The books tell the story of Brother Cadfael who is a monk in the Benedictine Abbey at Shrewsbury in 12th century England. Brother Cadfael came to the order later in life after having participated in the Crusades. He is a healer and he spends much of his time tending to his herb garden – from which he concocts many healing salves, lotions and potions.
Brother Cadfael is a keen observer of life, and he has great empathy for people. Of course, his observational skills come in handy when the occasional murder comes his way. What he learned in his past life in the wars also comes in handy in that he is a veritable forensic specialist when it comes to examining crime scenes and bodies while searching for the little bits of evidence that help solve the mysteries.
In A Morbid Case for Bones we meet Brother Cadfael as the monks of Shrewsbury are about to send an expedition to a town on the other side of the Welsh border in order to bring back a Welsh saint’s bones to reside permanently in the Abbey. Brother Cadfael, being Welsh by birth, is chosen to go on the expedition to act as a translator.
Naturally, the folks in the little Welsh town where Saint Winifred’s remains are currently buried are not too keen to see her go. So, there is a conflict between the expedition’s leader, Prior Robert, an officious, aristocratic monk, and some of the leaders of the town. Before long, there is a body discovered, and it is left to Brother Cadfael to begin his detective work.
As good as the TV shows are (and they are very good), I think the books, as books often do, allow for more complicated secondary story lines as well as for greater depth of the characters, especially of the secondary characters. But, don’t expect that the books in this series are light summer reading! Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) was a terrific story teller, and I highly recommend these books. However, the books are full of the details of 12 century English/Welsh life, including the monastic life of the time, and the violent politics of the period. Very few Cozy Mysteries provide as much history and background information as these do!
I love this series so much that I have now read them, listened to them on Audible, and of course watched all of the TV episodes more than once. The TV series is currently available on BritBox.
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Barbara M. says
I love these books. They are among my favorites because of the detail of the characters and the life of that time.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Barbara, yes, like any good period piece they really do a great job of portraying the time and place that they take place in.
Bek says
Well…here we go again, and Ellis Peters is going on my “To Read” list, and almost certainly on my “Keep and Collect” list, as well. My only issue right now is whether to shelve the Brother Cadfael books under “Cozy Mysteries, General” or under “Historical Fiction.” I’ll figure that out once I’ve read a couple!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bek, I definitely recommend picking them up – they’re a great addition to any collection. I’ll let you decide which shelf you want to put it on, though!
Pnut67 says
Hmmmmm…sounds like a 12th Century “Father Brown”….if I had Britbox, I would look into it, because I have seen ALL of Father Brown on Netflix, & I LOVED it….no sex, “offstage” violence, mild language. Hey…you can only watch so many criminal minds & csi before your brain goes numb….LOL. Thanks for sharing this gem.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Pnut, you’re welcome! Though even if you don’t pick up Britbox, I’d definitely recommend giving the books a shot!
Hanna says
The very first book that I read, and that I thought was the first, was One Corpse Too Many. I was fortunate to meet Ellis Peters in person – a book signing – and she agreed that that book should be read first, where we first meet another character and we don’t know whether he is an ally or a foe. She later added more characters many appear in subsequent books. Her books provide a wonderful history of that time in England; they sent me to read more about it. We also learn about the fate of families when the oldest son inherits the land and the title and the next have to join the military or a monastery – with not much say in the matter. A wonderful writer, indeed.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hanna, I’m glad you were able to meet Ellis Peters – I haven’t had a chance to meet many of my favorite authors, which is a shame. I agree that they’re great period pieces by giving a strong feeling of the time and place that they use as a setting.
Kay Carlson says
I’ve read “A Morbid Case for Bones” and really enjoyed it. I’m now reading “Monk’s Hood” which is the 3rd book in that series. Haven’t read #2 yet, but hope to find it. It’s so interesting to read how life may have been so many centuries ago and that no matter what century a person lives in, people are much more alike than different. I didn’t know the books were made into shows, so would love to see them. Great subject!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kay, the shows are definitely worth tracking down, as are the books! Great for different reasons, of course, but both definitely worth picking up.
Cynthia McCord says
It’s been years since I have read any of these but did like them when I did. I had added Bro. Cadfael series to my watch list on Britbox but haven’t watched any of them as of yet.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cynthia, I really would recommend watching it – Derek Jacobi is absolutely perfect as Cadfael. It’s definitely one of those roles where now I see the actor instead of my earlier vision of the character.
Morven says
Hi Danna! Thanks for this blog. I am a huge fan of the Brother Cadfael books and I have the whole series (a total of 21 volumes). Obviously everyone enjoys some of them more than others. I enjoyed them all except for two. But no need to go into that. What I like so much about the books is the wealth of historical detail. I am now very well informed about the Anarchy – the battle between King Stephen of England and his cousin Maud, contenders for the throne – and about the Welsh Prince Owain Gwynedd and his people. (This is a period in British history which hardly gets any attention in history lessons at school!) I love the strong Welsh influence in the books. Ellis Peters herself was Shrewsbury-Welsh. And I love all the characters – even the unsympathetic ones and the murderers! So beautifully drawn by the hand of a master storyteller. Cadfael and Hugh are my favourites but I also love Robert Beaumont (“Robert Bossu”), earl of Leicester, who appears in two of the last books in the series. A highly intelligent and attractive man. He is SUCH a tease and has such a great sense of humour. In the book I’m re-reading right now he is thoroughly enjoying himself by mischievously putting the cat among two of the monastic pigeons, but so cleverly that they don’t even realise he is pulling their legs. However I am sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy the TV series at all, except for one or two episodes which were excellently done. Derek Jacobi is a very good actor but to my mind he is simply not Cadfael. One of the most important points in the books is Cadfael’s Welshness, as this has an impact on the way he thinks and acts, in contrast to the Norman-English. Derek is not Welsh; the way he plays Cadfael, he comes across as a modern, rather aggressive upper-class Englishman. Bad casting for Cadfael in my view. Plenty of excellent Welsh actors around, such as the late Philip Madoc who played Cadfael in the radio series. Philip WAS Cadfael, no doubt about it! However, all the other monks and the abbot and Prior Robert are very well cast. There are other points too that I really don’t like about the series but I won’t go into them here. I’d advise everyone who’s interested but as yet unfamiliar with Brother Cadfael, to read the books first and then watch the TV series. It would be interesting to know if anyone else agrees with me!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Morven, while I agree that the portrayal for the character is different in the novels than the sereis, I love Derek Jacobi so much that I find it much easier to forgive than I would in many other circumstances!
Ilene H. says
I have only recently discovered the Brother Cadfael mysteries, and I can’t wait to read my first one! But I have a problem. Right now, the library can only get “An Excellent Mystery”, the 11th book – I picked it up today. They have to order “A Morbid Case for Bones,” and that will take a while. Should I wait for it to come in? What I’m asking is, is it important to read the books in order? If I start with Book 11, will I be hopelessly lost? Thanks for your help!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ilene, I suspect that you could start with a later book, but it might give away a few plot points for earlier novels (it has been a while and I read them in sequence so I’m not totally sure how much would be revealed).
Lynn Black says
We arrived in Shrewsbury late at night, going wrong way on one way street. Grabbed the first accommodation we saw. My delight when next morning found I was next door to the former monastery! Walked around that very, very historical town, sure that Cadfael was my guide. Highly recommend a visit!