A review by jhbandcats
A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

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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