The Raven in the Foregate

Just prior to Christmas,1141, a new priest is appointed to the parish church of Holy Cross...also known as the Abbey of St.Peter and St.Paul. Father Adam, the easy going, genial and forgiving priest who had cared for his flock for many years, has died and the charge of filling his shoes falls to the brothers of the Abbey. The Abbot has selected a well educated, former secretary to the Papal legate as a worthy candidate, not realising that an able administrator does not necessarily make a compassionate and understanding priest. Father Ailnoth immediately alienates his parishioners with his harsh, unforgiving rule, severely ruffling the feathers of servants and free men alike, so when his body is found, floating in the river, Sheriff Hugh Beringar finds a wall of silence surrounding the apparent murder. Suspicion falls on Cadfael's new garden helper, Benet who came to the town as a nephew to Father Ailnoth's housekeeper. As usual, Cadfael and Hugh solve the not so difficult mystery and, as usual, the setting for the story is what makes it so appealing. Despite the changes in the surroundings and circumstances of today, the people of nine centuries past, are just the same as the people of today, with their jealousies, faults and squabbles.

This is the first book that I have read of the Brother Cadfael Mysteries. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I was drawn into the world of medieval England that Peters brings to life. "The Raven in the Foregate" is a quick read, entertaining and mysterious to the fact that there is not much mystery to the case at hand. As usual, Brother Cadfael is drawn into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the newly instituted priest of Holy Cross, Father Ailnoth. While he was alive, Ailnoth was quick to make enemies in the church and in the community; many are glad to see him dead, and many are content to hold their tongues as to the truth of what caused his death on Christmas Eve. Complicating matters are the search for a French renegade who was undercover at Holy Cross in the guise of the nephew of Father Ailnoth's housekeeper. Brother Cadfael must piece together the scant clues and abounding rumors to uncover the truth of Ailnoth's death. "The Raven in the Foregate" is a well-written mystery, although at times too tidy and predictable. It was a true delight to enter into the world of Holy Cross and medieval England that Peters has crafted throughout her Cadfael mystery series. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

RAVEN makes play with the dual role of the abbey church as the parish church of Holy Cross, which puts the brothers in the odd position of appointing a new parish priest when an incumbent passes on. The void left by the passing of Father Adam isn't adequately filled by the title character, unfortunately, a scholar ill-suited to being a pastor. This book explores the lives of the ordinary folk of Holy Cross, and just how much damage an ill-chosen shepherd can inflict on the flock. I recommend the audio edition narrated by Stephen Thorne. The Jacobi TV adaptation isn't the same story. This December of 1141, papal legate Henry of Blois must for the second time in a year call a legatine council - a mirror of that in THE PILGRIM OF HATE, now that King Stephen is free and the empress has been driven from Westminster. Once again Henry has turned his coat according to the fortunes of war - small wonder that Bishop Henry seeks to reinforce his own position with his abbots. Abbot Radulfus returns from the council with a priest from Henry's staff to fill the vacancy of Holy Cross. In his wake, Father Ailnoth brings a housekeeper and her nephew, Benet, who is assigned to Cadfael as a lay helper, Ailnoth having implied that Benet might have a vocation. Neither Benet nor Ailnoth turns out to be what was hoped for. Benet not only has no intention of taking vows, but is inexperienced at the kind of chores Cadfael can use him for. However, he's a hard worker and has many virtues that appeal to Cadfael if not Prior Robert. Benet is, in fact, one of the many strayed young hawks of the empress' party to cross Cadfael's path over the years - a bit of a problem, deep in the heart of King Stephen's territory. Father Ailnoth, on the other hand, seems fine in theory - scholarly, if austere - but serious issues arise in his wake in practice. Ailnoth's hellfire sermons and violent temper with boisterous children distance parishioners from the church. (Under Father Adam's tolerant regime, by contrast, the Foregate children used to play ball outside the priest's house.) Ailnoth measures all things by the bare razor of justice, without mercy or generosity - fine for a bishop's clerk, but not a parish priest, and hard to live with even in an ordinary land-owning neighbour. He doesn't even have a knack for picking his battles, having (for example) outraged the Foregate baker with accusations of giving short weight, rather than knowing enough to mention Jordan's adultery. Jordan leads a delegation of parishioners to Abbot Radulfus. Even one of Ailnoth's good points - that he does his job conscientiously - has a dark side: Ailnoth wouldn't interrupt his devotions even to perform an emergency baptism. By the time Ailnoth arrived, Centwin's baby son was dead - and Ailnoth then refused burial in consecrated ground. Then there's the case of Eluned, a beautiful girl who couldn't say no to men. Where old Father Adam was merciful, Ailnoth said Eiluned was *not* genuinely penitent

"Pleasant" is a good way to describe the Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters. These romanticised renderings of life in twelfth century England, however unreal, make the era seem pleasant enough that you almost want to live there. The countryside is lovely, there is usually a hint of romance in the air, and life moves at a measured, unrushed pace. No pavement, no pollution, no hustle and bustle. Seldom mentioned are the poverty, hunger, disease, and general stench (people rarely bathed). Life, especially in the cloister, is a bucolic idyll.In "A Raven In The Foregate", Abbot Radulfus returns from a church council with a new priest for the Foregate. Father Adam having recently died, Radulfus brings back Father Ailnoth at the recommendation of Bishop Henry. Ailnoth, however, turns out to be a harsh and stiff-necked young priest and manages to alienate his flock before turning up dead on Christmas morning. There are plenty of suspects, not the least of whom is young Benet, nephew of Ailnoth's housekeeper.With plenty of potential suspects, this would seem to be an intricate and challenging mystery, but ultimately the plot is not as involved as one might wish. The outcome is a happy one, if a bit too neat and satisfactory for everyone involved, but not too hard to see coming. Like most of the books in this series, "A Raven In The Foregate" is only an average mystery. What makes this and the other Cadfael tales enjoyable is the pleasant world Peters creates and the idyllic, unhurried way in which she tells the tale. These are nice books to read and, on the strength of that I recommend them, especially to those who like a bit of history and romance along with their whodunits.

The mystery is a bit trite and too neatly wrapped up at the end, but this remains a good read because of Peter's strong characters and setting and great metaphysical questioning.