November, 1145. The bitter rift between King Stephen and Empress Maud at last has a chance of reconciliation. Brother Cadfael is faced with a shocking revelation: one of the hostages is his illegitimate son.

During the May of 1141, pilgrims gather at Shrewsbury. The news from the road is that a knight has been murdered in Winchester. Brother Cadfael suspects this distant crime has a solution close to home.

Product DescriptionA reissue of the crime novel first published in 1968, featuring the detective George Felse.Previous reissues include A NICE DERANGEMENT OF EPITAPHS and THE KNOCKER ON DEATH'S DOOR. FromWith her policeman husband gone to investigate yet another murder on the eve of her 41st birthday, Bunty Felse feels dejected until she finds herself involved in kidnapping, chases and murder. Bishop's smoothly flowing voice deftly narrates the story, keeping the tension and suspense moving forward. Balancing timing and pace with the momentum of the story, she adroitly dramatizes the emotions of the characters. The minor characters' voices are as easily distinguished and individualized as those of the main characters. The Scottish accents are most enjoyable. P.A.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

September 1140. It falls to Brother Cadfael to find the disturbing truth behind the violent nightmares of a young novice in the Abbey of Shrewsbury.

In July of 1139, a quarrel between the local burghers and the monks of the Benedictine monastery over Shrewsbury's annual Fair leaves a merchant dead.

Winter, 1141. The Abbot of Shrewsbury returns from London bringing with him the harsh, unforgiving Father Ailnoth as pastor for Holy Cross parish. None are surprised when Ailnoth's body is found on Christmas morning, but it falls to Cadfael to find his murderer.

SUMMARY:This omnibus contains three stories featuring Brother Cadfael, the 12th century Welsh monk and herbalist of Shrewsbury Abbey, who uses his skills and knowledge to solve murder mysteries..

In the Autumn of 1142, a holy man living as a hermit is found dead. His murder coincides with the arrival at the Abbey of Shrewsbury of the new Lord of Eaton. Brother Cadfael suspects a connection, but the new lord is only ten years old – who can have been acting in his interests?

Autumn 1139. Outside the town of Shrewsbury is the infirmary of St Giles. When a member of a wedding party is savagely murdered, the only suspect claims sanctuary within its walls.

Christmas 1138, a local dignitary is poisoned with one of the herbalist's own concoctions and Brother Cadfael has to defend himself against charges of murder.

In the April of 1144, Brother Cadfael is sent to Wales on Church business, but becomes entangled in the affairs of a young woman desperate to escape an arranged marriage.

SUMMARY: When Herbert Terrell falls off a mountain during a vacation in Czechoslovakia, accidental death is the verdict. Then his step-daughter Tossa receives a note suggesting Terrell was murdered--turning Tossa's long-planned European holiday with college friends into a hunt for the killer.

In the Summer of 1143, two visitors arrive at the gates of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul bearing a corpse. But another violent death follows in their wake, and Brother Cadfael is called upon to investigate the connection between these two gory events.

SUMMARY: A famous singer wakes up in hospital after a car crash, haunted by the certainty that she has been responsible for a death at some time in the past. She hires an private investigator, who launches a hunt across Europe with the trail leading to Felse's wife, Bunty.

Set in the Year of Our Lord 1120, three tales of intrigue and treachery, featuring the chain of events that led one-time crusader Cadfael into the Benedictine Order.