Review: THE DEVIL'S NOVICE, Ellis Peter - audio book

• Unabridged Audio book from Audible .com
• Narrated by: Vanessa Benjamin
• Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 8
• Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
• Originally published 1983
• Release date: 10-26-00
• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Synopsis ( Audible .com)

Outside the pale of the Abbey of Saint Peters and Saint Paul, in September of the year of our Lord 1140, a priestly emissary for King Stephen has been reported missing. But inside the pale, what troubles Brother Cadfael is a proud, secretive 19-year-old novice.

Brother Cadfael has never seen two men more estranged than the Lord of Aspley and Meriet, the son he coldly delivers to the abbey to begin a religious vocation. Meriet, meek by day, is so racked by dreams at night that his howls earn him the nickname the Devil's Novice. Shunned and feared, Meriet is soon linked to the missing priest's dreadful fate. Only Brother Cadfael believes in Meriet's innocence, and only the good sleuth can uncover the truth before a boy's pure passion, not evil intent, leads a novice to the noose.

My take

There was more of the "local politics" of the Stephen/Maud civil war in this novel than in previous ones. Opportunist nobility and bishops are seeking to take advantage of the political chaos by setting up their own fiefdoms that support neither Stephen nor Maude. Nobody is quite sure of what the mission was of the priest murdered in the forest.

Meriet is the Lord of Apsley's second son, delivered to the Abbey to become a priest, while his first son Nigel is about to be married and will take over lands to the north as part of his wife's dowry. Brother Cadfael is pretty sure Meriet does not have a vocation, that he has come to the Abbey for some other reason.

Reading these novels in order pays off as some characters persist from one to the other, and assist in the development of Cadfael's character. Cadfael works in tandem with Hugh Berengar the deputy sheriff of Shrewsbury who is now consistently featured.

My rating: 4.2

I've also read
THE PILGRIM OF HATE
4.3, A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES
4.6, A CORPSE TOO MANY 
4.6, MONK'S-HOOD 
4.4, THE LEPER OF SAINT GILES 
4.4, THE VIRGIN IN THE ICE

Review: THE VIRGIN IN THE ICE, Ellis Peters - audio book

• audio book from Audible
•  Narrated by: Vanessa Benjamin
• Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 6
• Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 01-24-12
• first published 1983

Synopsis ( Audible)

The winter of 1139 will disrupt Brother Cadfael's tranquil life in Shrewsbury with the most disturbing events. Raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two orphans from a noble family, a boy of thirteen and an 18-year-old girl of great beauty, and their companion, a young Benedictine nun. But the trio, never reaching Shrewsbury, have disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside.

Cadfael feels afraid these three lost lambs, but another call for help sends him to the Church of Saint Mary. A wounded monk, found naked and bleeding by the roadside, will surely die without Cadfael's healing arts. Why this holy man has been attacked and what his fevered ravings reveal soon give Brother Cadfael a clue to the fate of the missing travelers. Now Cadfael sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. The road will lead him to a chill and terrible murder and a tale of passion gone awry. And at journey's end awaits a vision of what is best, and worst, in humankind...in Ellis Peters's most stunning depiction yet of love and war.

My Take

If you've not yet embarked on these historical mysteries, take my advice and read them as far as possible in publication order. That way you will be aware of political developments on the larger canvas of the Maude/Stephen civil war, and also of character development within the novels themselves.

A group of three has disappeared on the way from Worcester to Shrewsbury and there is an alert out for them. To make matters worse the weather is getting cold and the snows are coming. Bands of brigands are roaming the countryside, and travellers are not safe.

My rating: 4.4

I've also reviewed
THE PILGRIM OF HATE
4.3, A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES
4.6, A CORPSE TOO MANY 
4.6, MONK'S-HOOD 
4.4, THE LEPER OF SAINT GILES 

Review: THE LEPER OF SAINT GILES, Ellis Peters - audio book

• source: audio book from Audible
• Narrated by: Joanna Ward
• Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 5
• Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 06-21-01 (originally published 1981)
• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc. 

Synopsis (Audible)

Setting out for the Saint Giles leper colony outside Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael has more pressing matters on his mind than the grand wedding coming to his abbey. Yet as fate would have it, Cadfael arrives at Saint Giles just as the nuptial party passes the colony's gates. He sees the fragile bride looking like a prisoner between her two stern guardians and the bridegroom, an arrogant, fleshy aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather. And he quickly discerns this union may be more damned than blessed.

Indeed, a savage murder will interrupt the May-December marriage and leave Brother Cadfael with a dark, terrible mystery to solve. For the key to the killing - and a secret - are hid among the lepers of Saint Giles.

Now Brother Cadfael's skills must ferret out a sickness, not of the body, but of a twisted soul - in the fifth Brother Cadfael Chronicle, a work that displays Ellis Peters' special genius at her best.

My take

The war between Maude and Stephen fades into the background and other social elements absorb our attention: the presence of leprosy in England, the legacy of the Crusades, and the convention of marrying young women to elderly men.

The plot was a bit predictable although when the murder occurred the identity of the murderer was not obvious. Cadfael uses both his skills of deduction and a little intuition to solve the case.

The narration was a good solid effort but at times the voice was a bit soporific.


My rating: 4.4

I've also reviewed
THE PILGRIM OF HATE
4.3, A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES
4.6, A CORPSE TOO MANY 
4.6, MONK'S-HOOD 

Review: MONK'S-HOOD, Ellis Peters - audio book

• source: audible.com
•  Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
• Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 3
• Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 12-01-11
• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio UK
• Book originally published 1980

Synopsis (audible.com)

Gervase Bonel, with his wife and servants, is a guest of Shrewsbury Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul when he is suddenly taken ill. Luckily, the Abbey boasts the services of clever and kindly Brother Cadfael, a skilled herbalist. Cadfael hurries to the man's bedside, only to be confronted by two very different surprises.

In Master Bonel's wife, the good monk recognises Richildis, whom he loved many years ago before he took his vows. And Master Bonel has been fatally poisoned by a dose of deadly monk's-hood oil from Cadfael's herbarium. The Sheriff is convinced that the murderer is Richildis' son Edwin, who had reasons aplenty to hate his stepfather. But Cadfael, guided in part by his tender concern for a woman to whom he was once betrothed, is certain of her son's innocence. Using his knowledge of both herbs and the human heart, Cadfael deciphers a deadly recipe for murder.... 

My Take

Another excellent narration by Stephen Thorne who brings Cadfael to life. Unfortunately it appears that he has only narrated three of the Cadfael series, so this is the last.

A little more of Cadfael's past is revealed and there is a lovely assessment of the impact of the civil war on the Abbey as Father Heribert goes off to find out whether he will keep his position or whether Prior Robert will take over.

Cadfael discovers who was responsible for the poisoning of Gervase Bonel and eventually administers his own form of justice.

What an excellent writer Ellis Peters was, bringing this periods of English history to life.

My rating: 4.6

I've also reviewed
THE PILGRIM OF HATE
4.3, A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES
4.6, A CORPSE TOO MANY

Review: ONE CORPSE TOO MANY, Ellis Peters - audio book

• available from audible.com
•  Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
• Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 2
• Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 11-04-11
• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio UK
• book originally published in 1979

Synopsis (publisher)

In the summer of 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes Brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden to the bloody battlefield. Not far from the safety of the Abbey walls, Shrewsbury Castle falls, leaving its 94 defenders loyal to the empress to hang as traitors. With a heavy heart, Brother Cadfael agrees to bury the dead, only to make a grisly discovery: 95 bodies lie in a row, and the extra corpse tells Cadfael that the killer is both clever and ruthless.

But one death among so many seems unimportant to all but the good Benedictine. He vows to find the truth behind disparate clues: a girl in boys' clothing, a missing treasure, and a single broken flower - the tiny bit of evidence that Cadfael believes can most easily expose a murderer's black heart....

My Take

Stephen Thorne does such an excellent job of the narration of this story.
It is the first book in which we meet Hugh Berengar and Brother Cadfael's character is fleshed out.

We also meet King Stephen in the flesh as he takes Shrewsbury Castle and prepares to move further into England. Ellis Peters feeds just enough historical detail into the story to bring the period to life.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read
THE PILGRIM OF HATE
4.3, A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES

Review: A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES, Ellis Peter - audio book

• source: audible.com
• Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
• Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 1
• Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 10-06-11
• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Synopsis (audible.com)

In 1137 the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided to acquire the remains of Saint Winifred for his Benedictine order. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to her final resting place in Wales, where they find the villagers passionately divided by the Benedictines' offer for the saint's relics.

Canny, wise and all too worldly, Cadfael isn't surprised when this taste for bones leads to bloody murder. The leading opponent to moving the grave has been shot dead with a mysterious arrow, and some say Winifred herself dealt the blow. Brother Cadfael knows that a carnal hand did the killings, but he doesn't know that his plan to unearth a murderer may dig up a case of love and justice, where the wages of sin may be scandal - or his own ruin.

My Take

I chose this book because it is the first of the series. My fellow listener and I are already familiar with the Brother Cadfael character, having watched the TV series with Derek Jacobi playing the leading role, decades ago. We have also been to Shrewsbury on one of our trips to the UK.

These novels are a lovely reminder of a historical period which was a turbulent time at the end of the Middle Ages. Brother Cadfael lives in Shrewsbury, returned from the Crusades, and now a monk and a herbalist. In some senses his mysteries are very ordinary investigations, but they are imbued with a strong sense of history, and sometimes with a touch of romance.

In this story Brother Cadfael is part of an expedition to his native Wales to "liberate" St Winifred's bones which apparently have been neglected by the people who live in the village near where she is buried. The locals are understandably upset at the incoming Englishmen who have come to steal the bones and take them back to England.

The first in quite a long series of books, there is a lot of introductory material about Cadfael, his background, and those who live with him in the Shrewsbury monastery. 

At just over 7 hours this is a good title to be listened to over a couple of travelling weeks.

My rating: 4.3

The only other Brother Cadfael title that I have reviewed since beginning this blog is THE PILGRIM OF HATE
The title was #10 in the series, I listened to it back in 2010, with the same narrator.

See more about Ellis Peters titles that I had read before beginning this blog.

Forgotten Book: DEATH MASK, Ellis Peters

My plan this year for my contributions to Friday's Forgotten Books hosted by Pattinase is to feature books I read 20 years ago - in 1993- from the records I have in my "little green book", which I started in 1975. In 1993 I read 111 books and was pretty well addicted to crime fiction by then.

This time 20 years ago I had just finished DEATH MASK by Ellis Peters.

Synopsis

Of course we all know Ellis Peters because of her Brother Cadfael novels and for the fact that historical crime fiction is acknowledged in the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Crime Fiction Award. Ellis Peters was one of the nom de plumes used by Edith Pargeter.

Fantastic Fiction tells me DEATH MASK was a stand alone novel published in 1959.

When archaeologist Bruce Almond is killed on a dig in Greece, his son Crispin returns to Somerset and a mother he barely knows. Convinced his father's death was no accident, Crispin believes even his mother is not free from suspicion, so he baits a clever trap to lure the murderer out of hiding.

Martin Edwards has a nice article about Ellis Peters here.

Review: PILGRIM OF HATE, Ellis Peters (audio)

I have already read this Ellis Peters novel, but so long ago that my memory was very dim, and so I decided to listen to an audio copy.

It is of course one of the Brother Cadfael series, made famous particularly by Derek Jacobi's TV series.
1. A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977)
2. One Corpse Too Many (1979)
3. Monk's Hood (1980)
4. St. Peter's Fair (1981)
5. The Leper of Saint Giles (1981)
6. The Virgin in the Ice (1982)
7. The Sanctuary Sparrow (1982)
8. The Devil's Novice (1983)
9. Dead Man's Ransom (1984)
10. The Pilgrim of Hate (1984)
11. An Excellent Mystery (1985)
12. The Raven in the Foregate (1986)
13. The Rose Rent (1986)
14. The Hermit of Eyton Forest (1987)
15. The Confession of Brother Haluin (1988)
16. The Heretic's Apprentice (1989)
17. The Potter's Field (1989)
18. The Summer of the Danes (1991)
19. The Holy Thief (1992)
20. Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994)

The setting is the Benedictine Abbey at Shrewsbury, on the eve of the installation of the casket with St. Winifred's bones into the Abbey. The political setting is the struggle between King Stephen and the Empress Maud. Will the installation of Saint Winifred's bones be accompanied by a miracle? So far Shrewsbury has not been favoured with a miracle, and certainly there are many who are hoping for her favour.

In the early hours of listening to the novel, I found myself thinking that the series had dated a little. The language is bit more formal than that of more modern writing, but then I found that as the story developed, that didn't really matter. It helps if you know a bit of the political background when you are reading the novel, and that may have been what frustrated me at the beginning - I was struggling to resurrect my history, couldn't quite remember who was vying for what. And then this is #10 in the Cadfael series, and things have been revealed about his earlier life that it helps to know about.

But if you like historical mysteries, then this is a series you will enjoy. It is not for nothing that the CWA awards for historical mystery is dedicated to Ellis Peters. And she had such a great love of this period in English history and this particular part of England. So get to a library and borrow the series, starting at the beginning. Or check out the CWA page for other historical mystery reading.

Check out my other Ellis Peters posts.

My rating: a very solid 4.3

Forgotten Books: FALLEN INTO THE PIT, Ellis Peters

This week's contribution to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Many readers will be familiar with the work of Ellis Peters, through her creation, Brother Cadfael.
But it may come as a surprise to some that she created an earlier popular detective series whose central character was Sergeant George Felse. There would eventually be 13 novels in the Felse series, spanning 1951 -1978. The last, RAINBOW'S END, was published just after the appearance of the first in the Cadfael series, A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES. In the Cadfael series Peters (aka Edith Pargeter) was able to combine her interest in local history with her skills in telling a murder mystery.

The first in the Felse series was FALLEN INTO THE PIT.
Description from Fantastic Fiction:

"Understand me once and for all, fighting is something not to be considered short of a life-and-death matter... It proves nothing. It solves nothing," Chad Wedderburn tells thirteen-year-old Dominic Felse. A classics master who fought with the Resistance, Wedderburn came home to Comerford to teach school. Ironically, when the peace of the little village is shattered by the murder of a former German prisoner of war, it is the peaceful Wedderburn who becomes the primary suspect. Police Sergeant George Felse is deeply disturbed that his son Dominic is the one who discovers the body, and that the boy has begun doggedly pursuing clues in Comerford's isolated countryside. Murder is a deadly business, and the closer young Felse comes to the truth, the more likely he is to become a victim himself. His father knows this all too well, and for the first time in his career his personal life is threatened by his policeman's duties. Now, as George Felse uncovers the skeletons in the closets of Comerford's best citizens, he begins to understand the forces that may drive men or women to desperate acts. But will he deduce enough to forestall another tragedy - or stop a killer with a twisted mind and bloody plans? Rich with the hues of the Shropshire countryside and its vividly drawn character portraits, this irresistibly suspenseful mystery is still further reason to place Ellis Peters alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and P. D. James."

By the 5th book in the series Peters had given Dominic Felse, the son of her original policeman, a share of the action. Dominic had originally featured in FALLEN INTO THE PIT as the discoverer of the body and inquisitive sleuth. From the 5th novel onwards, Dominic and George alternate as the protagonists, the former as an amateur detective, the latter as a policeman.

I've been struggling to think of another crime fiction "series" where this occurs - father and son alternating as protags. Perhaps you know an example.

Cadfael: a reprise

A posting on Books to the Ceiling today had the following wonderful picture of Sir Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael with Cadfael's creator Ellis Peters.

I blogged about the series last week in Forgotten Book: A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES, Ellis Peters saying I thought it would be a rare reader of crime fiction who hadn't read at least one.

Books to the Ceiling concurs with my view:
If you haven’t read the Brother Cadfael novels, give yourself a treat and pick one up. Then watch the DVD’s in which Sir Derek Jacobi brings the sleuthing monk (monkish sleuth?) memorably to life.

I decided to see what I could find on YouTube for you to enjoy.
Here are a couple:

A Tribute to Cadfael



Virgin On the Ice

Forgotten Book: A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES, Ellis Peters

Another contribution to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books theme.

It would be rare to find a crime fiction reader, particularly one who likes historical mystery fiction, who hasn't read at least some of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series.

Brother Cadfael lives in Shrewsbury, returned from the Crusades, and now a monk and a herbalist. In some senses his mysteries are very ordinary investigations, but they are imbued with a strong sense of history, and sometimes with a touch of romance.

The series began in 1977 with the publication of A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES.
In the 12th-century Benedictine monastery of Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael has settled down to a quiet life in charge of the herbarium. It is fortunate his prowess as a herbalist is matched by his detective skills - when his prior acquires the bones of a saint, the obstacles include murder.

The series continued with over a book a year for 18 years. They were all set in a turbulent period of English history, approximately 1135-1145, in the wars of King Stephen and Queen Maud. Wikipedia has an article on the relationship of the stories to real history.

From 1994-1998 ITV produced 13 movie length stories starring Sir Derek Jacobi as Cadfael. He really brought the character to life for us.

Recently I have listened to 2 Audio CDs both read by Derek Jacobi, both excellent.

If you've never read any Cadfael, then you are in for a real treat. Look for the seven Omnibuses for best value. Each generally contains 3 complete, unabridged books. Make sure you read them in order if you can though, because the stories build on each other and the character of Cadfael grows.

A list of titles from Fantastic Fiction:
1. A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977)
2. One Corpse Too Many (1979)
3. Monk's Hood (1980)
4. St. Peter's Fair (1981)
5. The Leper of Saint Giles (1981)
6. The Virgin in the Ice (1982)
7. The Sanctuary Sparrow (1982)
8. The Devil's Novice (1983)
9. Dead Man's Ransom (1984)
10. The Pilgrim of Hate (1984)
11. An Excellent Mystery (1985)
12. The Raven in the Foregate (1986)
13. The Rose Rent (1986)
14. The Hermit of Eyton Forest (1987)
15. The Confession of Brother Haluin (1988)
16. The Heretic's Apprentice (1989)
17. The Potter's Field (1989)
18. The Summer of the Danes (1991)
19. The Holy Thief (1992)
20. Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994)
A Rare Benedictine: The Advent of Brother Cadfael (1988)
The First Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1990)
The Second Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1991)
The Third Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1992)
The Fourth Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1993)
The Fifth Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1994)
The Sixth Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1996)
The Seventh Cadfael Omnibus (omnibus) (1997)

Ellis Peters (1913-1995) wrote also as Edith Pargeter, Peter Benedict, Jolyon Carr, and Peter Redfern. She wrote a prodigious number of books: the first was published in 1936 and the last in 1994, mainly historical fiction, history, and mystery fiction.

The Crime Writers' Association, annually acknowledges the contribution of Ellis Peters by awarding the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger.

If you like historical mystery fiction, then you might also like to look for the winners of this award.

2008 Stratton’s War, Laura Wilson
2007 Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin
2006 Red Sky Lament, Edward Wright
2005 Dark Fire, CJ Sansom
2004 The Damascened Blade, Barbara Cleverly
2003 The American Boy, Andrew Taylor
2002 Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
2001 The Office Of The Dead, Andrew Taylor
2000 Absent Friends, Gillian Linscott
1999 Two for the Lions, Lindsey Davis