When the flood waters subside at the abbey of St Peter and St Paul, a robbery is revealed. Can Brother Cadfael solve the case?
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Soothing, but no shortage of mayhem. (OBSERVER )
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
In his nineteenth chronicle Brother Cadfael is charged to investigate the theft of the Abbey's most sacred treasure.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best of the Cadfael genre. It combines a scintillating mystery with humour and history. Ellis Peters breathes life in to her characters and it is extremely easy to form a mental picture of them. All the action is centred around Saint Winifred's remains, consequently, there is much scope for 'double entendre', due to the ambiguous nature of the contents of the reliquary (see 'A Morbid Taste for Bones'). The plot moves with greater pace than some of the other novels and there is no place for boredom. However, it would perhaps be wise to read some of the earlier Cadfael stories before this one, if you are a newcomer to the genre, as much of the plot is based on facts known from other books.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
Ideally, read all the preceding books in the series, in order, before reading this one. At a minimum, first read #1 (A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES, the story of how St. Winifred's reliquary came to the abbey) to avoid spoiling the end of that book, and THE POTTER'S FIELD, which introduced the Blounts of Longner. If you're interested in an audio edition, check that you're getting the unabridged recording narrated by Stephen Thorne.
In the summer of 1144, Geoffrey de Mandeville - after more than a year of running the Fens as his own private robber kingdom - was shot almost by accident during a siege, and died from the infected wound. His lengthy death gave him no chance to receive absolution - only the Pope could have absolved one guilty of the seizure of the abbey of Ramsey - but Geoffrey's followers did what they could for him, restoring the despoiled abbey to its scattered monks. Thus the abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul receives two guests of their own order from Ramsey - grim subprior Herluin and his appealing assistant Tutilo - asking leave to preach. Ramsey needs money, materials, and labour to undo the damage left by Geoffrey's marauders.
Herluin guided their footsteps to Shrewsbury not only to request assistance, but to recall Sulien Blount of Longner, sometime novice of Ramsey, who was sent home to reconsider his vocation. (See THE POTTER'S FIELD for details.) Cadfael, therefore, accompanies Herluin and his young companion Tutilo to Longner to speak with Sulien - and appeal for the Blounts' generosity toward Ramsey. While Herluin pursues his errand, Cadfael introduces Tutilo to Sulien's dying mother, the formidable Donata, who is more than happy to welcome a bard, even if he's now a novice monk. (Their friendship, brief as it is, is touching.... Read more ›
In the summer of 1144, Geoffrey de Mandeville - after more than a year of running the Fens as his own private robber kingdom - was shot almost by accident during a siege, and died from the infected wound. His lengthy death gave him no chance to receive absolution - only the Pope could have absolved one guilty of the seizure of the abbey of Ramsey - but Geoffrey's followers did what they could for him, restoring the despoiled abbey to its scattered monks. Thus the abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul receives two guests of their own order from Ramsey - grim subprior Herluin and his appealing assistant Tutilo - asking leave to preach. Ramsey needs money, materials, and labour to undo the damage left by Geoffrey's marauders.
Herluin guided their footsteps to Shrewsbury not only to request assistance, but to recall Sulien Blount of Longner, sometime novice of Ramsey, who was sent home to reconsider his vocation. (See THE POTTER'S FIELD for details.) Cadfael, therefore, accompanies Herluin and his young companion Tutilo to Longner to speak with Sulien - and appeal for the Blounts' generosity toward Ramsey. While Herluin pursues his errand, Cadfael introduces Tutilo to Sulien's dying mother, the formidable Donata, who is more than happy to welcome a bard, even if he's now a novice monk. (Their friendship, brief as it is, is touching.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
It goes without saying that stealing is one of the sins in life--and with her usual characteristic zeal, author Ellis Peters adds murder to that list!
In "The Holy Thief," the 19th chronicle of Brother Cadfael, Peters continues her top-flight form of the medieval whodunnit and, as usual, her protagonist, the good Benedictine monk, rides to the rescue and solution.
The year is 1144--and still King Stephen and Empress Maud are struggling in an interminable civil war, with no solution in sight. However, that historical fact is mere backdrop--as it usually is--to a more local concern. A renowned earl (Essex) is killed by an arrow, but not before he tries to make amends with Heaven by restoring some of the properties he had earlier "gained." This includes the abbey of Ramsey, a run-down site badly in need of more worldly help. The abbey sends envoys out, and one such envoy arrives in Shrewsbury, at the abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Cadfael's domain. The envoy includes Brother Herluin and his young novice Tutilo, who possesses a great singing voice along with other musical skills. In Shrewsbury is also, as the plot would have it, a beautiful slave girl (also a singer) named Daalny.
Suffice it to say, Peters lays a solid romantic setting. But the rains come, so much so that much of the abbey's possessions, including the holy relics, must be moved to safety. But not so safely after all, as a theft is discovered. And this soon leads to--you have it--a murder.
And Cadfael takes over. Using not only his brilliance, but his skills as the abbey's herbalist, Cadfael wastes no time in carefully solving the crime. Of course, as in all the Cadfael adventures, the murder is solved. The solution rarely comes easily for this ex-crusader, nor should it.
... Read more ›Format:Paperback
It is for my mother. She loves these books.She has poor vision which is whyi purchase large print books for her.
By Petronella
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This must be read after 'The Potter's Field'. This one has all the usual ingredients and some delightfully understated humour.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Usual clever story line. Very enjoyable series of Cadfeal books with nice sub stories cutting across the main detective stories.
By Crux Roesia
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The penultimate story in the brilliant Brother Cadfael series is still a good read, though I did feel that perhaps the wonderful Ellis Peters was running a little short of ideas for this set of stories, as the plotline relies heavily on 'divine guidance' to help the inimitable Cadfael solve the mystery of murder and theft in 1140's Shrewsbury.
The basis of the story sees two brothers of Ramsey Abbey on a mission to raise much-needed funds and craftsmen to rebuild their fortunes, one of whom being not yet fully avowed to the Order and an angelic, talented young musician and singer to boot. He catches the eye of a slave girl in the company of a troubadour on the lookout for a new patron, as well as a local manor matriarch, sick unto dying, whom he plays for on a couple of occasions. When rains threaten to flood parts of the abbey, the Shrewsbury monks take decisive action and remove all their valuables to higher ground, including their precious Saint Winifred. And it is there where the trouble begins, when her reliquary is stolen and found by the redoubtable Earl of Leicester's men on the road to Ramsey, after their cart bearing collected alms is pillaged.
Who stole the saint? And who, now, has claims to her? For both the Ramsey monk and the bored, clever Earl lay claim to her bones and return to Shrewsbury to see which of the three has right to keep her. It's whilst Cadfael is trying to prove who stole the saint in the first place that a murder of a local farmer, the witness, takes place. Now they need to solve the mystery of who murdered this poor witness before the young musician monk is hanged for the crime.... Read more ›
The basis of the story sees two brothers of Ramsey Abbey on a mission to raise much-needed funds and craftsmen to rebuild their fortunes, one of whom being not yet fully avowed to the Order and an angelic, talented young musician and singer to boot. He catches the eye of a slave girl in the company of a troubadour on the lookout for a new patron, as well as a local manor matriarch, sick unto dying, whom he plays for on a couple of occasions. When rains threaten to flood parts of the abbey, the Shrewsbury monks take decisive action and remove all their valuables to higher ground, including their precious Saint Winifred. And it is there where the trouble begins, when her reliquary is stolen and found by the redoubtable Earl of Leicester's men on the road to Ramsey, after their cart bearing collected alms is pillaged.
Who stole the saint? And who, now, has claims to her? For both the Ramsey monk and the bored, clever Earl lay claim to her bones and return to Shrewsbury to see which of the three has right to keep her. It's whilst Cadfael is trying to prove who stole the saint in the first place that a murder of a local farmer, the witness, takes place. Now they need to solve the mystery of who murdered this poor witness before the young musician monk is hanged for the crime.... Read more ›
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