Reviews

The Devil's Novice, by Ellis Peters

Only show reviews with written explanations

ridesthesun's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

allisonwebster's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced

4.25

kbrujv's review against another edition

Go to review page

read

zombeesknees's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Peters does such a masterful job of weaving in seemingly unconnected character moments, strange happenings, and random observations into a truly satisfyingly complex whodunit. As always, there's an array of intriguing and charming characters in this Cadfael offering, and the moment of revelation when all is made clear is certainly worth the effort/time spent traversing the circuitous routes of the mystery. A+ work as always.

readingelli's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

cleheny's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The strength of this Cadfael mystery is the dynamics of the Aspley family. Meriet is the usual misunderstood young man (well, misunderstood by almost everyone but Cadfael, of course). His motivation is not an unusual one in a Peters' romantic hero, but how it works out makes the story more interesting. It's unfortunate that the mystery ends when it does, as I think the aftermath would have been fascinating to read. Furthermore, the culprit's fate is an unusual one by Peters' standards.

Unfortunately, the climax is dependent on a fortuitous chance , which is weird because Hugh and Cadfael engineer at least certain aspects of it and are clearly hoping that all will be revealed. But it's unclear how their original plan would have resulted in the truth coming out, if not for the happy circumstance that solves the mystery and puts everything as right as it can be.