Item: Monk's Hood
Rating: 3.00
Author: wyvernfriend

by Ellis Peters

Gervase Bonel, with his wife and servants, is a guest of Shrewsbury Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul when he is suddenly taken ill. Luckily, the Abbey boasts the services of the clever and kindly Brother Cadfael, a skilled herbalist.

Cadfael hurries to the man's bedside, only to be confronted by two very different surprises. In Master Bonel's wife, the good monk recognises Richildis, whom he loved many years ago before he took his vows, and Master Bonel has been fatallly poisoned by a dose of deadly monk's-hood oil from Cadfael's herbarium.

The Sherrif is convinced that the murdered is Richildis' son Edwin, who had reasons aplenty to hate his stepfather. But Cadfael, guided in part by his tender concern for a woman to whom he was once betrothed, is certain of her son's innocence.

Using his knowledge of both herbs and the human heart, Cadfael deciphers a deadly recipe for murder.

(this and Death on the Water are going to be part of the Bookish Halloween bingo but I need to do some finessing tonight with them before being done, that and decide what squares they're going to be for)

I believe I've seen this one at some stage so much of the plot was known to me before reading. Cadfael finds that a murder and an old flame are interlinked and he has to deal with abbey politics to find the truth. Much issues about mistaken identity and many intriguing moments where poison is used from Cadfael's own herbarium. When the sheriff is certain he knows how the murder was committed it doesn't work for Cadfael. He also needs to work through his feelings for Richildis, an ex-flame whose light has been quenched by distance and time.

Interesting read, I must read more of these.

This falls into Terror in a small town, terrifying women, amateur sleuth and murder most foul and I'll be using it for Amateur Sleuth

Monk's Hood (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #3)

by Ellis Peters

Reviewed by wyvernfriend on Sep 6, 2017

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