An Excellent Mystery: The Eleventh Chronicle of Brother Cadfael (Mass Market Paperback)

by Ellis Peters (Author) "AUGUST CAME in, that summer of 1141, tawny as a lion and somnolent and purring as a heartside cat..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brother Humilis, Brother Fidelis, Adam Heriet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
The celebration of St. Winifred, in The Pilgrim of Hate, is usually a time of great rejoicing at the Benedictine abbey in Shrewsbury. Even in 1141, with the political factions of Empress Matilda and King Stephen engaged in bloody civil war, the faithful come to Shrewsbury to honor the Saint and pray for miracles. Unfortunately, the shadow of a distant murder hangs over the festival. Several weeks earlier in Winchester, a good and loyal knight was foully slain. The motive for the killing could have been either political or personal, and the murderer may be lurking among the pilgrims. It falls to Brother Cadfael to ferret out the killer. He is curious about two young men who are traveling together to fulfill a bizarre vow. Cadfael cannot rest until he uncovers their story. A colorful cast of well-drawn secondary characters adds richness and depth to a plot that examines joys of faith, as well as the evils of guilt and vengeance. An Excellent Mystery, also set in 1141, is a close sequel to Pilgrim of Hate. When the Benedictine abbey at Winchester is ravaged by fire, two Brothers of the order seek sanctuary at Shrewsbury. Brother Humilis was a famous knight crusader before a nearly fatal wound led to his retirement from the secular world. His mute companion, Brother Fidelis, serves as Humilis's caretaker and nurse. Young Fidelis is like a shadow, his inability to speak makes him the keeper of many secrets. Stephen Thorne, who reads both novels, has a feel for Peters's distinctive prose style, making her use of medieval phrasing and vocabulary sound genuine and natural rather than "historical." Thorne voices the large number of characters and accents in each book with precision, making each unique. Librarians with long-established audiobook collections should note that both of these titles were originally issued in 1993. These recent reissues have been packaged in flimsy and irritating cardboard boxes, which are difficult to open and almost impossible to close. They are decorative but will not be useful for library checkout. Recommended nevertheless, for public library collections where Peters and/or historical mysteries are popular. Barbara Rhodes, Northeast Texas Lib. Syst., Garland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
'A pleasing and unusual mixture of suspense and historical fiction.' EVENING STANDARD --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446405329
• ISBN-13: 978-0446405324
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #309,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 11 in The Brother Cadfael Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peters' Most Excellent Mystery, March 25, 2006

By	Joseph Kaiser Canner (North Africa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the fourth Brother Cadfael mystery that I have read (I happened upon a random selection in a neighbor's giveaway bin) and it is definitely the best so far. The title, taken from the Book of Common Prayer ("O God, who hast consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent mystery"), is more than apt.

The overall theme of this installment could be briefly summarized as "things are not what they seem". While this is true in most mystery novels it is true in spades here. A young women is mugged and murdered--or is she? A monk has a homosexual crush on another monk--or does he? Sorry, I've probably already said too much.

As usual, there are several romantic plot threads, always a nice touch in the midst of a mystery story. Brother Cadfael, in this installment, does not use his deductive powers so much to solve the mystery as to analyze it as it unfolds. This heightens the suspense because we don't get let in on the inner workings of Cadfael's mind.

Another reason why this novel rises a notch above the others is the role that the 12th century English history plays in the story. In previous installments the history, while interesting and informative, sometimes makes the book hard to get into. Here, the history plays a central role in the story, as the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud provides both the impetus for several new characters to show up in Shrewsbury, as well as making it more difficult to track down the information necessary to solve the mystery.

In addition to being a good read, I think this would make a great movie. I see from another review that the series has been dramatized, presumably for British TV. It's too bad this series is not more widely circulated, perhaps if more people knew about it a movie would be more likely. Or, alternatively, maybe somebody should make a movie anyway, so that people who would not normally read the books can enjoy these excellent mysteries.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A greater love, February 27, 2006

By	Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In this eleventh chronicle of Brother Cadfael of the Abbey of St.Peter and St.Paul in Shrewsbury, the ongoing war between King Stephen and Empress Maud has come to a stalemate, following the sacking and burning of the city of Winchester. With Stephen still a prisoner in Bristol, Maud had barricaded herself and her forces within the city when Stephen's queen, Matilda, attacked the city with fire arrows, destroying the monasteries and convents and causing the general flight of all who could escape. Two Benedtictine monks arrive at the Shrewsbury Abbey, begging for refuge and a new home. Humilis, the elder, is an ex crusader, like Cadfael, but had been severely wounded in battle. Fidelis, the younger monk, is mute, and is Humilis's carer, tending him with complete devotion. Cadfael realises that Humilis is close to death and tends him with loving care. At the same time, a hue and cry is set up to find the whereabouts of the former fiancee of Humilis who had wished to enter a convent after her betrothal vows were rescinded by Humilis who knew that he could never be a husband to her with his shocking wounds. Sheriff Hugh Beringar is afraid that the girl was robbed and murdered en route to the convent as she was never seen again. Wise and worldly Cadfael sees beyond outward appearences and soon becomes aware of the deceptions being carried out. With his aid, the well meant perpetrators reach a satisfactory conclusion to their trouble and the life of the Abbey goes on as smoothly as possible in these turbulent times.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Mystery, April 28, 2001

By	AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

It is the late summer of 1141. The war between King Stephen and Empress Maud to decide who will rule England continues. As the fighting rages, the abbey in Winchester is destroyed and two of the displaced monks find their way to the Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul at Shrewsbury. Brother Humilis is a former crusader who is slowly dying of his wounds. He is accompanied by Brother Fidelis, a young mute who is devoted (for reasons unknown) to the care of Humilis. But their relationship is only one mystery. Another is what has happened to Julian Croce, a young woman fron a manor in the north of the shire who seems to have disappeared while on her way to join a convent near Winchester.

Peters books are a pleasure to read. She exhibits an elegant turn of phrase that. As someone else here has already remarked, she makes the "grim and gritty middle ages" sound like someplace you might actually want to live. And this is one of her better plots. I figured out what was going on about halfway through, but only because I got an unintentional hint from someone who had already read the book. Even so, it was a pleasure to watch the story unfold.

Elegant style and clever plotting aside, however, the story is a bit over-romanticized. For example, at one point Nicholas rides non-stop from Winchester to Shrewsbury, through both day and night and, finally, through a storm. He "must get his tale at once to the ears of authority" and he "dared not stop hating, or the remaining grief became more than he could stand." All this intense feeling over a girl he had only met once, three years earlier. Sorry if this makes me a chauvinist, but clearly this is a woman writing about how women wish men felt about them. This is the mystical ideal of chivalrous love. It isn't how a young man would really feel under such circumstances. This is typical of Peters and it doesn't really hurt the story, but it is a bit gushy and you can tell a woman wrote it. For a male reader, it's just a little over the top.

Peters is a charming writer. She paints a vivid, if somewhat romanticized, picture of life in the 1100's. Cadfael and the rest of her characters are congenial and her stories are light, but entertaining. The mysteries are sometimes a bit transparent, but not this one. This is one of her better ones. Cadfael fans will definitely enjoy it. Others should keep in mind that this is definitely a romantic mystery. Also, if you haven't read a Cadfael mystery before, you should consider starting at the beginning of the series. That said, I recommend "An Excellent Mystery" to those who like this type of story. It's better than most.