17.08.20
Brother Cadfael's offcuts. I won't remember anything about it in a month.
Showing posts with label Peters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peters. Show all posts
A Rare Benedictine - Ellis Peters
17.08.20
Brother Cadfael's offcuts. I won't remember anything about it in a month.
The Hermit of Eyton Forest - Ellis Peters
15.07.20
I hadn't read a Cadfael mystery for a while but the library has reopened (yay!) and this 14th in the series caught my eye (I don't think I've read 13, or the 12th for that matter, but they're all so similar it makes no odds). This had the usual creaky plot but these books are really about vivid characters and evocative settings.
An Excellent Mystery - Ellis Peters
25.01.19
A bit of a rubbish mystery, actually, with the 'twist' being obvious literally from the start. But what Peters' writing lacked in suspense was gained in vivid descriptions, not only of 12th-century life and landscape but also of the many different facets of friendship.
The Pilgrim of Hate - Ellis Peters
06.01.18
Superhero monk? Check. Thwarted lovers? Check. Murder? Check, sort of. Mystery? Check, slightly. Endless descriptions of 12th-century politics? Check, unfortunately.
Dead Man's Ransom - Ellis Peters
27.03.17
Who shot the sheriff? Well, no-one because it's 1141. But who suffocated him? Who cares? Cadfael will find out and the lovers will be together. Utterly forgettable, unfortunately.
The Devil's Novice - Ellis Peters
19.11.16
Brother C does his usual thing in the usual fashion. Not much happens (which is surprising for a murder mystery) but the landscape descriptions are beautiful. Enjoyable if undemanding.
The Sanctuary Sparrow - Ellis Peters
20.10.16
Not a particularly mysterious mystery, as it was obvious whodunnit from early on. But the descriptions, characterisation and historical detail are spot on, as usual, making it enjoyable if not memorable.
The Virgin in the Ice - Ellis Peters
28.12.15
If there's a local murder, you can depend on Brother Cadfael to solve it with very little evidence. He'll probably also coincidentally meet someone who is, or has been, significant in his life, and help young lovers to escape in his spare time (of which he seems to have plenty as he's always skiving off church services). Again, historically interesting and engaging but a little formulaic.
The Leper of St Giles - Ellis Peters
01.12.15
I think I may have a rest from Brother Cadfael for a while, engaging company that he is. The stories are pretty similar and slightly (but only slightly) predictable, so it doesn't pay to overdo the medieval detective work.
St Peter's Fair - Ellis Peters
28.11.15
I'm sorry - another one. Engaging, informative, undemanding yet not totally mindless they're all pretty similar but not so much that they become dull.
Monk's Hood - Ellis Peters
16.11.15
So I'm enjoying the series - what of it? I've already got the next two lined up*, though I imagine they're going to get rather similar rather quickly. Still, they're hugely enjoyable and educational too - perhaps I'll be a 12th century monk when I grow up.
*Don't worry - there are plenty of Cadfael-free options on my lengthy To Be Read pile.
One Corpse Too Many - Ellis Peters
06.11.15
Brother Cadfael is the sort of friend and ally everyone wants. It's his engaging character that carries these books which, though wearing their research lightly, are at heart straightforward, undemanding and enjoyable yarns.
A Morbid Taste for Bones - Ellis Peters
28.10.15
I don't know how I've managed to avoid reading a Cadfael mystery until now - perhaps I thought I already had as my mum still has numerous copies and of course it's impossible not to picture Derek Jacobi with a tonsure. Perhaps they're a little outdated now - short on introspection and graphic unpleasantness and long on entertaining, well-researched, character-driven stories. I read it in about 3 sittings and have already got the next from the library.
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