The Leper of Saint Giles

In this 5th chronicle of Brother Cadfael's monastic life, he once again solves a mystery with the use of 12th century forensic science. Plenty of devious plot twists. Plenty of both hateful and loveable characters. The murder of a wealthy, aged bridegroom hours before his wedding to an 18-year-old girl who is being sold to him by her uncle, is the beginning of many twists and turns in the lives of the brothers of St. Peter and St. Paul of Shrewsbury. A fugitive who is desperate enough to hide in the leper hospital at St. Giles is but one of the fascinating figures in this who-done-it. My favorite of the series so far!

The Leper of Saint Giles the fifth book in Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series, exemplifies everything which is laudable in her series. Peters' shines in creating characters who we love, and excels in the ability to set the stage in the medieval world. Balancing mystery with romance is never an easy matter and Ellis Peters has created an entire series where this is her forte. In addition this series does not cling to the traditional sense of justice found in many other mysteries. Brother Cadfael is at his best. He is both a spiritual being and a worldly one. He is as comfortable in the church as he is talking with a knights mistress. Cadfael has an innate ability to sense what is good in true in a person and works actively to support those with just causes. In the instance of this novel it is a young squire, Joss and a wealthy heiress Iveta. Iveta is a pawn of her aunt and uncle who plan to marry her to an aging knight and divide her land between them. Joss loves Iveta and plans on finding away to protect her. when a murder halts the marriage, Joss is the first suspect.The setting is once again the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Shrewsbury, but this time it also includes the leper colony of Saint Giles. the reader is introduced to some of the horrors and indignities which the lepers lived through. Brother Mark works among them and recognizes the dignity of the human spirit.I suggest this book as reading for those who love medieval mysteries.

Ellis Peters' fifth Brother Cadfael mystery is set against a backdrop of one of the less savoury aspects of life in Mediaeval Europe - the scourge of leprosy and the terrible disfigurements and consequent social stigmas that its sufferers endured. That is but the backdrop, however; in actuality, this is as typical a romance from the pen of Ellis Peters as it is possible to find!The action of the story takes place just a few months after the setting for the previous Cadfael book, in the autumn of 1139. For once, the on-going civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud does not feature in the tale, which is concerned only with the impending marriage of a young, orphaned heiress to an overbearing and insufferable baron, many years her senior. It is quickly obvious that this marriage is no love-match, on either side, and has been arranged purely for the advancement of the girl's guardians and, of course, the bridegroom. It is also obvious from the outset that the would-be bride is more smitten with the squire of her affianced lord than with the baron himself and that this attraction is mutual. Most readers will quickly come to dislike Huon de Domville as much as do the young lovers. Nor will anyone be surprised where suspicion (from everyone except Cadfael) falls when the bridegroom is rather conveniently found murdered on the very morn of his wedding day!But that's about where the clear-cut and obvious end in this plot, which needs someone of Cadfael's shrewd and observant nature to tease out all of the complex pieces of the puzzle and fit them together correctly. And this is one of those classic Cadfael tales in which it is, indeed, only the good Brother (apart, of course, from the reader) who knows the whole truth of events by the end. As in the very first book, he remains quite content to leave the others with their own version of just who is guilty of what, aware that there are times when the justice of the Good Lord and that of Man might not always be in accord.The book is written in Ellis Peters' inimitable prose style and paints her usual vivid picture of mediaeval life, both within the cloister and without. It has its humorous moments, not least of which is the testing of Cadfael's patience and faith by his keen but clumsy new acolyte, Brother Oswin. The book also provides us with new insights into some characters from earlier books, such as Brother Mark answering a new calling amongst the sick and maimed of the lazarhouse, as well as introducing us to a new character who will be important in future books. As always, the author is to be congratulated on achieving an excellent balance between writing for readers new to the Cadfael series as well as for established fans. There should be much here to please those in the latter category without any risk of newcomers becoming confused.The book does contain one of Ellis Peters' few technical mistakes, though, as she confuses the modern gardener's creeping gromwell (Lithodora diffusa) with

I enjoy a good murder mystery, especially of the "who dunit" type, of which this is one. I have been a follower of the Cadfal character since first seeing one of the mysteries on the PBS series, which definitely brought the entire time period vividly to life. I am also a history buff, and although my area of specialty is ancient history, I did study mideaval as part of my program. Family traditional also suggests that the title to the Earldom of Chester was declined twice by recent ancestors (grandfather and great grandfather) and so the references to the doings of the wiley and untrustworthy Earl in the Cadfal series is enjoyable. This volume is one of my favorites, despite the fact that I already suspected the outcome well before the end of the book. The poignacy of the solution particularly affecting. The language and historical setting of the times, the social mores and attitudes of the charcaters are all enjoyable, and the plot is well woven. The personality and personal history of the main character--which are elaborated upon in this volume--are particularly engaging. Definitely worth reading on a quiet evening.

Brother Cadfael is less in control in this story as the grand daughter of a revered Crusader is nearly married against her will to an aristocrat who ends up murdered. Young, foolish love turns into problems through out. The history is fascinating and the Benedictine ministry to the lowest of the low is inspiring. A very enjoyable book!