Book 6 - A Morbid Taste for Bones

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters is the first mystery in the Brother Cadfael Chronicles series. Brother Cadfael is a man of wide experience who became a Benedictine monk late in life. When his superiors become determined to acquire the bones of a Welsh saint in a tiny village, Brother Cadfael immediately offers his services as translator in order to join the expedition despite his reservations about the justice of the quest. While the ruling bishop and prince are both give their permission to the Benedictine delegation to move the bones of Siant Winifred, the people of the local village are not at all pleased with the idea. The landholder Rhisiart takes the lead in arguing with the prior that the bones should be allowed to stay in their current location and is outraged at the bribe offered to him to change his mind. He agrees to return the following day to discuss the situation again but does not appear despite leaving the house at the appropriate time to arrive at the meeting. A brief search turns up his body lying dead in the woods apparently shot with the arrow of a outlander. Then it is up to Brother Cadfael to assist Rhisiart's daughter in determining who the true murderer is in order to clear the name of the outlander whom she loves.

The first Brother Cadfael mystery is beautifully set in 12th century England and Wales with vivid characters both good and bad within the cloister and without. Brother Cadfael is definitely not a typical 12th century monk, but a man with a deep sense of justice and fairness and enough experience with men to understand the potential legal, cultural, and political pitfalls that might interfere with the pursuit of true justice. In the end, he successfully works out a surprising solution that not only unmasks the offender but attempts to do the right thing for all parties involved. I'd highly recommend this book for ages 13 and up and have already put the second and third books in the series on hold to read later this month.