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Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #5
The Leper of Saint Giles
October 1139. A savage murder interrupts an ill-fated marriage set to take place at Brother Cadfael's abbey, leaving the monk with a terrible mystery to solve. The key to the killing is hidden among the inhabitants of the Saint Giles leper colony, and Brother Cadfael must ferret out a sickness not of the body, but of a twisted mind.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1981
1522 people are currently reading
3346 people want to read
About the author
Ellis Peters
207 books1,146 followersA pseudonym used by Edith Pargeter.
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 636 reviews
May 15, 2025
Brother Cadfael‘s sharp, analytical mind glitters in the noonday sun like the well-honed instrument it is, in this relentless Medieval page-turner.
It is the twelfth century in feudal England.
Common folk go about their daily affairs warily, keenly mistrustful of their condescending new Norman masters.
Les nouveau aristocrats: like a certain unlikeable, corpulent middle-aged French baron - who is about to form a strategic match with a beautiful English débutante - who in turn is descended from a great Anglo hero, a heroic Crusader. Pity...
Surely she deserves better, the commoners mutter, at least a love match more to her own sensitive taste.
But when this high and mightily obnoxious Baron Domville, the fat old groom, is found murdered, all are aghast as official Norman suspicion focuses on a young and gallant squire for whom the damsel’s eyes sparkle fondly!
Surely they jest?
So thinks Cadfael, when he sees the honest squire harried like a rabid dog in a death hunt.
But the road to clearing Squire Jocelyn‘s good name will not be easy, with planting of evidence, red herrings and cold trails galore!
Cadfael‘s mind is like a steel trap ready to spring shut when new clues begin to appear that could bring a happy dénouement to the two star-crossed lovers’ hopeless travail.
And Brother Cadfael’s sharp yet sympathetic understanding rests in the certainty that their hapless plight will be righted by Heavenly justice.
The workings of his keenly logical mind are are a pleasure to witness in their inexorable unfolding of the Truth.
Hats off to this worthy, soft-spoken monk!
Surrounded, as he is, by a cast of living, breathing, fully-fleshed characters in a setting of glittering prose that glows inwardly like a gold-leafed ancient manuscript...
This won’t be the last of Peters’ finely-wrought adventures I’ll read!
It is the twelfth century in feudal England.
Common folk go about their daily affairs warily, keenly mistrustful of their condescending new Norman masters.
Les nouveau aristocrats: like a certain unlikeable, corpulent middle-aged French baron - who is about to form a strategic match with a beautiful English débutante - who in turn is descended from a great Anglo hero, a heroic Crusader. Pity...
Surely she deserves better, the commoners mutter, at least a love match more to her own sensitive taste.
But when this high and mightily obnoxious Baron Domville, the fat old groom, is found murdered, all are aghast as official Norman suspicion focuses on a young and gallant squire for whom the damsel’s eyes sparkle fondly!
Surely they jest?
So thinks Cadfael, when he sees the honest squire harried like a rabid dog in a death hunt.
But the road to clearing Squire Jocelyn‘s good name will not be easy, with planting of evidence, red herrings and cold trails galore!
Cadfael‘s mind is like a steel trap ready to spring shut when new clues begin to appear that could bring a happy dénouement to the two star-crossed lovers’ hopeless travail.
And Brother Cadfael’s sharp yet sympathetic understanding rests in the certainty that their hapless plight will be righted by Heavenly justice.
The workings of his keenly logical mind are are a pleasure to witness in their inexorable unfolding of the Truth.
Hats off to this worthy, soft-spoken monk!
Surrounded, as he is, by a cast of living, breathing, fully-fleshed characters in a setting of glittering prose that glows inwardly like a gold-leafed ancient manuscript...
This won’t be the last of Peters’ finely-wrought adventures I’ll read!
March 11, 2017
My absolute favourite of the Brother Cadfael series.
The plot is tight and well-paced. A young maiden from excellent ancestry is being married off for the profit of her relatives. Her lover tries to rescue her but comes up against formidable obstacles that have the Law on his back. Fortunately, a ...corpse puts an end (temporarily) to the malicious plans. But who's the murderer, and will the two lovers be united in the end?
The characters are well-developed (with the possible exception of the young maiden who is too weak for my liking, but I can see how her weakness helps advance the plot).
The backdrop is extremely interesting: a leper colony near the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. Leprosy in the Middle Ages carries undertones of fear, demonisation and neglect. Not so in this story where sweet Brother Mark sees to all his patients with ultimate devotion.
As usual, Brother Cadfael will unfold the thread and solve the mystery. But not before some wonderful twists and turns that totally have your attention. Heartily recommended!
The plot is tight and well-paced. A young maiden from excellent ancestry is being married off for the profit of her relatives. Her lover tries to rescue her but comes up against formidable obstacles that have the Law on his back. Fortunately, a ...corpse puts an end (temporarily) to the malicious plans. But who's the murderer, and will the two lovers be united in the end?
The characters are well-developed (with the possible exception of the young maiden who is too weak for my liking, but I can see how her weakness helps advance the plot).
The backdrop is extremely interesting: a leper colony near the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. Leprosy in the Middle Ages carries undertones of fear, demonisation and neglect. Not so in this story where sweet Brother Mark sees to all his patients with ultimate devotion.
As usual, Brother Cadfael will unfold the thread and solve the mystery. But not before some wonderful twists and turns that totally have your attention. Heartily recommended!
September 19, 2025
The Leper of Saint Giles is an interesting story of its own. Since, however, it is the 5th Chronicle of the Cadfael series, and I'm reading it in order, the novel doesn't escape from comparison. And for that reason, I felt the story here is weak in its creation. It started full of promise, but slowly waned into a predictable plot, drowning my enthusiasm somewhat. By "a predictable plot" I mean that you could fathom the general line of the story, and how it will end, etc. Nevertheless, some parts took me by surprise and helped fix my interest in the story. So, all in all, it was an up-and-down reading journey, though by no means unpleasant.
Still, I had some grievances. Cadfael's presence, which used to dominate and spread through her novels, felt limited for my liking. His role felt more supportive than dominant. Perhaps that must have been Ellis Peters' intention, but I wished it was otherwise. Another issue I had was being unable to invest myself as I ought to in various character stories. Ellis Peters was taking me from place to place a wee bit soon.
For all that, Ellis Peters writes well. The historical details (this time a leprosy colony) she brings through the stories provide us with a mirror to the past. There were times during my read that I felt some of the scenes were childish. But the last couple of chapters ensured (to my greater relief) that it was I who had misconceived. Whatever the loopholes she may have in the story, Ellis Peters neatly winds it up.
On another positive note, Abbot Radulfus and the sheriff, Gilbert Prescott, grew on me. I came to see their merits and appreciate them more. Brother Mark, the former assistant of Brother Cadfael, also plays an admirable role. For the newcomers, I liked the falsely persecuted Joseph Lucy, the leper of Saint Giles, and the three villains - two outright and one deceptive. They were presented larger than life.
I'm determined to work through the series. So far, I haven't found Ellis Peters' stories boring. Even with flaws, they have an entertaining quality. That itself is encouraging to continue with the series.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
Still, I had some grievances. Cadfael's presence, which used to dominate and spread through her novels, felt limited for my liking. His role felt more supportive than dominant. Perhaps that must have been Ellis Peters' intention, but I wished it was otherwise. Another issue I had was being unable to invest myself as I ought to in various character stories. Ellis Peters was taking me from place to place a wee bit soon.
For all that, Ellis Peters writes well. The historical details (this time a leprosy colony) she brings through the stories provide us with a mirror to the past. There were times during my read that I felt some of the scenes were childish. But the last couple of chapters ensured (to my greater relief) that it was I who had misconceived. Whatever the loopholes she may have in the story, Ellis Peters neatly winds it up.
On another positive note, Abbot Radulfus and the sheriff, Gilbert Prescott, grew on me. I came to see their merits and appreciate them more. Brother Mark, the former assistant of Brother Cadfael, also plays an admirable role. For the newcomers, I liked the falsely persecuted Joseph Lucy, the leper of Saint Giles, and the three villains - two outright and one deceptive. They were presented larger than life.
I'm determined to work through the series. So far, I haven't found Ellis Peters' stories boring. Even with flaws, they have an entertaining quality. That itself is encouraging to continue with the series.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
August 23, 2021
The Fifth Chronicle Of Brother Cadfael, Of The Benedictine Abbey Of Saint Peter And Saint Paul, At Shrewsbury
Several reviewers have named this one of the best volumes in Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. I concur: Memorable well developed characters, involved but coherent plot, romance, several brave protagonists, lepers who are ostracized from medieval society but offer sympathy and aide to others, honest and intelligent authorities, wrongly accused suspect, and the killer is not as obvious as in some other volumes.
As usual, Cadfael's patience and logic lead to solutions.
Several reviewers have named this one of the best volumes in Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. I concur: Memorable well developed characters, involved but coherent plot, romance, several brave protagonists, lepers who are ostracized from medieval society but offer sympathy and aide to others, honest and intelligent authorities, wrongly accused suspect, and the killer is not as obvious as in some other volumes.
As usual, Cadfael's patience and logic lead to solutions.
January 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this absorbing and well-written story, which at heart is a story of love.
Favorite quotes:
"very suspicious and malicious charges had already been thrown at him and rang leaden as false coin"
"the best piece of the leaf is not very big it would have to be a short message" - this made me think of how we text each other today.
"In her russet apple cheek a sudden startling dimple dipped and rose like a curtsey. Beauty in its most mature and tranquil manifestation flashed with the change leaving her demure and plain as before."
"The silence fell between them again but lightly and softly as a girl's veil might float down and settle or a moth flutter out of the night and flutter without a sound."
Favorite quotes:
"very suspicious and malicious charges had already been thrown at him and rang leaden as false coin"
"the best piece of the leaf is not very big it would have to be a short message" - this made me think of how we text each other today.
"In her russet apple cheek a sudden startling dimple dipped and rose like a curtsey. Beauty in its most mature and tranquil manifestation flashed with the change leaving her demure and plain as before."
"The silence fell between them again but lightly and softly as a girl's veil might float down and settle or a moth flutter out of the night and flutter without a sound."
January 20, 2013
W*O*N*D*E*R*F*U*L
S*T*O*R*Y
!!!!!!
First I read A Morbid Taste for Bones, and yeah I liked it. Then I listened to the dramatization version on BBC Radio of The Virgin in the Ice. Njah, I really wasn't turned on. BUT, dear Gundula, told me to try another, so I did! I tried St. Peter's Fair. Now that was really, really good! I read a book by another author and just had to return to Ellis Peters. And then I read this: The Leper of Saint Giles. Superb, wonderful, fantastic.
All the things I liked about "St. Peter's Fair" I also liked about this book too. So to get a full picture please read my review of that here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
What I want to add here is that the author's words used to describe the English medieval world are beautiful and perfect. I didn't stress this adequately in my review of the previous book.
Taste these lines about the countryside filled with -
"richly wooded countryside" and
"lush meadows" and
"heads of trees" nodding before her or here
"He had eyes like pebbles under a sun-lit brook, as hard and dear and as fluid and elusive in their glance..." (from chapters four and five)
"Plentiful timber of all kinds too for the wheelwright's stock. Elm essential for the stock. Oak to provide the cleft heartwood for the spokes with the grain unbroken and springy, subtle ash to make the curved fallows of the rim wood." (Chapter 8)
And when the action gets into full swing, there is ..."the blade flashing in the torchlight!" (Chapter 10)
I like how every element of the story is neatly tied up. I like how the events build to a crescendo, and then when you think you have reached the climax there is even more to the story! The murders pile up! I like how the women have strength, and when they get mad they really speak their mind. Agnes proclaims: "But you have not reckoned with me!" No characters added to the story are superfluous; each one has a specific role to play.
But what I loved best was the story, the mystery itself. I loved how it was solved. I loved every bit of it, how it all held together, and how I kept guessing to the very end. With the final words, I understood every single event! All the parts held together perfectly. This is a piece of perfect storytelling, from start to finish. And oh yes, you also learn about how leprosy was viewed back then in the medieval ages. This one gets five stars from me.
The narration by Johanna Ward was spot-on! Just perfect! No distracting background noise this time!
I am off to read another by this great author! Immediately. The next will be: The Sanctuary Sparrow!
S*T*O*R*Y
!!!!!!
First I read A Morbid Taste for Bones, and yeah I liked it. Then I listened to the dramatization version on BBC Radio of The Virgin in the Ice. Njah, I really wasn't turned on. BUT, dear Gundula, told me to try another, so I did! I tried St. Peter's Fair. Now that was really, really good! I read a book by another author and just had to return to Ellis Peters. And then I read this: The Leper of Saint Giles. Superb, wonderful, fantastic.
All the things I liked about "St. Peter's Fair" I also liked about this book too. So to get a full picture please read my review of that here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
What I want to add here is that the author's words used to describe the English medieval world are beautiful and perfect. I didn't stress this adequately in my review of the previous book.
Taste these lines about the countryside filled with -
"richly wooded countryside" and
"lush meadows" and
"heads of trees" nodding before her or here
"He had eyes like pebbles under a sun-lit brook, as hard and dear and as fluid and elusive in their glance..." (from chapters four and five)
"Plentiful timber of all kinds too for the wheelwright's stock. Elm essential for the stock. Oak to provide the cleft heartwood for the spokes with the grain unbroken and springy, subtle ash to make the curved fallows of the rim wood." (Chapter 8)
And when the action gets into full swing, there is ..."the blade flashing in the torchlight!" (Chapter 10)
I like how every element of the story is neatly tied up. I like how the events build to a crescendo, and then when you think you have reached the climax there is even more to the story! The murders pile up! I like how the women have strength, and when they get mad they really speak their mind. Agnes proclaims: "But you have not reckoned with me!" No characters added to the story are superfluous; each one has a specific role to play.
But what I loved best was the story, the mystery itself. I loved how it was solved. I loved every bit of it, how it all held together, and how I kept guessing to the very end. With the final words, I understood every single event! All the parts held together perfectly. This is a piece of perfect storytelling, from start to finish. And oh yes, you also learn about how leprosy was viewed back then in the medieval ages. This one gets five stars from me.
The narration by Johanna Ward was spot-on! Just perfect! No distracting background noise this time!
I am off to read another by this great author! Immediately. The next will be: The Sanctuary Sparrow!
August 16, 2024
(Sixth reading: August 2024)
“Such as he live with a humility that transcends all possibility of humiliation.”
Murder and romance in medieval England. That you get a practical history lesson along the way is a bonus. Excellent story; well told. Ellis Peters has found her pace and strides boldly forward.
“Death is present with us every day of our lives, it behooves us to take note of its nearness, not as a threat, but as our common experience on the way to grace.”
Formulaic? Maybe, but the formula is: it’s never easy for anyone, least of all Cadfael, our sometime soldier now in holy orders. Just as the obvious culprit may be innocent, so the obvious hero may not. Youth, beauty, and innocence point toward both.
“A comely person is no warrant to a comely spirit.”
One of my personal favorites of the series. Solidifies several of the recurring patterns of the series. Regular readers can discern them. (This tale was among the best of the thirteen made for television.)
“I have always known that the best of the Saracens could out-Christian many of us Christians.”
Cadfael series: Excellent historical fiction. Ellis Peters draws the reader into the twelfth century with modern story telling but holds us there with a richness of detail which evokes a time and place which might as well be fictional. Though the foreground of each chronicle is a murder mystery, behind it a nation and a culture are woven in a wondrous tapestry.
“Such as he live with a humility that transcends all possibility of humiliation.”
Murder and romance in medieval England. That you get a practical history lesson along the way is a bonus. Excellent story; well told. Ellis Peters has found her pace and strides boldly forward.
“Death is present with us every day of our lives, it behooves us to take note of its nearness, not as a threat, but as our common experience on the way to grace.”
Formulaic? Maybe, but the formula is: it’s never easy for anyone, least of all Cadfael, our sometime soldier now in holy orders. Just as the obvious culprit may be innocent, so the obvious hero may not. Youth, beauty, and innocence point toward both.
“A comely person is no warrant to a comely spirit.”
One of my personal favorites of the series. Solidifies several of the recurring patterns of the series. Regular readers can discern them. (This tale was among the best of the thirteen made for television.)
“I have always known that the best of the Saracens could out-Christian many of us Christians.”
Cadfael series: Excellent historical fiction. Ellis Peters draws the reader into the twelfth century with modern story telling but holds us there with a richness of detail which evokes a time and place which might as well be fictional. Though the foreground of each chronicle is a murder mystery, behind it a nation and a culture are woven in a wondrous tapestry.
March 9, 2017
I really like this series. The mysteries, as enjoyable as they are, are almost entirely beside the point for me, given how much I admire Ms. Pargeter's command of history and ability to weave in details and bring the setting to life.
July 27, 2025
the leper hospice, and the wanderer Lazarus... a noble wedding happening in the near future... Brother Mark is working at the leper hospital, and Brother Cadfael has a new assistant, and not one as capable, in the form of Brother Oswin 😉
🍃🏥🌿👩🏽❤👨🏽🍃
amongst the content and themes were:
young lovers, again?! 😉🙂 seems to be abit of a theme that young folk in some kind of trouble fall into Brother Cadfael's path and confidence 😉🙂
😬 marriage against one's will, coercion, politics, land...
and a mysterious man amongst those at Saint Giles' 🙂
🍃🏥🌿👩🏽❤👨🏽🍃
and things that stood out for me in this novel:
🙂 I enjoyed the leper hospital and spending time there in young Brother Mark's company, who's come into his own abit 🙂
🙂 there were some interesting twists and turns towards the end of the tale 🙂
❤ there's abit of a theme thru many of the novels I've read so far of Brother Cadfael making sure young folk unjustly accused of a crime escape/remain safe for long enough for him to figure out and expose the real murderer 😉😁
🧡 the noble story of Lazarus 🙂
🙂 most of the turns were predictable, but the timing and small surprises were enjoyable 🙂
🌟 🌟 🌟 .5 +
accessed initially as an RNIB talking book, read by Andrew Timothy, who was generally a good reader for the narrative and Cadfael, but his voice/the accent he used for young Brother Mark felt completely off (especially compared with Cadfael 3).
then switched to a library audiobook, read by Johanna Ward, whose narration was OK/equal to Andrew Timothy, accent/voice for Mark better, but Welsh lilt for Cadfael abit questionable 🤔🙃
🍃🏥🌿👩🏽❤👨🏽🍃
amongst the content and themes were:
young lovers, again?! 😉🙂 seems to be abit of a theme that young folk in some kind of trouble fall into Brother Cadfael's path and confidence 😉🙂
😬 marriage against one's will, coercion, politics, land...
and a mysterious man amongst those at Saint Giles' 🙂
🍃🏥🌿👩🏽❤👨🏽🍃
and things that stood out for me in this novel:
🙂 I enjoyed the leper hospital and spending time there in young Brother Mark's company, who's come into his own abit 🙂
🙂 there were some interesting twists and turns towards the end of the tale 🙂
❤ there's abit of a theme thru many of the novels I've read so far of Brother Cadfael making sure young folk unjustly accused of a crime escape/remain safe for long enough for him to figure out and expose the real murderer 😉😁
🧡 the noble story of Lazarus 🙂
🙂 most of the turns were predictable, but the timing and small surprises were enjoyable 🙂
🌟 🌟 🌟 .5 +
accessed initially as an RNIB talking book, read by Andrew Timothy, who was generally a good reader for the narrative and Cadfael, but his voice/the accent he used for young Brother Mark felt completely off (especially compared with Cadfael 3).
then switched to a library audiobook, read by Johanna Ward, whose narration was OK/equal to Andrew Timothy, accent/voice for Mark better, but Welsh lilt for Cadfael abit questionable 🤔🙃
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2025
Guests arrive for the wedding of a cruel older man to a wealthy, unwilling young woman, who’s being pressed into the match by her greedy guardians. The girl’s romantic young suitor is determined to stop the wedding, and when a murder calls a halt to the proceedings the young man is suspect number one, but Brother Cadfael’s careful investigation may reveal another culprit. I don’t think I’ve read a Brother Cadfael mystery in decades, and this was such a well-written, comfortable pleasure. I see some readers have compared it less favourably with others in the series, but, not having the opportunity to make a comparison, I was very satisfied, and will keep my eye out for others in future. 3.5.
July 7, 2019
While many of my Goodreads friends seem to consider The Leper of Saint Giles (the fifth of Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael series) as a favourite, personally, I have always found especially the presented mystery of The Leper of Saint Giles just a bit too frustratingly predictable. For indeed, the entire scenario of the enforced and problematic marriage of a young and orphaned heiress to a nasty man old enough to be her father, said person's murder and of course the young heiress's secret love interest being wrongfully accused and that the main villain finally turns out to be someone whom both the heiress and her lover had always considered a friend and ally, this is in my opinion a bit of an all too common historic mysteries theme and one that I have in fact and actually read in far too many incarnations over the years. Therefore, I guess that I definitely do much prefer those Brother Cadfael novels, where Ellis Peters presents imaginatively novel and not so annoyingly tried and true standard mysteries (as that is actually one of the main reasons why many of the instalments in the Brother Cadfael series have always so much appealed to me). And yes, The Leper of Saint Giles has truth be told, just been too similar to other Mediaeval mysteries I have had the chance to peruse for me to consider it all that truly special on a personal and reading pleasure level (even though I do of course and once again love love love how Ellis Peters so realistically sets her historic time and place, her general atmosphere and that in The Leper of Saint Giles we as readers are also treated to a delightfully realistic portrait of 12th century leper hospitals, reading about the lives of the afflicted, incarcerated patients and their caretaker monks, and in The Leper of Saint Giles, this of course being Cadfael's erstwhile assistant Brother Mark). Combined with the fact that I also always do in the Brother Cadfael series prefer to encounter sub-sheriff Hugh Beringar as the main secular authority instead of (and like in The Leper of Saint Giles) sheriff Gilbert Prescote, who just is not all that likeable and personally approachable (albeit I do appreciate that in The Leper of Saint Giles, Prescote is depicted and presented by Ellis Peters as while not someone all that friendly and not as someone who could like Hugh Beringar ever become Brother Cadfael's close friend and companion, still as an inherently fair and just individual, who, as soon as he is given the necessary evidence by Brother Cadfael that Jocelyn Lucy could not have murdered Huon de Domville, readily and willingly accepts this and no longer considers Jocelyn his main suspect), I generally tend to consider The Leper of Saint Giles as a decent enough mystery and a worthy instalment in the Brother Cadfael series, but also not a story which I would ever want to read over and over again, not a four or five star offering from Ellis Peters' pen, but just a rather standard and a trifle unspectacular three star work.
February 6, 2022
De jonge Iveta, een adellijk meisje, zal worden uitgehuwelijkt aan heer Huon de Domville, een man van tegen de 60. Zo zullen hun rijkdommen samenvallen. Het meisje is echter verliefd op een jongen die bij het gezelschap van de Domville behoort, Joscelyn. Wanhopig zoekt de jongen naar een mogelijkheid om het huwelijk niet te laten doorgaan, want hij weet dat Iveta dan heel ongelukkig zou zijn. Ze wordt echter heel streng bewaakt door haar familie, zodat niemand haar ooit alleen kan spreken.
Toch moet Huon er op de een of andere manier achter gekomen zijn dat er iets gaande is, want hij ontslaat Joscelyn, maar op het moment dat deze weg wil rijden, wordt hij tegengehouden op beschuldiging van diefstal van parels. Deze juwelen worden inderdaad in zijn zadeltas gevonden. Joscelyn kan echter ontsnappen en een klopjacht volgt. Hij kan zich verstoppen bij de melaatsen die in de buurt van de abdij verzorgd worden.
De morgen voor het huwelijk wordt Huon de Domville dood teruggevonden, vermoord. De verdenking valt natuurlijk op de voortvluchtige. Zal men hem te pakken krijgen? Zal hij zijn onschuld kunnen bewijzen? En wie is dan de echte moordenaar? En dan is er ook nog Lazarus, een oude melaatse man die op pelgrimstocht is en een tijd bij de melaatsen verblijft, waarmee Joscelyn vriendschap sluit. Wie is hij? Welke rol speelt hij?
Uiteindelijk lost broeder Cadfael alles op.
Ik vond het een spannend verhaal, dat ik graag gelezen heb.
Toch moet Huon er op de een of andere manier achter gekomen zijn dat er iets gaande is, want hij ontslaat Joscelyn, maar op het moment dat deze weg wil rijden, wordt hij tegengehouden op beschuldiging van diefstal van parels. Deze juwelen worden inderdaad in zijn zadeltas gevonden. Joscelyn kan echter ontsnappen en een klopjacht volgt. Hij kan zich verstoppen bij de melaatsen die in de buurt van de abdij verzorgd worden.
De morgen voor het huwelijk wordt Huon de Domville dood teruggevonden, vermoord. De verdenking valt natuurlijk op de voortvluchtige. Zal men hem te pakken krijgen? Zal hij zijn onschuld kunnen bewijzen? En wie is dan de echte moordenaar? En dan is er ook nog Lazarus, een oude melaatse man die op pelgrimstocht is en een tijd bij de melaatsen verblijft, waarmee Joscelyn vriendschap sluit. Wie is hij? Welke rol speelt hij?
Uiteindelijk lost broeder Cadfael alles op.
Ik vond het een spannend verhaal, dat ik graag gelezen heb.
January 16, 2024
Once again I have reread a Brother Cadfael novel where I rated it but apparently didn't write a review.
The blurb is slightly misleading, but not so much I'll write anything about because there is more than one mystery here, although the main one is the brutal murder of a despicable man. This is well done mystery novel that kept my interest throughout. Since it's been 8 years to the month since I read it the first time, I had forgotten almost everything so it was fresh again.
Rereading some of these is helping me attempt to have a 3.5 rating average this year since overall it's only 3.22 which means I've been too busy reading things for challenges even if I don't like them much.
The blurb is slightly misleading, but not so much I'll write anything about because there is more than one mystery here, although the main one is the brutal murder of a despicable man. This is well done mystery novel that kept my interest throughout. Since it's been 8 years to the month since I read it the first time, I had forgotten almost everything so it was fresh again.
Rereading some of these is helping me attempt to have a 3.5 rating average this year since overall it's only 3.22 which means I've been too busy reading things for challenges even if I don't like them much.
April 20, 2022
Ah, another visit w/ my favorite 12th-century monk, Brother Cadfael.
In this one, Cadfael's former assistant in the apothecary, Brother Mark, is now the priest at Shrewsbury Abbey's local leper asylum, St. Giles (hence, the title!) At the Abbey itself, the brothers are preparing for a wedding between a 40-ish nobleman, and a barely 18-year-old, very wealthy, girl who is the ward of her grasping aunt and uncle. Huon de Domville and the girl's aunt and uncle both stand to become increasingly wealthy by this arrangement. No one cares about the girl's opinion, except for one of de Domville's squires, Josculyn. Cadfael catches a stolen moment between Joss and the girl in his apothecary and helps smooth over the encounter w/ the aunt who discovers them there.
Since this is a Brother Cadfael mystery, there has to be a murder. The victim is de Domville, found strangled in the woods on the morning of his wedding. (Oops: spoiler!) A wedding gift for his bride is found in Josculyn's saddlebag, which marks him as the murderer. Joss escapes and the local gendarmes are called into the hunt.
But....did Joss actually murder de Domville? Brother Cadfael does not think so, and of course, begins his own investigation. The story is like peeling an onion, b/c there are so many layers to the story and actual surprises in Cadfael's investigations. And then a second murder occurs.... And do the lepers of St. Giles have any involvement in either of the murders?
I thought this mystery was moving along pretty slowly, and had the murderer(s?) figured out pretty early on (or thought I did). Then there was a pretty-great hidden-identity plot twist that I loved, which elevated my rating of yet-another Brother Cadfael mystery into the high 4-star range, rounded up to 5.
In this one, Cadfael's former assistant in the apothecary, Brother Mark, is now the priest at Shrewsbury Abbey's local leper asylum, St. Giles (hence, the title!) At the Abbey itself, the brothers are preparing for a wedding between a 40-ish nobleman, and a barely 18-year-old, very wealthy, girl who is the ward of her grasping aunt and uncle. Huon de Domville and the girl's aunt and uncle both stand to become increasingly wealthy by this arrangement. No one cares about the girl's opinion, except for one of de Domville's squires, Josculyn. Cadfael catches a stolen moment between Joss and the girl in his apothecary and helps smooth over the encounter w/ the aunt who discovers them there.
Since this is a Brother Cadfael mystery, there has to be a murder. The victim is de Domville, found strangled in the woods on the morning of his wedding. (Oops: spoiler!) A wedding gift for his bride is found in Josculyn's saddlebag, which marks him as the murderer. Joss escapes and the local gendarmes are called into the hunt.
But....did Joss actually murder de Domville? Brother Cadfael does not think so, and of course, begins his own investigation. The story is like peeling an onion, b/c there are so many layers to the story and actual surprises in Cadfael's investigations. And then a second murder occurs.... And do the lepers of St. Giles have any involvement in either of the murders?
I thought this mystery was moving along pretty slowly, and had the murderer(s?) figured out pretty early on (or thought I did). Then there was a pretty-great hidden-identity plot twist that I loved, which elevated my rating of yet-another Brother Cadfael mystery into the high 4-star range, rounded up to 5.
February 7, 2017
Character List
August 18, 2022
Thus far the series entries can be divided between those that feature the politics of the day (One Corpse Too Many, St Peter's Fair) and those that focus more on the Abbey(A Morbid Taste for Bones, Monk's Hood). This story, set in Oct 1139, is an Abbey-centric one, involving an age old trope. Beautiful young orphan heiress Iveta de Massard is to wed very much older Baron Huon de Domville at Shrewsbury Abbey in two days time. Iveta is a very reluctant bride, having developed a tendre for one of Huon's young squires, Joscelin Lacy. Joscelin is likewise smitten with Iveta and at wit's end, as there is no honorable way to prevent the marriage.
However, the morning of the wedding the groom fails to appear for the ceremony. Iveta, is secretly thrilled--until Huon is found murdered and Joscelin (who had had a very public quarrel with Huon the day before) is sought as his killer.
Brother Cadfael gets to shine in his role as 'medical examiner', determining just how Huon died. In the course of his investigations he also discovers that Huon had a secret life that was known to very few, his murderer included.
Lots of lovely twists to the story, including how the leper sanctuary of St Giles comes to be involved. There's also a second murder. Is it the same killer? Only Cadfael knows...
I so enjoy these visits to medieval Shrewsbury and its Abbey. Cadfael is wonderful, of course, but I'm developing a fondness for Abbot Radulfus as well. Prior Robert makes an appearance, still as aristocratically disdainful as ever, though he doesn't really figure in this story. It is always nice to catch up with the minor continuing characters as well.
For all that there was murder most foul, I came away feeling soothed and uplifted by book's end. The coda to the story got to me this time--bittersweet, melancholy and just about perfect.
However, the morning of the wedding the groom fails to appear for the ceremony. Iveta, is secretly thrilled--until Huon is found murdered and Joscelin (who had had a very public quarrel with Huon the day before) is sought as his killer.
Brother Cadfael gets to shine in his role as 'medical examiner', determining just how Huon died. In the course of his investigations he also discovers that Huon had a secret life that was known to very few, his murderer included.
Lots of lovely twists to the story, including how the leper sanctuary of St Giles comes to be involved. There's also a second murder. Is it the same killer? Only Cadfael knows...
I so enjoy these visits to medieval Shrewsbury and its Abbey. Cadfael is wonderful, of course, but I'm developing a fondness for Abbot Radulfus as well. Prior Robert makes an appearance, still as aristocratically disdainful as ever, though he doesn't really figure in this story. It is always nice to catch up with the minor continuing characters as well.
For all that there was murder most foul, I came away feeling soothed and uplifted by book's end. The coda to the story got to me this time--bittersweet, melancholy and just about perfect.
December 30, 2018
I do love Brother Cadfael and his calm ways of solving the mysteries of his community. It helps that he has been a man of the world and has experience that those who took Holy orders early in their lives are missing. His knowledge of the behaviour of his fellow man, both positive and negative, makes him uniquely qualified in the monastery to undertake these investigations.
I wonder if a medieval Abbott would truly be so accepting of Cadfael’s adventures, but they make an excellent story series, so I’m glad that Peters came up with the idea. I love the way that she documents the details of daily life during this time period, and gently teaches the reader a bit of history along the way. A very pleasurable way to expand one’s knowledge.
I’ll look forward to reading the further adventures of the good Brother and learning more when I pick up the next book in the series.
I wonder if a medieval Abbott would truly be so accepting of Cadfael’s adventures, but they make an excellent story series, so I’m glad that Peters came up with the idea. I love the way that she documents the details of daily life during this time period, and gently teaches the reader a bit of history along the way. A very pleasurable way to expand one’s knowledge.
I’ll look forward to reading the further adventures of the good Brother and learning more when I pick up the next book in the series.
February 20, 2019
Meanwhile, back at the abbey ...
I just love these trips to medieval England. It all feels so real. The whole leper situation was a lot like in Biblical times, it seems. And human nature has not changed, not a bit. Ellis Peters does a great job with the characters, they truly come alive. There is always at least one romance, but it does not dominate the story.
Time to travel to Shrewsbury, and soon, I think. There must be Brother Cadfael-themed guided tours?
I just love these trips to medieval England. It all feels so real. The whole leper situation was a lot like in Biblical times, it seems. And human nature has not changed, not a bit. Ellis Peters does a great job with the characters, they truly come alive. There is always at least one romance, but it does not dominate the story.
Time to travel to Shrewsbury, and soon, I think. There must be Brother Cadfael-themed guided tours?
Read
June 2, 2021I listened to this book read by my favorite narrator of this series, Patrick Tull. It was enjoyable enough although Ellis Peters does not seem to be able to well disguise a murderer. I've picked them out for too many of this series. And I'm not that good, as many Agatha Christie novels have proven. However, I enjoy Brother Cadfael, Brother Mark, and the usual gang and the various medieval circumstances which surround each story.
January 13, 2021
I am always amazed at what a stellar job Peters does at transporting her readers back to medieval times. Her characters, her plotting, and her dialogue all ring true, and make for compelling reading. There are some repetitive themes from book to book, leading to a bit of predictability in where the story is going, but that does not detract from a fun read.
August 16, 2016
I don't always wish that I was a 12th Century Benedictine monk but when I read the Brother Cadfael stories I do. Another great mystery. The audiobook narrator was fantastic.
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February 4, 2017Best up to now. I feel like I am living in the 12th century in Shrewsbury:)
December 20, 2008
Brother Cadfael is a constant joy. I seem to read the entire collection every few years when I feel the need to escape to a simpler time. The mysteries are never too obvious but never too arcane.
This one is a particularly well handled story. The characters are fully rounded and easily distinguished in spite of the large cast. Brother Mark, who we met in an earlier volume, continues to grow in grace and humility. He is a splendid creation, exemplifying the best of the monastic system of his time.
One of the joys of these books is the clearly drawn society with all its customs and foibles. I always learn a few new things each time I wander happily through a volume. Lovely writing.
This one is a particularly well handled story. The characters are fully rounded and easily distinguished in spite of the large cast. Brother Mark, who we met in an earlier volume, continues to grow in grace and humility. He is a splendid creation, exemplifying the best of the monastic system of his time.
One of the joys of these books is the clearly drawn society with all its customs and foibles. I always learn a few new things each time I wander happily through a volume. Lovely writing.
Read
May 13, 2018Ovo je zapravo jedna od boljih misterija brata Kadfaela, zadovoljavajuće složeno (mada nije da nismo svaki obrt videli na sto metara udaljenosti) i natprosečno lepo napisano, uz lep komad botanike ubačen u detektivsko istraživanje. Malo sumnjam da su u srednjem veku odnosi zdravih i gubavaca bivali baš ovoliko komotni i drugarski, ali svejedno, kad je krimić cosy nek je do daske.
August 10, 2016
Excellent re-read of a favourite. Ellis Peters' plotlines are near perfect. The good and the bad each get their just deserts!
June 19, 2022
One of the things I love about the Brother Cadfael series is that they feel very contemporary, while giving us a glimpse of another time, in this case 1139, and place, Shropshire, England. She often explores issues of gender, in this case, that even wealthy women may not have control over their own lands and decisions to marry, as well as class and other kinds privilege and oppression.
A good part of The Leper of St. Giles is, not surprisingly, set in a lepers colony. She depicts clear prejudice – and also negative attitudes to people who respond poorly to people with leprosy. Characters mistreat lepers, avoid them, bring them food and medication, or relate to them as any other human being: Brother Cadfael “knew of leprosies of the heart and ulcers of the soul worse than any of these he poulticed and lanced with his herbal medicines” (p. 15).
It is easy to think of these historical prejudices as being old ones and resolved – and they have not been. We continue to be cruel, to objectify and malign.
I don’t know how people perceived others in the 12th century, but Ellis Peters reminds us that people have unique perspectives: some are foolish and self-centered, others compassionate, and yet others compassionate and wise. This makes her stories a type of comfort food for me, especially when I am reading the newspaper too much.
"Death is present with us every day of our lives, it behooves us to take note of its nearness, not as a threat, but as our common experience on the way to grace. There is no more to be said.” (p. 102)
Apparently, leprosy has not been eradicated (about 208,000 worldwide have the disease), although it might seem that way as it is now called Hansen’s Disease. Hansen’s Disease can be treated by antibiotics, but skin lesions and nerve damage already incurred are irreversible. Members of lepers colonies, if Peters is to be believed, may have had any of a number of other skin problems – boils, ulcers, scrofula, rashes – due to problems of poverty and cleanliness, all treated as one. Although Hansen’s Disease is contagious, it is not highly contagious. Close physical contact rather than more casual contact is required.
A good part of The Leper of St. Giles is, not surprisingly, set in a lepers colony. She depicts clear prejudice – and also negative attitudes to people who respond poorly to people with leprosy. Characters mistreat lepers, avoid them, bring them food and medication, or relate to them as any other human being: Brother Cadfael “knew of leprosies of the heart and ulcers of the soul worse than any of these he poulticed and lanced with his herbal medicines” (p. 15).
It is easy to think of these historical prejudices as being old ones and resolved – and they have not been. We continue to be cruel, to objectify and malign.
I don’t know how people perceived others in the 12th century, but Ellis Peters reminds us that people have unique perspectives: some are foolish and self-centered, others compassionate, and yet others compassionate and wise. This makes her stories a type of comfort food for me, especially when I am reading the newspaper too much.
"Death is present with us every day of our lives, it behooves us to take note of its nearness, not as a threat, but as our common experience on the way to grace. There is no more to be said.” (p. 102)
Apparently, leprosy has not been eradicated (about 208,000 worldwide have the disease), although it might seem that way as it is now called Hansen’s Disease. Hansen’s Disease can be treated by antibiotics, but skin lesions and nerve damage already incurred are irreversible. Members of lepers colonies, if Peters is to be believed, may have had any of a number of other skin problems – boils, ulcers, scrofula, rashes – due to problems of poverty and cleanliness, all treated as one. Although Hansen’s Disease is contagious, it is not highly contagious. Close physical contact rather than more casual contact is required.
December 20, 2023
Rieccomi qui, a commentare il quinto volume di una delle serie gialle più gradevoli e rilassanti che abbia letto. I delitti ci sono ma se ne parla quasi di sfuggita, quello che interessa all'autrice è darci uno spaccato della vita dell'abbazia e dei vari personaggi che si trovano a passare di lì: stavolta abbiamo una giovane ereditiera succube di zii avidi, un barone crudele, prestanti scudieri e perfino lebbrosi; la carne al fuoco non manca quindi, a mancare è come al solito la suspense dato che è tutto perfettamente chiaro già da metà romanzo. Ormai ho perso le speranze sul fatto che prima o poi la trama mystery acquisti mordente e mi godo semplicemente la lettura, tra un paesaggio bucolico e l'immancabile lieto fine.
I libri di questa serie finora sono stati un fastello di contraddizioni: pieni di difetti ma scorrevoli, che non suscitano la minima curiosità ma lasciano comunque la voglia di proseguire. Insomma al dunque sono estremamente dimenticabili ma estremamente piacevoli.
I libri di questa serie finora sono stati un fastello di contraddizioni: pieni di difetti ma scorrevoli, che non suscitano la minima curiosità ma lasciano comunque la voglia di proseguire. Insomma al dunque sono estremamente dimenticabili ma estremamente piacevoli.
February 8, 2015
The best of the five Cadfel Chronicles I've read so far. While it follows the set formula, the end is more emotive and has something more than the formula.
The Cadfel Chronicles seem to be set to a formula, but I like the formula. Young, hot, impetuous blood; a young man wrongly accused; a lawman eager to jump to the (wrong) conclusions; young women willing to fall in love in a jiffy; a type-cast of the killer that makes the culprit predictable; and all's well that ends well.
But formula is not necessarily bad - think Enid Blyton, think Wodehouse, think Oliver Strange. The joy in reading the Cadfel Chronicles is not so much playing Sherlock Holmes or Poirot with clues, but the delightful opening up of the mystery. The world is quaint, the language is wonderful, and the imitable Brother Cadfael never ceases to delight.
Predictable as the mysteries seem to have become (I was able to guess the killer based on character traits alone in Cadfael #3, #4 & #5), they hold a charm that propels me into the rest of the series.
The Cadfel Chronicles seem to be set to a formula, but I like the formula. Young, hot, impetuous blood; a young man wrongly accused; a lawman eager to jump to the (wrong) conclusions; young women willing to fall in love in a jiffy; a type-cast of the killer that makes the culprit predictable; and all's well that ends well.
But formula is not necessarily bad - think Enid Blyton, think Wodehouse, think Oliver Strange. The joy in reading the Cadfel Chronicles is not so much playing Sherlock Holmes or Poirot with clues, but the delightful opening up of the mystery. The world is quaint, the language is wonderful, and the imitable Brother Cadfael never ceases to delight.
Predictable as the mysteries seem to have become (I was able to guess the killer based on character traits alone in Cadfael #3, #4 & #5), they hold a charm that propels me into the rest of the series.
December 8, 2020
12/2020 - listened to the audiobook for this reread with the Reading the Detectives group. Patrick Tull is a great narrator, really has become the voice of Cadfael for me. This is the series that got me hooked on historical mysteries many years ago, and I enjoy revisiting it.
2018 - I am truly enjoying my stroll down memory lane with Brother Cadfael! I first read this series over 20 years ago, got hooked on the broadcast on PBS of the series with Derek Jacobi as Cadfael, and have been hooked on historical mysteries ever since.
I listened to the audiobook narrated beautifully by Patrick Tull, and the action flew by! This time, a May-December marriage (no love match here - the young bride’s heart belongs to a squire in the household of the much older groom). The groom is murdered on the eve of the wedding, and only Cadfael can save an innocent young man from the gallows...very satisfying!
2018 - I am truly enjoying my stroll down memory lane with Brother Cadfael! I first read this series over 20 years ago, got hooked on the broadcast on PBS of the series with Derek Jacobi as Cadfael, and have been hooked on historical mysteries ever since.
I listened to the audiobook narrated beautifully by Patrick Tull, and the action flew by! This time, a May-December marriage (no love match here - the young bride’s heart belongs to a squire in the household of the much older groom). The groom is murdered on the eve of the wedding, and only Cadfael can save an innocent young man from the gallows...very satisfying!
June 7, 2024
Young squire Joscelyn Lucy is outraged that his master, who must be all of 60 years old, is set to wed beautiful 18-year-old heiress Iveta de Massard. In fact, Joss is more than half in love with her himself, but he is also convinced that she is being wed to his master against her will, bought and sold like chattel by her guardians. He would do anything to save her - but would he commit murder?
And who is the wandering leper who turns up at the leper hospital at St. Giles just before the wedding? Why does he take such an interest in the proceedings? And if Joscelyn didn't murder his master, who did? A coil of whodunits keep the suspense high in this medieval mystery.
And who is the wandering leper who turns up at the leper hospital at St. Giles just before the wedding? Why does he take such an interest in the proceedings? And if Joscelyn didn't murder his master, who did? A coil of whodunits keep the suspense high in this medieval mystery.
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