Helpful Score: 1
A delightful read. It has a colorful and authentic medieval background.
Helpful Score: 1
Classic Cadfael, terrific read.
Kristin M. (mcpenguin5) reviewed One Corpse Too Many (Brother Cadfael, Bk 2) on + 93 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Second in the Brother Cadfael series. Easy read, very well written, nice break between heavy books.
Anne Todd O. (forestguardian) reviewed One Corpse Too Many (Brother Cadfael, Bk 2) on + 88 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
#2 of this wonderful Brother Cadfael 12th century Welsh Borderlands series of not necessarily monastic mysteries.
After a final raid on a nearby castle, the remainder of the fighters are hanged for their rebellion against the king. However, when Brother Cadfael tries to account for the dead, he discovers that there is one more corpse than records show. Cadfael is determined to find the person to attempted to disguise his murder as an action of the king.
This was an interesting tale, and Cadfael is such an interesting and compelling character. Having fought in the Crusades before becoming a monk, he has a very different view than his fellow monks, and is willing to pursue what he feels is just and hopes that his work is that of God, too. The ending of this book was mildly unsatisfactory, but the overall twists and turns in the book made for interesting reading, particularly the cat-and-mouse game between Cadfael and Beringar.
This was an interesting tale, and Cadfael is such an interesting and compelling character. Having fought in the Crusades before becoming a monk, he has a very different view than his fellow monks, and is willing to pursue what he feels is just and hopes that his work is that of God, too. The ending of this book was mildly unsatisfactory, but the overall twists and turns in the book made for interesting reading, particularly the cat-and-mouse game between Cadfael and Beringar.
Another really good book in the Brother Cadfael series.
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed One Corpse Too Many (Brother Cadfael, Bk 2) on + 1452 more book reviews
During war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud, Brother Cadfael finds himself involved in solving a murder when one too many among the enemy dead proves to be a victim of foul play. Instead of ninety-four the number is ninety-five. Brother Cadfael is placed in charge of burying the dead, only to discover that the extra body has been strangled, rather than hanged.
Brother Cadfael knows that the killer is clever and ruthless and while one death among so many may seem unimportant, even to the king, he is determined to find what really happened. Who committed this murder? Where is the missing treasure? Amidst this tangle, Brother Cadfael finds himself protecting a young woman who hides with a boy's clothing and an injured squire. His only clue to the murder seems to be a jewel in the form of a single broken flower. However, the individual who appears to be responsible for the murder helps Brother Cadfael solve this mystery.
Brother Cadfael knows that the killer is clever and ruthless and while one death among so many may seem unimportant, even to the king, he is determined to find what really happened. Who committed this murder? Where is the missing treasure? Amidst this tangle, Brother Cadfael finds himself protecting a young woman who hides with a boy's clothing and an injured squire. His only clue to the murder seems to be a jewel in the form of a single broken flower. However, the individual who appears to be responsible for the murder helps Brother Cadfael solve this mystery.
Excellent mystery series that I decided to read after watching Cadfael on PBS. The mysteries are suspenseful and you have to pay attention for clues.
"One Corpse Too Many" is Ellis Peters' second Brother Cadfael mystery, and as such, brings a freshness to some of the tropes that will become staples of her later mysteries: the fresh-faced young lovers separated by the politics of the times, Brother Cadfael's worldly view of life outside the cloister, and the sanctuary within a sactuary that his herbarium provides in tumultuous times.
This particular mystery is notable because King Stephen is present in Salisbury in person and orders a nasty revenge carried out on his opponents, one that brings the brutality of 12th C. warfare to Peters' usually idyllic setting.
On a happier note, Hugh Beringer is introduced in this novel, setting up a happy relationship that will play out in future volumes. The result is one of Peters' best efforts.
This particular mystery is notable because King Stephen is present in Salisbury in person and orders a nasty revenge carried out on his opponents, one that brings the brutality of 12th C. warfare to Peters' usually idyllic setting.
On a happier note, Hugh Beringer is introduced in this novel, setting up a happy relationship that will play out in future volumes. The result is one of Peters' best efforts.
Kristi J. (midwinter) reviewed One Corpse Too Many (Brother Cadfael, Bk 2) on + 75 more book reviews
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Each addition to the series is a joy. Long may the chronicles continue. -- USA Today
* A Mystery Guild Alternate Selection
In the summer of 1138, fighting engulfs Shrewsbury as King Stephen battles the Empress Maud for the throne of England. When Shrewsbury Castle falls, and its 94 defenders are hanged as traitors, Brother Cadfael is called upon to administer last rites to the dead. But his careful count reveals 95 corpses, and once again the sleuthing monk is on the trail of a murderer -- this time aided by a lovely young fugitive.
Each addition to the series is a joy. Long may the chronicles continue. -- USA Today
* A Mystery Guild Alternate Selection
In the summer of 1138, fighting engulfs Shrewsbury as King Stephen battles the Empress Maud for the throne of England. When Shrewsbury Castle falls, and its 94 defenders are hanged as traitors, Brother Cadfael is called upon to administer last rites to the dead. But his careful count reveals 95 corpses, and once again the sleuthing monk is on the trail of a murderer -- this time aided by a lovely young fugitive.
Susan H. (symphonie) reviewed One Corpse Too Many (Brother Cadfael, Bk 2) on + 158 more book reviews
In the summer of 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes Brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden into a battlefield of passions, deceptions and death. Not far from the safety of the abbey walls, Shrewsbury Castle falls, leaving its ninety-four defenders loyal to the Empress to hang as traitors. With a heavy heart, Brother Cadfael agrees to bury the dead, only to make a grisly discovery: ninety-five dead bodies lie in a row - the extra victim has been cruelly strangled, not hanged.
This ingenious way to dispose of a corpse tells Brother Cadfael that the killer is both clever and ruthless. But one death among so many seems unimportant to all but the good Benedictine. He vows to find the truth behind disparate clues: a girl in boy's clothing, a missing treasure, and a single broken flower...the tiny bit of evidence that Cadfael believes can most expose a murderer's black heart.
This ingenious way to dispose of a corpse tells Brother Cadfael that the killer is both clever and ruthless. But one death among so many seems unimportant to all but the good Benedictine. He vows to find the truth behind disparate clues: a girl in boy's clothing, a missing treasure, and a single broken flower...the tiny bit of evidence that Cadfael believes can most expose a murderer's black heart.
