A Morbid Taste for Bones: A Mediaeval Whodunnit

by Ellis Peters

Book Overview

The "irresistible" and "compelling" first novel in the historical mystery series featuring a Welsh Benedictine monk in the twelfth century (The Washington Post). A Welsh Benedictine monk living at... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0708825524
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Futura Publishing Co Inc
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A lot of talking

Lots of talking

Exciting historical fiction

Very well written- had to buy two more in the series, love the characters, will be great summer reading

Perfect start to the series!

I accidentally started with book eleven when I first discovered these books. But fell in love anyway. They are the perfect marriage between historical and cozy mysteries which makes for a delightful reading experience! As soon as I could, I read this one, and I was not disappointed. Lovely beginning, not background heavy, gets to the action without delay. In a word, great!

Let the series begin!

If you `love to read' there is always a sense of excitement in beginning the first book of a long series. Since this one is already complete, you know the story will come to an end, but you have 20 more books in front of you, and you wonder. Will the first book temp you to the second? Will the series live up to the rep? Yes, probably, and A Morbid taste for Bones, the first Cadfael, gives you a true taste of what is to come. The Brother Cadfael series isn't for everyone. The mystery is often minor, the romance more than a sub-plot, Peters will wax overly poetic at times, and just not spend enough words on Cadfael's actual job at the Abbey. That said, she is a story teller and her plots are often surprising and will hold your interest. Her characters are distinct, vivid and [by and large] interesting although I think she never got a handle on Hugh Beringer, whom I find generally uninteresting, which he really shouldn't be. So, yes, it is a series worth beginning if only to see where it takes you.

Excellent Medieval Tale of Mystery

My girlfriend has a huge stack of these books on the bookcase, so I decided to take a gander at them. After consulting her which was first (I did not realize they were labeled), I dived into the first book. As the story unfolded, I found myself introduced to an interesting cast of characters. Some likeable. Some not. Detail varies depending on how central they are to the story. Nevertheless, I did not feel that any of them were bland. Cadfael is a curious rogue of a character who has his elder years to temper him. John is mischievous and good intentioned. Robert is pompous, well composed and intelligent, while having good qualities such as being charitable and forgiving (most of the time). Peters is able to characterize in broad strokes or narrow detail as necessary. I was duly impressed. Now the core of the mystery is the murder, and I found that did not happen until halfway through the book. I did not find myself lacking for it though. There is enough going on that you are curious about the plotting and the discoveries that take place. Peters' setting is fantastic. Yes, she is drawing upon the historical past, and in a way, it is already made for her. However, she is good at communicating it to us without loosing us in the language. Neither does the language sound modern. She meets us in a middle ground with emphasizes the style of the setting while not loosing us along the way. The book is very good, and I look forward to picking up the next. It is also brief. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in any manner of fiction. It would appeal to mystery readers, those interested in speculative settings or even someone who does not lean toward any genre. The book should appeal to all.

The first Chronicle of a truly rare Benedictine's adventures

In a number of visions, a young monk of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul at Shrewsbury believes he has encounters with St. Winifred, in her earthly life a girl from a remote Welsh village decapitated by an evil-spirited nobleman. The saint, Brother Columbanus claims, tells him she is unhappy with the lack of care and dedication her grave receives from the local village folk, and wishes to be relocated nowhere else but to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. After a heated discussion over the appropriateness and dangers of such an excursion, the monks decide to mount an expedition to Wales to save the maiden saint's bones. Thus begins the first of what would ultimately come to be twenty Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, former crusader turned herbalist monk living in the 12th century world of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Predictably, the monks are anything but welcome in Wales - not only are they emissaries from an English abbey, which in itself would be bad enough already; they also seek to take what village folk consider their greatest treasure and, more importantly, the village's holy protectress. When wealthy squire Lord Rhysart, who has led the village in opposing the monks' mission, is found murdered, the monks quickly find themselves implicated. Cadfael, of Welsh descendance himself but now part of a mission from an English abbey, finds himself between all lines of allegiance in trying to find Rhysart's murderer; but find the murderer he must, to ensure the success of his brothers' mission and their safe return home. And it will take all his world-wisdom and all his understanding of the divine to unravel the mystery. Like the nineteen Chronicles that would follow it, "A Morbid Taste for Bones" is rich in plot lines and subplots and demands the full attention of any reader intent on solving the mystery together with Brother Cadfael. Set in the time of the civil war between Empress Maud and King Stephen for the throne of England, Ellis Peters's acclaimed series vividly and with great care for detail portrays medieval monastery life, as well as a society caught in the middle of a civil war, with shifting allegiances, intrigue, favoritism and again and again, the innocent victims caught between the front lines. More than once, the story lines also return to the animosities between Welsh and English that are at the center of this first Chronicle. In Brother Cadfael, Ms. Peters (a/k/a Edith Pargeter) created one of the most engaging detectives in literary history. His experiences as a crusader have left him with a keen sense of reality, a certain element of world-weariness and a deep sense of morality, not only understanding the letter of the law (both divine and worldly) but more importantly, the deeper implications of the same, thus enabling Cadfael to apply the church's teachings in a truly Solomonic manner, always coming to solutions which are as just as they are compassionate and pragmatic. To the novice who has just recently d

Great first in an addictive series

I have read the first ten books in this series (mostly) in order, and would recommend doing so. Otherwise, you'll miss referneces to previous incidents of importance, and also lose a sense of continuity. Reading the series in order also allows you to enjoy the development of Cadfael's character and other characters who continue to appear throughout the series. Be advised, however, that most of those characters don't make their appearances until later books.This first mystery serves as an excellent introduction to Cadfael himself, the historical backdrop of medieval England and Wales, and the general literary pattern of the Cadfael stories. It is a pleasant and enjoyable read for those who don't necessarily need their mysteries to be of the noir persuasion and who have a love of history. The title is a little bit deceiving, tempting you to think the story is more violent than it is - though there is certainly a murder to be solvedRead it, and begin a pleasant and long-standing association with Brother Cadfael.

A Journey Through a Decade

A Morbid Taste For Bones is the start of a 20-book series about Brother Cadfael. The Cadfael books are absorbing reads, as others here have stated. I would like to add that you will enjoy the series so much more if you read the books in order. They chronicle the decade of civil war in England, between the factions of King Stephen and the Empress Maud. The books always have the ongoing story of this, in a little history lesson, usually at the beginning of the book. It can be complicated history for those coming to it, as I did, uninformed. But we are taken through the war years with these stories, and in chronological order, they tell the story of the civil war, along with the mystery of each book.Also, the characters and their relationships develop along the way. Hugh Beringer comes into the picture early in the series and eventually becomes deputy to the sheriff, who is loyal to King Stephen. Hugh and Brother Cadfael begin their relationship with suspicion, but they come to respect each other for the intelligence and integrity each has. Hugh meets and marries Aileen, has a baby boy, and, around the ninth book, becomes the sheriff of Shrewsbury. By this time Cadfael and Hugh are fast friends. Cadfael has his own secrets, little episodes of his life in the Crusades, that catch up with him during the series...but not right away. Later in the series, Cadfael confides in his dear friend Hugh, also relating the secret of this first book, Morbid Taste For Bones, which Hugh had not been privy to before. I just loved this series, and I tend to think of it as one *really big* book! So do read all 20, and read them in order. They are all available, and all except one (The Hermit of Eyton Forest, no. 14) tell which number it is in the order, right on the front cover. Brother Cadfael is one of the most endearing characters ever created. Lose yourself with him in 12th century England when you need a break from the 20th or 21st century.