Yet again I'm re-reading some of Ellis Peters' classic whodunnits. This one came off my shelves, but some of them are at Mum's place, including one I recently re-read, An Excellent Mystery.
They are all set in twelfth century Shrewsbury, a sort of mediaeval Midsomer, where corpses turn up regularly and it's up to herbalist monk Brother Cadfael to use his forensic skills to find out how they died and who killed them. He does this with the help of his friend Hugh Beringar, the Sheriff of Shropshire. Has anyone noticed the trope of the amateur sleuth and his or her buddy the cop? Because really, that's what Hugh is. He may be in charge of the shire, which he holds and defends for King Stephen during the war between Stephen and Empress Maud, but in the end, he is also the local law enforcement officer, a kind of police chief, so it fits, really, doesn't it? Hugh is in this one.
Despite what I said about a mediaeval Midsomer, this author sometimes does something a little different. In one novel, there wasn't actually a murder at all, just a mystery, with a missing character everyone thinks must have been murdered. In The Pilgrim Of Hate, the murder took place offstage, before the story even begins. The victim was a knight of Empress Maud who was killed on the street in Winchester while defending a follower of King Stephen from attackers. Nobody knows who the killer was; he vanished into the dark streets. But Brother Cadfael works it out anyway, or this wouldn't be a mystery.
Meanwhile, in Shrewsbury, the monks are preparing for a huge festival, the annual celebration of the arrival of the Welsh Saint Winifred, whose coffin was brought there four years ago from Wales during A Morbid Taste For Bones(but not her body, because Brother Cadfaeł did a switch to keep her in her home soil with the villagers who loved her). Pilgrims are flocking there for the party, some in hopes of miracles. Among them are a widow, her crippled nephew Rhun and his sister Melangell, and two young men who are on their way on foot to Wales. There is a mystery here(of course!) about the two men. As usual there is a sweet young couple whose love might not prosper. And Brother Cadfael's son, Olivier De Bretagne, whom we first met in The Virgin In The Ice turns up on a mission. And there's a miracle - actually, two, as far as Cadfael is concerned, the second being his chance to see his son again.
I love this series! I love its gentleness and its worldbuilding. It brings mediaeval England to life, not to mention a small-town community. The Shrewsbury of the novels is real - I once found I could follow the old streets just by having read the author's descriptions.
But in the end, people are people and learn from their mistakes - or don't...
If you haven't yet read any of these wonderful books, you've been missing out - go read!
Hi Sue - they are great books ... well researched and well written. I too love the medieval feel about them ... and Cadfael is a great character - as you say quiet, yet definitely aware of life around him. I agree - go read! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Hilary! Yes, they are great books, aren't they? Have you read the historical fiction she wrote as Edith Pargeter? She really knew her era. And she combined that with her skill in mystery-writing to write these. But all the historical fiction was so terribly sad, I really prefer these books. They are much gentler. And Brother Cadfael is the art of man I'd live to have as an uncle. You could tell him your troubles and get wise advice, and he'd help you find lost stuff and look after injured wildlife you found...
ReplyDeleteThese sound like good reads. I suppose the investigator needs a buddy to explain things to in order to get that information to the reader. I suppose you could have a kooky investigator who talked to himself if you needed to, but having another character is probably more fun.
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, I suppose. But also, when the buddy is a cop and not, so to speak, a sidekick like Watson or Hastings, he has the power to find out things that help the investigator. And Hugh Beringar does. Plus, as a man who has to do the fighting and political stuff, he can explain things to Cadfael too.
ReplyDelete