Reviews

Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters

dee9401's review against another edition

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5.0

Another guilty pleasure from Ellis Peters. The joy is not in the mystery or the outcome, both of which can be a bit predictable, but in the beauty of her writing. Her characters are rich and her discussion of Welsh culture and country are just a pleasure to read. I felt like I was back in Wales as I read parts of this.

ladynik's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

radella_hardwick's review against another edition

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3.5

I liked few Welsh law vs English law thing but, generally, this felt much weaker than the previous two.

bponsford's review

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4.0

Enjoyed the mystery and the conclusion of the question of whether Heribert would remain as abbot.

forever_day's review

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3.0

This was the first Cadfael book I've read, and I did mostly enjoy this slow, gentle mystery. However, it also just registered as 'okay' for similar reasons - slow start with lots of new characters (which would've definitely been partly due to me coming in mid-series, I'm sure) and my interest was mostly tepid throughout. I cared, but not that much.
There were some scenes/characters/lines I really enjoyed - the wild-goose horse chase, Brother Mark etc, but for the most part it was just okay.

crankyfacedknitter's review against another edition

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4.0

I liked the bits of politics in the monastery, with Prior Robert and his lust for advancement. And the extra bit of background for Cadfael was nice too.

rebeccabadger's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

blueshadow's review against another edition

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3.0

Another solid installment in the Brother Cadfael series, although it didn't have any of the extra special characters and wit that made me especially enjoy the first two.

Still very worthy of a solid 3 stars.

kenchingfox's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

eososray's review against another edition

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4.0

I first came across Cadfael many years ago through the ITV series starring Derek Jacobi. Normally I don’t mention the tv shows or movies that inspired me to read a book as it doesn’t seem relevant to my reviews. In this case I happened to get an audiobook version which was read by Derek and while I loved the book, the fact that the audio version brought back great memories of the show is not to be denied.

Abbot Heribert is called away to account for his management of the abbey. In his absence a resident of the Abbey’s guesthouse, who has entailed his considerable property to the Abbey upon his death, has been taken ill and died in mysterious circumstances. Brother Cadfael insists on investigating when the likely murder weapon is one of his own herbal remedies.

The Cadfael series is the medieval whodunit that I compare every other series and detective to. The foray into Welsh law was interesting as is the small amount of information provided about the war between Stephen and Maud. The characters are superb, the setting perfect, the history enlightening and the mystery enjoyable.