctuary is so fortunate to have a forty day grace period to avoid trouble, sadly.

This novel is a mystery in another sense too, in that the story is far progressed before there is even a murder to investigate, before culminating in a dramatic ending with people who think they have nothing to lose and who are ruthless in seeking to defend their interest and claim what they view as theirs. The tension between a love of money and a love of family, and that which threatens both, is present here. Among the more villainous characters in a novel that has plenty of dark people is a seemingly mousy and unlovely wife who uses emotional blackmail to keep her unfaithful new husband loyal after he is exposed and considered a suspect in a murder for sneaking out to enjoy a dalliance with a money-hungry and flirtatious wife of an often-distant merchant. Of course, when bad things keep on happening to the family, it does not take long to figure out that this is not by chance, but by malign design.

Over and over again this play looks at similar issues of love and marriage, of love outside of marriage, of marriages without love, of the bargains and price that people pay to be with those they love, about how the search for love leads some people to be noble and leads others to be petty and destructive. Likewise, some people love peace and quiet more than being just and honorable to others, while others are simply in love with solving mysteries and cannot help but seek to be helpful to those they meet. This is a compelling mystery, one that involves the law and family, and a hope that nice people need not be secretly dark or evil, but really be nice and kind people inside and out. Such could be the material of our lives, if we lived in a kind enough sanctuary, like that of this novel. Not all of us are so fortunate, alas, to live in a novel that is written by someone who wants a happy love story in it, even if it is full of drama and peril. At least there is the payoff to make this fiction enjoyable to read, even if it does at times hit a little close to the desire for sanctuary some people feel even now.

[1] See, for example:

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"And now I suppose...you will tell me roundly that God's reach is longer than mans." "It had better be,' said Brother Cadfael very solemnly, 'otherwise we are all lost'. " pg. 181

'Slow, devoted work that demanded every particle of the pupil's attention, if he was to assist at a resurrection. And excellent therapy against the very idea of death'- pg. 55

A good whodunnit with a bit of a twist and the usual level of quiet faith and optimism to be expected in Cadfael novels.

In this, the seventh of the Brother Cadfael mysteries, one night during Matins a young boy quite literally bursts into the chapel, and in pursuit is a mob from the village convinced that the boy, a musician and entertainer, has committed robbery and nearly murdered someone. Abbot Radulfus is happy to give him sanctuary and Brother Cadfael who is soon convinced of the boy Liliwin’s innocence has forty days on hand to clear his name. But the case is far more complex than a robbery in a house, where a wedding celebration (of Daniel Aurifaber) was underway. Things in the Aurifaber household are far from simple, and there is plenty of tension in the air aside from the added problems the robbery and attack on Walter Aurifaber have brought about. The matter becomes even more complicated when the Aurifaber’s rather nosy tenant who is concerned much more with others’ business than his own is found murdered, obviously connected with the original robbery and attack.

Brother Cadfael find himself having to wade through many complex relationships, secrets, and tensions in reaching the solution to this one. I enjoyed the atmosphere as always and the “feel” of the times, as always. But more than the mystery itself, it was interesting to see things play out in the Aurifaber household―the new bride trying to get a foothold in “her” home, Daniel Aurifaber, the handsome young heir juggling more than he can handle, and his spinster sister Susanna finding that she might be ousted from the only position she had, managing the household while Walter, their father is only concerned with the loss of his wealth and the old matriarch, Juliana, now over eighty still struggles with her temper. One gets caught up in their stories, wanting to see how things will turn out for each of them since all those who have a grievance genuinely do have a point, and if one person “wins”, the other will have to “lose”. Meanwhile Liliwin’s name must be cleared, and while some abbey members (Brother Anslem among them, who is happy to coach the young performer) are welcoming, Brother Robert the prior can’t wait to get rid of him. The denouement was quite a surprise, though the how the person turned out at the end was to me more a surprise than the who or why. Another engrossing read.

Well, this was the best Ellis Peters for me so far! I love the respect for the church and its leaders. This one had a lot of good action and romance.

It's as if Peters calls us back to a time when there was really a different hierarchy. Church is as a buffer between the law and the death penalty, between kings and their people, between family and squabbles.

The plot for this one is brilliant. Two young people enlope-- right in the church (this is handled very tastefully). He hides his lover in the sanctuary- hence, sanctuary sparrow. On the night when he whisks her away, and murder happens to be committed in which he is potentially implicated (though he is innocent). All this forces him to confess to Brother Cadfael what has been happening. But the complexity of the plot doesn't stop there-- excitement actually builds and inquisitions are made.

There is a fairly exciting action-packed climax to the book.

But the take home for me is the way Brother Cadfael handles these difficult situations. I can take a page from him is to what a minister should be. Those who confess their sins to him are surprised to find that he doesn't prejudge them at all and works through their situation very wisely.

I can take many pages from this guy!

These books are somewhat predictable. They follow a script: something happens, someone innocent is accused, Cadfael believes their innocence and ends up proving it. Somewhere along the way, someone falls in love.

I guess these books could become tiresome if you try to read them all at once, but, if you space them out with other titles, they are quite comfortable to read.

I did miss the full historical setting in this one, though. Usually there are references to the time, festivals, wars, and all that that should be happening at the time, but this one had none. Still, it was an adequate read for my purposes.

A classic story of father Cadfael again, this time with a young and weak culprit. Not the best of Ellis Peters I have read, but still nice plot.

Re-read of an old favourite. Excellent plotting.

I always love to sneak a Brother Cadfael book between more serious reads. He is a character I do not tire of, and it feels somewhat like having a time out for coffee with a friend. This one was particularly well-done, I thought.

Also, I cannot help thinking about my husband, Matt, when I read these books. We watched the Derek Jacobi series together way back in the 90s and loved every minute of it. Maybe that is another reason I hold Cadfael a bit close to my heart.

Ellis Petersi Cadfaeli lood on üsna ühtlase kvaliteediga, lihtsalt mõnes loos on lisaks ka see miski, mille eest saab lausa viis tärni panna, mõnes loos on kõik nagu hea ja tore, aga see miski jääb puudu. "Varblane pühakojas" on pigem see viimane, ilmselt seetõttu, et see on üks lineaarsemaid ja vähemate süžeepööretega romaane, mida ma sellest sarjast seni olen lugenud.

At prayers, the monks hear the baying of a mob. They chase a battered and bruised boy, Liliwin, that they accuse of robbery and murder of the local goldsmith, Walter. The boy was employed to be the entertainment at the goldsmith’s son’s wedding, but they threw him out without payment after he broke a jug. He claims sanctuary and the Abbot grants it. The boy has 40 days before the abbey will hand him over to the law.
Cadfael tends to his wounds and quizzes him on the details but the boy swears he has no idea what the mob has accused him of.
In the light of day there is no murder, merely a bump on the head for the metalsmith, and some struggle to recall, but his treasure chest is empty. His house is in uproar and his family is drawn into the mystery.
Things become darker when another body is found in the river. He rented rooms from the goldsmith and worked as a locksmith. Was he involved in the theft? Who killed him? Cadfael says the man did not fall from his coracle while fishing, he was held down in the river mud until he choked and drowned.
Cadfael is right there; he delivers his herbal medicines to the old matron of the family and he listens to everyone. And working with his friend and Sheriff Hugh Beringer, they solve the crime. They usually do.
***
This is one of those murder mysteries where you feel an incredible amount of sympathy for the murderer. Well, I do.
And there is love in a myriad of forms; a new wedding where the husband sneaks off on the third night to visit his mistress, the wife who loves him regardless, the father’s love for gold (he took time out of the wedding to lock up the bride’s dowry in his strongbox not his son’s, the love of an old matron for her family status, the love of a young man for music, the new young love of a young man and a servant girl, and the forbidden love of a spinster.
All the women in this mystery are formidable.
4 stars.