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The Leper of Saint Giles. The 5th Cadfael Chronicle

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Ellis Peters' fifth Brother Cadfael mystery is set against a backdrop of one of the less savoury aspects of life in Mediaeval Europe - the scourge of leprosy and the terrible disfigurements and consequent social stigmas that its sufferers endured. That is but the backdrop, however; in actuality, this is as typical a romance from the pen of Ellis Peters as it is possible to find!

The action of the story takes place just a few months after the setting for the previous Cadfael book, in the autumn of 1139. For once, the on-going civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud does not feature in the tale, which is concerned only with the impending marriage of a young, orphaned heiress to an overbearing and insufferable baron, many years her senior. It is quickly obvious that this marriage is no love-match, on either side, and has been arranged purely for the advancement of the girl's guardians and, of course, the bridegroom. It is also obvious from the outset that the would-be bride is more smitten with the squire of her affianced lord than with the baron himself and that this attraction is mutual. Most readers will quickly come to dislike Huon de Domville as much as do the young lovers. Nor will anyone be surprised where suspicion (from everyone except Cadfael) falls when the bridegroom is rather conveniently found murdered on the very morn of his wedding day!

But that's about where the clear-cut and obvious end in this plot, which needs someone of Cadfael's shrewd and observant nature to tease out all of the complex pieces of the puzzle and fit them together correctly. And this is one of those classic Cadfael tales in which it is, indeed, only the good Brother (apart, of course, from the reader) who knows the whole truth of events by the end. As in the very first book, he remains quite content to leave the others with their own version of just who is guilty of what, aware that there are times when the justice of the Good Lord and that of Man might not always be in accord.

The book is written in Ellis Peters' inimitable prose style and paints her usual vivid picture of mediaeval life, both within the cloister and without. It has its humorous moments, not least of which is the testing of Cadfael's patience and faith by his keen but clumsy new acolyte, Brother Oswin. The book also provides us with new insights into some characters from earlier books, such as Brother Mark answering a new calling amongst the sick and maimed of the lazarhouse, as well as introducing us to a new character who will be important in future books. As always, the author is to be congratulated on achieving an excellent balance between writing for readers new to the Cadfael series as well as for established fans. There should be much here to please those in the latter category without any risk of newcomers becoming confused.

The book does contain one of Ellis Peters' few technical mistakes, though, as she confuses the modern gardener's creeping gromwell (Lithodora diffusa) with one of its native relatives. In the times of this tale, creeping gromwell would have been quite unknown in Britain. It is, in any case, an acid loving plant and most definitely would not be found growing in the chalky ground in which Cadfael encounters it. Unfortunately, while its only blue-flowered native relative, the purple gromwell (Lithospermum purpuro-caeruleum) is indeed a lime lover, that plant's flowering season is over by June and so it would not still have been in bloom in October, the time of the good herbalist's investigations. This botanical mix-up need not greatly concern the reader, however. The compelling nature of Ms Peters' storytelling is sufficient to make such nit-picking details entirely unimportant.

Enjoy this book the way it was intended: as a good, solid, murder mystery and romantic novel, set in harsher times when, in many ways, life was a lot less complex than it is today.

Ellis Peters' "The Leper of St. Giles" starts off as, and continues to be, more of a pure love story than any of its predecessors. Since it is a Cadfael story, murder and mystery do indeed rear their ugly heads. Once more, Cadfael is called (with the support of his nifty new abbot) to do more than mix herbs.

Cadfael's former apprentice Brother Mark has left the nest as the story begins. One of the great joys in this book is to see the continued growth of Mark as a minister. In fact it is Mark, more so than Cadfael, who finds himself in the center of the action in "The Leper of Saint Giles."

This is a story that has a lot to do with the meaning of identity and the impact of deception. The basic plot revolves around a lowly squire who loves a wealthy heiress. The problem is, the heiress' wretched relations are intent on marrying her off for financial gain. From this rather nasty situation springs murder and false accusation. It is the job of Cadfael and Mark to make things right.

The more I read of Ellis Peters, the more I admire her work. She had a unique literary voice. So much wisdom is imparted in each story. This is doubly true in "The Leper of St. Giles." The reader is left questioning the actions of Cadfael and pondering the meaning of Justice.

While I am left with many questions and I missed Cadfael's old buddy Hugh, I found this book to be one of the more satisfying Cadfael stories. I highly recommend "The Leper of St. Giles."

In this fifth chronicle of Brother Cadfael of the abbey of St.Peter and St.Paul of Shrewsbury, a young, reluctant heiress is brought to the abbey for a marriage, forced on her by her greedy guardians, to a much older, gross mannered man, Huon de Domville. The prospective bride loves a young squire of her own age, but all of her protests are swept away in the name of joining together, two considerable estates. On the eve of the wedding, de Domville dismisses his servants and rides out alone for one last visit to his mistress, before the marriage takes place, but is found murdered in the woods, with clues firmly pointing to the young squire, Joscelin Lucy. Lucy had been overheard in the local inn by many people the evening before, making threatening remarks about de Domville while getting fall down drunk. Joscelin is arrested but manages to elude his captors, hiding in the nearby leper colony, which is supervised by Cadfael's protege, Brother Mark. The abbot enlists the aid of Cadfael in sorting out the mess, but when the murdered body of the girl's guardian is also discoverd, only Cadfael looks in the right direction to clear up the mysteries. As ever, in these fascinating books, Cadfael emerges as a man ahead of his time, as a clear thinking problem solver who cuts through prejudice and superstition, to bring everything to a satisfactory conclusion.

In many ways this is a classic in the Cadfael series. I say that in the sense that this book puts forth most of the best elements that are found (more or less) in every book in this series.

There is the sense of place. In this case, the book lets the reader into the world of the lepers. Set aside by humanity, the leper colony of St. Giles proves a multi-dimensional world with an integral role in the plot.

There is romance. As in most of the books in this series, Cadfael lends a sympathetic ear to a smitten pair. In this case, their obstacles are many and it's a fun read as things are unraveled.

And then there is Cadfael seeing what others miss. It is Cadfael that notices a twig of a rare flower near the dead body. Likewise, Cadfael sees some bruising on the body that could only be caused by a certain ring. And more than once, Cadfael simply applies his experiences to discern what human nature is most likely to do.

My gripes with the book are worth a point off. Foremost, the author seems to have forgotten rule number one of detection (surely as applicable then as now) - who would benefit financially from the death? I also missed Hugh's presence. And a most minor quandry -- were they really able to tell time to the point of distinguishing between 6:15 and 6:20 back then???

Bottom-line: a very solid and pleasant read for fans of historical mysteries. Reading of earlier books in the series would be helpful but isn't necessary.

Another brilliant mystery by "crimi" Queen Ellis Peters, LEPER offers much more than grim details of life in a Lazar house. Unfortunately Hugh Beringar is not in residence during the autumn of 1139, so Brother Cadfael has to solve this murder on his own. Yet we are treated to another "old friend"--Brother Mark who has graduated from Cadfael's helper in the herb garden to the stewardship of St. Giles.

Best of all Peters introduces her readers to a unique female character, whose unusual life spans the extremes of women's roles in medieval society. Unlike Richildis, who represents Cadfael's past, Avice arrives during his present and helps him in the future. Twenty years a mistress to the unsympathetic murder victim, she is suddenly faced with middle age and no way to keep herself. Witty, attractive while comfortably plump, she impresses Cadfael with her veracity, ease with all ranks of men and inevitable administrative skill in her new career of Benedictine nun.

Clever, resourceful and bedimpled (could Peters be decribing her idealized self at one time?) the newest novice at Gordric's Ford will appear in future mysteries--as Cadfael's distaff Dr. Watson, helping him on odd occasions. There is a subtle undercurrent of other-sex awareness on Cadfael's part, which this multi-talented woman cannot fail to notice, but their relationship is quite proper, as they are mature enough to appreciate each other's virtues without desire.

Hints of a crusader's life in the Middle East provide wider historical scope than the usual, boring exploits of those rival cousins for the English throne, King Stephen and Empress Maud. Before, during and after the plot per se, we wonder at this mysterious lurking leper, hiding his rotted white face behind a blue veil. Who is he and why does he show up at St. Giles just before a controversial wedding? Coincidence or considered plan? Why does he slip away before savoring the gratitude of those he has saved? A ripping good yarn, but from Peters--the master of medieval murder and women's roles--we expect no less.

A beautiful orphan heiress (Iveta) with a large dowry and mercenary guardians is about to be forced into a marriage of convenience with a rich but loathsome toad (Huon de Domville). When Huon's young, handsome retainer (Joscelyn Lucy) expresses his love for Iveta and his opposition to the marriage, he is fired, Huon is murdered, and the hunt is on for Joss. He could easily escape, but he will not leave until he can rescue Iveta from her guardians.

Joss takes refuge in a leper colony and is aided by an ancient, eight-fingered leper called Lazarus and a young boy whose mother is dying of leprosy. Can Joss escape the hangman's noose? Can the Iveta escape her guardians? Can the two star-crossed lovers be reunited? Who is this mysterious Lazarus?

Only one man in the whole of England can unravel this mystery, and he happens to be living in the nearby Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. He is, of course, the Abbey's herbalist, Brother Cadfael, a former Crusader and pirate.

This was my first foray into the Brother Cadfael series, having recently retrieved several of them from the neighbors giveaway bin. I think I am already hooked! It's too bad this series is not more widely available in the US (or perhaps I don't inhabit the right bookselling establishments).

This is standard mystery fare for the most part, but with several unique twists. First and foremost is the 12th century England setting. This is quite educational in and of itself, especially for Yanks ill-versed in English history or for anyone who thinks that nothing happened durring the Middle Ages. The details certainly give you a sense of historical accuracy, although I am not not a qualified judge of such things. I was also interested to find out that one can explore the remains of the locale in present day Shrewsbury.

Brother Cadfael himself is a unique character. Although I believe the clergyman-cum-detective has been done before (actually he is a monk but not a priest), his work is complicated by the fact that he is never officially authorized (in this book anyway) by the sheriff to investigate the crime, nor is he paid for his work. Most of his investigations are surreptitious and voluntary, performed to satisfy his curiousity and desire for justice.

This particular book, in addition to the mystery, gives us a striking love story, involving an arranged marriage and forbidden love. While the outcome of the love story is never really in doubt, it does give you a rooting interest while you observe the investigative evidence unfold. There is also a fascinating look at the world of leprosy, one which has probably not changed much in many countries and which has only changed in the developed world in the last 100 years. To top things off there is a surprise twist involving Muslim-Christian relations, which is remarkably apropos for today's world despite having been written 20 years ago about something that took place a milleniumn ago.

One word of caution: as a consequence of the attempt at historical accuracy, there are many vocabulary words and turns-of-phrase that are obscure in modern English (especially American English), which tends to slow the reading down some. For those who want to broaden their vocabulary a dictionary would be useful, although the general gist of the story is usually evident from the context. In any case, don't be put off, it's worth the effort!

Brother Cadfael is less in control in this story as the grand daughter of a revered Crusader is nearly married against her will to an aristocrat who ends up murdered. Young, foolish love turns into problems through out. The history is fascinating and the Benedictine ministry to the lowest of the low is inspiring. A very enjoyable book!

The dreaded disease of leprosy is the back ground of Ellis Peters' THE LEPER OF SAINT GILES.

Father Cadfael carries medicines to his former aid, Mark who has moved to harbor a flock of individuals who suffer from leprosy at nearby Saint Giles. A young bride is driven to Shrewsbury to be married not for her own happiness, but for the advancement of her guardians. Someone makes sure the groom does not manage to make the ceremony and a murderer must be brought to justice.

The story is filled with the medieval elements for which Mrs. Peters has the skill to bring to life in a words.

THE LEPER OF SAINT GILES is the fifth book in this outstanding series.

Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS.

In this 5th chronicle of Brother Cadfael's monastic life, he once again solves a mystery with the use of 12th century forensic science. Plenty of devious plot twists. Plenty of both hateful and loveable characters. The murder of a wealthy, aged bridegroom hours before his wedding to an 18-year-old girl who is being sold to him by her uncle, is the beginning of many twists and turns in the lives of the brothers of St. Peter and St. Paul of Shrewsbury. A fugitive who is desperate enough to hide in the leper hospital at St. Giles is but one of the fascinating figures in this who-done-it. My favorite of the series so far!