Reviews with content warning for Murder - Im Namen des Heiligen

This was a great read. It's an immersive historical fiction novel that transports you to the setting while still keeping the characters and dialogue relatable. While it's inevitably a bit dated in its representation of some historical topics - notably the idea that the "Celtic" churches didn't originally have bishops - I don't blame the book for that since it's an older one. I loved the characters and am really looking forward to reading more in the series.

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affabletoaster's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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literelli's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.25

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The first of the Brother Cadfael books, this the Welsh-born monk returning to his homeland in an entourage from his English Benedictine abbey. They have travelled in hopes of acquiring a saint’s bones so that their abbey will rise in importance. The prior rationalizes this as being all for the glory of the saint, conveniently ignoring the fury of the Welsh villagers who have always considered the saint their own.

This sets up a struggle between the Benedictines and the villagers. As a native Welshman, Cadfael quietly sides with the villagers. He’s there as translator and he does his best to convey the reality of the situation rather than the specific words his proud, vain, and self-important prior uses to justify taking away the saint’s bones.

There’s a murder, possibly a coverup or misdirection, some romantic entanglements, and lots of religious ecstasy and visions. Skeptical Cadfael is less inclined to believe the mystical when the earthly shows the truth of the matter.

A good introduction. I’m looking forward to reading a few more of the Cadfael books.

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mintlovesbooks's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

With no relics in the reliquary of Shrewsbury Abbey, its prior sets his eyes on the Welsh village of Gwytherin, hoping to acquire a local saint's relics. The prior puts together an expedition to Gwytherin which includes Brother Cadfael, who is to act as the group's interpreter. Naturally, the people of Gwytherin are not pleased with the prior's plans. However, when the most adamant opponent in the village to moving Saint Winifred's remains is found dead, Cadfael becomes suspicious. He knows that it wasn't Saint Winifred who killed the man; it was a mortal man who must be found.

This book came highly recommended to me from a cozy mystery group I'm in and it did not disappoint! It's a thoughtful historical mystery set in 12th century Wales with interesting characters and a deeper philosophical message (which is something you don't often see in mystery novels). Brother Cadfael in particular, is an intelligent and empathetic man who also happens to be rather adept at solving mysteries.

As an irreligious person, I sometimes find it difficult to understand and enjoy books where religion is important to the plot because the references and allusions fly right over my head. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with this book at all, which I really appreciated!

I do recognize however, that this book isn't going to be for everyone. For one, the language used can be a bit difficult to understand (which is understandable, given that it's set in medieval times). But the language, combined with the wordiness, can make for a tough read. It's also a slower-paced mystery. The mystery is not the 'star' of the plot, as it doesn't begin to unfold until several chapters into the book. There are also other plotlines, including the dispute over what to do with Saint Winifred's relics and complicated relationships between characters.

All in all, I really enjoyed this read, and I think mystery fans who are looking for something a little different from the books usually found in the genre might enjoy it too. In 1990, this book was listed in the top 100 crime novels of all time by the Crime Writers Association in the UK. After reading this book, I can see why they included it!

For more of my reviews, please visit:
https://mintlovesbooks.wordpress.com

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emlo's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

It took me a while to get into the writing style. I liked the character of Cadfael but wanted to know more about him. This wasn't a gruesome historical crime mystery, it was quite light with some wry humour and a supernatural element. I would definitely read more in the series.

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