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A review by bowienerd_82
An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters
3.0
This was an interesting and slightly divergent entry in the Cadfael series. It lacked some of the elements of the generally formulaic plot, while still maintaining much of what draws me to the series- the interweaving of 12th century history, the expression of the quality of mercy, and a main character who is comforting in his goodness, but still complex enough to be interesting.
What little outer mystery there was in the book became rather apparent very early on, and yet I still enjoyed the tale for the sake of its telling. I'm quite fond of the author's style, and impressed at how much she manages to squeeze into such slim books.
Looking at other reviews, this seems to be a divisive book, with some people hating and some loving it. I enjoyed it, but it isn't one of my all time favorites of the series. I also agree with some of the other reviewers that some of the presentations of gender and sexuality in the book don't come off very well in the present day, but to be fair, it was published in 1985 by a woman who was then already in her 70s.
What little outer mystery there was in the book became rather apparent very early on, and yet I still enjoyed the tale for the sake of its telling. I'm quite fond of the author's style, and impressed at how much she manages to squeeze into such slim books.
Looking at other reviews, this seems to be a divisive book, with some people hating and some loving it. I enjoyed it, but it isn't one of my all time favorites of the series. I also agree with some of the other reviewers that some of the presentations of gender and sexuality in the book don't come off very well in the present day, but to be fair, it was published in 1985 by a woman who was then already in her 70s.