Brother Cadfael's Penance (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #20)

by Ellis Peters

The cloistered walls of Shrewsbury Abbey have always protected Brother Cadfael from the raging Civil War. But when fighting escalates between Empress Maud and King Stephen, the war takes a deadly step closer to him. Taken prisoner in the battle for Maud's land is Olivier de Bretagne, Brother Cadfael's own son - born as a result of a brief encounter thirty years earlier. 

Now Brother Cadfael resolves to plead for his son's release at a peace conference scheduled to take place in Coventry; but there is no sign of Olivier there. After much soul searching, Cadfael makes the difficult decision to break his monastic vows, leaving Coventry without permission - because he knows he must do everything in his power to find his son.

• ISBN10: 0747211841
• ISBN13: 9780747211846
• Publish Date: 16 May 1994
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 10 October 2001
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Book Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

Cadfael's son Oliver de Bretagne, is captured and there's a refusal to acknowledge where he is and there's no demand for ransom but there are rumours and Cadfael has an opportunity to attend a conference and find out about him. To add to the confusion a contentious nobleman is dead, apparently by Oliver's Brother-in-Law Yves Hugonin, and as usual Cadfael intervenes to help.

Added to that are some serious issues that Cadfael has to deal with about his vocation and his loyalty to the order. I'm sad to see that this is the last in the series, and it's a good end to the series.