The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series

Title: The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series
Author: Ellis Peters
Major Themes: Monks, Monasteries, Herbs, England, Murder Mysteries, Middle Ages
Synopsis: A monk who spends his time creating herbal remedies finds himself investigating murders frequently.

Almost 30 years ago, I remember reading some books from the library in which a medieval monk solved mysteries. I can’t remember for sure what the books were, but when I came across one of Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books last year, it rang a bell. (A side note about that book: It was in a load of books headed to a dump, from which we got to rescue a box full!) That one was number 19 in The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series, but later that year, we found a few more at a book sale, so I got to start at the beginning. It turns out that doesn’t really matter, though; the three I have read so far can easily stand alone.

This series is based on the character of Brother Cadfael, who entered the monastic life as an older man after many years of traveling and fighting in the Crusades. He now spends his days quietly tending his gardens and concocting herbal remedies for the monks of Shrewsbury, but because he has more worldly experience than the other brothers, he often finds himself involved in interactions with the outside world.

Publisher’s description:

My thoughts:

What I have seen in this series so far makes me want to keep reading them. I don’t like murder mysteries as a steady diet, but once in a while, I enjoy a gentle one, which is what these are. Brother Cadfael doesn’t go out looking for mysteries to solve; they just come to him. In one book, he was helping to retrieve bones from a distant village when someone was killed, and set out to find the killer in order to exonerate someone else. In the next, he realized, while performing a talk he was assigned to, that someone had been murdered, and set about getting justice for him. In another, a boy was accused of poisoning his stepfather; Brother Cadfael didn’t believe it and determined to clear the boy’s name. In two of the books I have read so far, the murderer ended up accidentally killing himself (poetic justice!), but in the other, Brother Cadfael found a way for him to start a new life. All three have included a little romance, as one or two pairs of side characters find a way to marry each other for love, not the political or social advancement their families want.

I’m not sure if The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael are considered cozy mysteries or not, but they are my style. There is not enough danger or suspense to keep me awake at night, but enough to keep the story moving and keep me interested. Morals are impeccable. I haven’t picked up much history from them, but they give a wonderful picture of both monastic and village/town/castle life in 12th-century England on the Welsh border. In short, if you enjoy light mysteries set in historic times, see if you can locate one of these books about the delightful Brother Cadfael.

Links to buy this series:

——————
Related posts:

The Beggar’s Bible The Door in the Wall Adam of the Road Famous Men of the Middle Ages