Святые угодники, к эротическим сценам в Кадфаэле я была не готова.

I suppose I could write the same review for all of them, but since this is the one I just finished, I'll start here. Cadfael is, as always, a fantastic character, and the medieval world is very well realized. This particular mystery was pretty well done--sometimes she makes it pretty easy to guess who's responsible, but this time I had to put a couple of things together to guess as early as I did.

The key, though, to Ellis Peters, is that she isn't a craftsman of plot so much as character and setting. She won't write the most intricate and twisted Agatha Christie solutions--if you're the sort who only likes a mystery until you can guess whodunit, you might never finish a Cadfael. But if the complicated world of a savvy yet pious monk during the midst of a 12th century civil war in England sounds like a fun place to hang out (and it really is, for me), I'd advocate reading all of them (at least, I've hit #7, and there's been, in my opinion, really no dip in quality since the first one).

This is probably one of the most exciting books in the Cadfael series. As with most of the books of this series, it is not necessary to have read the previous books to be able to follow the actions and interactions of the characters.
The book opens with the peace of the monastery being disturbed during the evening prayers by a young man running in, pursued by the townsfolk. The man claims sanctuary, the right to be kept in the monastery for 40 days, and not turned over to the law. During these 40 days, Brother Cadfael begins to believe that the young man is not guilty of the crimes of murder and theft of which he has been accused.
The tension in this book mount subtly but steadily, as the violence in the town continues, and the time of sanctuary steadily ticks away.
All in all, an excellent read, and highly recommended.

I love how REAL every character felt. Even the minor ones.
One thing that annoys me about murder mystery series is when the surrounding areas don’t feel consistent, and the characters involved in the mystery don’t feel real. This, happily doesn’t do that.
There’s a sense through the series of a COMMUNITY, both within the walls of the abbey and in the surrounding areas.
Even minor characters are fleshed out and feel real.
And I love that. One thing a provincial murder mystery series can do is make it feel disjointed book to book (or episode to episode), since every new mystery necessarily introduces a new family at the heart of it, but Ellis Peters manages to side step this, and every book is a return to the beloved area of Shrewsbury, and the characters therin.

The Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters is a wonderful set of mysteries that take place in 12th century England. Ellis Peters does a wonderful job of describing all the characters and she is a great mystery writer. The cases are complicated enough to make them interesting.

Great series and great reads!

I have read Sanctuary Sparrow twice before. It is one of the few in the series where I remember "who done it." For that reason, I thought I would be bored by re-reading it again. But, that was not the case. I still enjoyed the story all over again, even though I knew how it ended.

Another strong entry in this great series of medieval mysteries. As always, Peters' feeling for the period is impeccable and one is drawn completely into the world of 12th century Shrewsbury. Of particular interest in this novel was the practice of sanctuary for those accused of crimes. This adds a decided element of tension as the accused jongleur only has 40 days of respite and cannot step outside of the abbey. I did not find this novel to be as engaging as the previous two but it has a strong climax and I appreciate how it all plays out. Peters continues to keep her stories fresh and I look forward to the further adventures of these characters. This may also be a good novel to start on for those unfamiliar with the series as it does not rely heavily on knowledge of the character's backstories.

I always find such comfort and solace in a Brother Cadfael novel. They aren't quite stand-outs as far as the mystery element goes, but are excellent in terms of the world and character building. This time around Liliwin, itinerant juggler and musician, is accused of robbery and assault, and Cadfael has 40 days while the youth is under sanctuary within the abbey, to determine his guilt or innocence. But when several deaths occur that seemed interconnected with the initial crime, the timeframe to find the culprit gets shorter and shorter. There was a slow start to the narrative, but once it ramped up, it was a real page turner, and I finished half of the book in one sitting. I would highly recommend the series as a whole, and The Sanctuary Sparrow is a strong offering in the bunch.

Even the book's "happily-ever-after" ending is realistic. Both the author and her characters can mostly recognize the good in evil and the evil in good. There are few unadulterated "bad" people in the books.

Oh, I enjoyed this book. I'm really getting into Ellis Peters's writing and round The Sanctuary Sparrow entertaining and thoughtful - and even though I guessed whodunnit this didn't spoil the plot, and I wasn't able to anticipate the ending. There were sufficient twists and turns in the book to keep one guessing how the story would unfold, and certain parts were written beautifully. One of the things I really enjoy about the Cadfael series is that although it's best to read them in order (and there tend to be references in some books to previous happenings), it's not a disaster if you read them out of order. I'm off to read the next one.

(2019 review, revised in 2024)

“Fear for yourself crushes and compresses you from without, but fear for another is a monster, a ravenous rat gnawing within, eating out your heart.”

Who belongs, and why do they belong? Or not? Among Peters’ better Cadfael tales. Medieval enough to be other; modern enough to be understandable. Lots of misdirection, even Cadfael is occasionally befuddled.

“Young things are easily moved to generous indignation and sympathy. The old have no such grace.”

As in modern mysteries—and maybe real life—officialdom tends to follow the obvious and easy clues. The mob even more so.

“I would have taken her barefoot in her shift!”

Peters has a penchant for star-crossed lovers. Occasionally even … oops, that would be telling.

“And now, I suppose, you will tell me roundly that God’s reach is longer than man’s.” “It had better be, 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.