Ellis Peters

A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES. In 1137 the head of Shrewsbury Abbey decided to acquire the remains of St Winifred. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to her final resting place in Wales and they find the villagers passionately divided by the Benedictines' offer for the saint's relics. Canny, wise and all too worldly, Cadfael isn't surprised when this taste for bones leads to bloody murder. ONE CORPSE TOO MANY. In 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes Brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden to the bloody battlefield. Not far from the safety of the Abbey walls, Shrewsbury Castle falls, leaving its ninety-four defenders loyal to the Empress to hang as traitors. With a heavy heart, Brother Cadfael agrees to bury the dead, but discovers ninety-five bodies awaiting his attention.MONK'S-HOOD. Brother Cadfael's herb garden is flourishing under his care, then a local dignitary is poisoned with one of the herbalist's own concoctions and Cadfael finds he has to defend himself and another suspect whom he is sure is innocent.

Na dvore 1894 god, i ledi Amelija Pibodi vmeste s suprugom, professorom Emersonom, vozvraschajutsja v Egipet, chtoby prinjat uchastie v raskopkakh drevnikh grobnits. Na etot raz s nimi ikh maloletnij syn Ramzes s koshkoj Bastet, a znachit, poezdka obeschaet byt veseloj. Dlja nachala pri podozritelnykh obstojatelstvakh pogibaet torgovets drevnostjami v Kaire, a zatem semejstvo pribyvaet na mesto raskopok i ponimaet, chto situatsija kuda slozhnee, chem oni predpolagali: im predstoit protivostojat mestnym missioneram, nemetskoj baronesse i zagadochnym grabiteljam... Sumejut li nashi geroi vybratsja iz Chernoj piramidy zhivymi?

It's deep winter and time to light the fire, pull up a blanket and curl up with your cat. But has it occurred to you that your feline companion might be licking blood from its paws? Slink through shadows and brush with death in these three classic cat-themed mystery tales from beloved crime authors Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin, Patricia Highsmith and Ellis Peters. A Case of the Claws brings a thrilling winter chill to the festive season and asks: are these furry friends the guardians of our secrets or omens of misfortune?

Otvazhnaja ledi Amelija Pibodi i ee blistatelnyj muzh, professor Emerson, zhivut v Kente i vospityvajut syna Ramsesa, no vtajne ochen skuchajut po prikljuchenijam. Kogda pri strannykh obstojatelstvakh pogibaet ser Genri Baskervil, nedavno obnaruzhivshij netronutuju tsarskuju grobnitsu, a ego vdova umoljaet znamenitykh arkheologov prodolzhit raskopki, oni nezamedlitelno otpravljajutsja v Luksor. Vot tolko mestnye shepchutsja o prokljatii faraona, a kto-to metodichno ustranjaet vsekh, kto priblizhaetsja k razgadke tajny grobnitsy. V samom serdtse Egipta, sredi znojnykh peskov i mumij, Emersony brosajut vyzov ubijtse. No uspejut li oni raskryt pravdu, poka prokljatie - nastojaschee ili vydumannoe - ne zabralo novuju zhertvu?

Junyj lord Itona vveren popecheniju Shrusberijskogo abbatstva. Takova byla volja ego pokojnogo ottsa. No u babushki malchika svoi vidy na vnuka: zheniv ego, ona mozhet rasshirit familnye zemli. Staraja ledi obretaet podderzhku svjatogo otshelnika, poselivshegosja v Ejtonskom lesu. K chemu eto privedet?Perevodchik: Stepanov S. A.

To save his estranged son, a monk risks breaking his vows in this "moving and suspenseful" entry in the Silver Dagger Award-winning medieval mystery series (Booklist).For Brother Cadfael in the autumn of his life, the mild November of our Lord's year 1145 may bring a bitter-and deadly-harvest. England is torn between supporters of the Empress Maud and those of her cousin Stephen. The civil strife is about to jeopardize not only Cadfael's life, but his hopes of Heaven.While Cadfael has sometimes bent the abbey's rules, he has never broken his monastic vows-until now. Word has come to Shrewsbury of a treacherous act that has left thirty of Maud's knights imprisoned. All have been ransomed except Cadfael's secret son, Olivier de Bretagne. Conceived in Cadfael's soldiering youth and unaware of his father's identity, Olivier will die if he is not freed. Like never before, Cadfael must boldly defy the abbot. The good brother forsakes the order to follow his heart-but what he finds will challenge his soul.

The twelfth-century Welsh monk is caught up in civil war and captured by Danish mercenaries, in the Silver Dagger Award-winning medieval mystery series.In the summer of 1144, a strange calm has settled over England. The armies of King Stephen and the Empress Maud, the two royal cousins contending for the throne, have temporarily exhausted each other. On the whole, Brother Cadfael considers peace a blessing. Still, a little excitement never comes amiss to a former soldier, and Cadfael is delighted to accompany a friend on a mission of diplomacy to his native Wales.But shortly after their arrival, the two monks are caught up in another royal feud. The Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd has banished his brother Cadwaladr, accusing him of the treacherous murder of an ally. The reckless Cadwaladr has retaliated by landing an army of Danish mercenaries, poised to invade Wales. As the two armies teeter on the brink of bloody civil war, Cadfael is captured by the Danes and must navigate the brotherly quarrel that threatens to plunge an entire kingdom into chaos.

Strangers seek refuge at the abbey as floodwaters rise, a body falls, and a relic vanishes-in this "top drawer" mystery featuring the twelfth-century monk (Chicago Sun-Times)In the chill, rainy autumn of 1144, two groups of visitors seek the hospitality of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and Brother Cadfael fears trouble has come in with them. Among the first arrivals is Brother Tutilo, a young Benedictine with a guileless face and-to Brother Cadfael's shrewd eyes-a mischievous intelligence. The second group, a ribald French troubadour, his servant, and a girl with the voice of an angel, seems to Brother Cadfael a catalyst for disaster.All of Cadfael's fears become manifest as rising floodwaters endanger the abbey's most sacred relic, the remains of Saint Winifred. When the bones disappear and a dead body is found, Brother Cadfael knows carnal and spiritual intrigues are afoot. Now, in a world that believes in signs and miracles, Brother Cadfael needs his prayers answered-as well as some heavenly guidance to crucial clues-to catch a killer hell-bent on murder.

The medieval monk digs for clues when a body is unearthed by a plow: "His detecting talents are as dazzling as ever" (Publishers Weekly).When a newly plowed field recently given to the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul yields the body of a young woman, Brother Cadfael is quickly thrown into a delicate situation. The field was once owned by a local potter named Ruald, who had abandoned his beautiful wife, Generys, to take monastic vows.Generys was said to have gone away with a lover, but now it seems as if she had been murdered. With the arrival at the abbey of young Sulien Blount, a novice fleeing homeward from the civil war raging in East Anglia, the mysteries surrounding the corpse start to multiply.

A despised priest is drowned in a pond in this medieval mystery filled with "lively period detail" (Kirkus Reviews).In a mild December in the year of our Lord 1141, a new priest comes to the parishioners of the Foregate outside the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Father Ailnoth brings with him a housekeeper and her nephew-and a disposition that invites murder.Brother Cadfael quickly sees that father Ailnoth is a harsh man who, striding along in his black cassock, looks like a doomsaying raven. The housekeeper's nephew, Benet, is quite different-a smiling lad, a hard worker in Cadfael's herb garden, but, as Brother Cadfael soon discovers, an impostor. And when Ailnoth is found drowned, suspicion falls on Benet, though many in the Foregate had cause to want this priest dead. Now Brother Cadfael is gathering clues along with his medicinals to treat a case of unholy passions, tragic politics, and perhaps divine intervention.

A monk's journey of amends leads to murder in this "thoroughly entertaining medieval mystery" in the Silver Dagger Award-winning series (Publishers Weekly).Winter arrived early in 1142, bringing with it a heavy snowfall. The safety of the guest-hall roof at the Benedictine Abbey of Saint. Peter and Saint. Paul comes into jeopardy, and the brothers are called upon to effect repairs. But the icy and treacherous conditions are to prove near fatal for Brother Haluin. He slips from the roof and crashes to the ground, sustaining terrible injuries-grave enough for him to want to make his deathbed confession.The confession is heard by the abbot and Brother Cadfael; a wicked story, of trespasses hard for God or man to forgive. But Haluin does not die. On his recovery, he determines to make a journey of expiation, with Cadfael as his sole companion. It is an arduous journey, physically and emotionally, and one that leads to some shocking discoveries.

Charges of heresy and murder are complicated by the contents of a mysterious treasure chestIn the summer of 1143, William of Lythwood arrives at the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, but it is not a joyous occasion-he's come back from his pilgrimage in a coffin. William's body is accompanied by his young attendant Elave, whose mission is to secure a burial place for his master on the abbey grounds, despite William's having once been reprimanded for heretical views.An already difficult task is complicated when Elave drunkenly expresses his own heretical opinions, and capital charges are filed. When a violent death follows, Sheriff Hugh Beringar taps his friend Brother Cadfael for help. The mystery that unfolds grows deeper thanks to a mysterious and marvelous treasure chest in Elave's care.

"Bodies and red herrings pile up in a satisfying way" in the Silver Dagger Award-winning medieval mystery series starring Brother Cadfael (Library Journal).The year is 1142, and England is in the grip of civil war. Within the cloisters of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, there begins a chain of events no less momentous than the upheavals of the outside world.It starts with the sad demise of Richard Ludel, Lord of Eyton, whose ten-year-old son and heir, also named Richard, is a pupil at the abbey. The boy refuses to surrender his newly inherited powers to Dionysia, his furious, formidable grandmother. A stranger to the region is the hermit Cuthred, who enjoys the protection of Lady Dionysia, and whose young companion, Hyacinth, befriends Richard. Despite his reputation for holiness, Cuthred's arrival heralds a series of mishaps for the monks. When a corpse is found in Eyton forest, Brother Cadfael must devote his knowledge of human nature to tracking down a ruthless murderer.

The sleuthing monk unravels a thorny case of murder in this "accomplished whodunit meticulously wrought with a wealth of medieval detail" (Booklist).A late spring in 1142 brings dismay to the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, for there may be no roses by June 22. On that day the young widow Perle must receive one white rose as rent for the house she has given to benefit the abbey, or the contract is void. When nature finally complies, a pious monk is sent to pay the rent-and is found murdered beside the hacked rosebush.The abbey's wise herbalist, Brother Cadfael, follows the trail of bloodied petals. He knows the lovely widow's dowry is far greater with her house included, and she will likely wed again. Before Cadfael can ponder if a greedy suitor has done this dreadful deed, another crime is committed. Now the good monk must thread his way through a tangle more tortuous than the widow's thorny bushes.

In this "enchanting" historical mystery, "medieval England comes marvelously alive" as Brother Cadfael investigates a woman's baffling disappearance (The Washington Post).In the year of our Lord 1141, August comes in golden as a lion, and two monks ride into the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul bringing with them disturbing news of war-and a mystery.The strangers tell how the strife between the Empress Maud and King Stephen has destroyed the town of Winchester and their priory. Now Brother Humilis, who is handsome, gaunt, and very ill, and Brother Fidelis, youthful, comely-and totally mute-must seek refuge at Shrewsbury. From the moment he meets them, Brother Cadfael senses something deeper than common vows binds these two good brothers. What the link is he can only guess. What it will lead to is beyond his imagining. As Brother Humilis's health fails-and nothing can stop death's lengthening shade-Brother Cadfael faces a poignant test of his discretion and his beliefs as he unravels a secret so great it can destroy a life, a future, and a holy order."Unflagging tension which builds to a swift, satisfying climax. Peters never disappoints with] her absorbing, superbly crafted stories." -Kirkus Reviews

From the Edgar Award-winning author: When a troubled novice is blamed for a priest's disappearance, Brother Cadfael seeks to save his soul-and his life.Outside the pale of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in September of 1140, a priestly emissary for King Stephen has been reported missing. But inside the pale, what troubles Brother Cadfael is a proud, secretive nineteen-year-old novice.Brother Cadfael has never seen two men more estranged than the Lord of Aspley and Meriet, the son he coldly delivers to the abbey to begin a religious vocation. Meriet, meek by day, is so racked by dreams at night that his howls earn him the nickname "the Devil's Novice." Shunned and feared, Meriet is soon linked to the missing priestly emissary's dreadful fate. Only Brother Cadfael believes in Meriet's innocence, and only the good sleuth can uncover the truth before a boy's pure passion, not evil intent, leads a novice to the noose.

A monk embarks on a dangerous quest to find a trio of missing travelers in this medieval mystery by an Edgar Award-winning author.The winter of 1139 will disrupt Brother Cadfael's tranquil life in Shrewsbury with the most disturbing of events. Raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two orphans from a noble family, a boy of thirteen and an eighteen-year-old girl of great beauty, and their companion, a young Benedictine nun. The trio never reaches Shrewsbury, having disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside.Cadfael is afraid for these three lost lambs, but another call for help sends him to the church of Saint Mary. A wounded monk, found naked and bleeding by the roadside, will surely die without Cadfael's healing arts. Why this holy man has been attacked and what his fevered ravings reveal soon give Brother Cadfael a clue to the fate of the missing travelers. Now Cadfael sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. The road will lead him to a chill and terrible murder and a tale of passion gone awry. And at journey's end awaits a vision of what is best, and worst, in humankind.

Medieval monk Brother Cadfael races to save a young man he believes is falsely accused of robbery--in the Silver Dagger Award-winning mystery series. In the gentle Shrewsbury spring of 1140, the midnight matins at the Benedictine abbey suddenly reverberate with an unholy sound--a hunt in full cry. Pursued by a drunken mob, the quarry is running for its life. When the frantic creature bursts into the nave to claim sanctuary, Brother Cadfael finds himself fighting off armed townsmen to save a terrified young man. Liliwin, a wandering minstrel who performed at the wedding of a local goldsmith's son, has been accused of robbery and murder. The cold light of morning, however, will show his supposed victim, the miserly craftsman, still lives, although a strongbox lies empty. Brother Cadfael believes Liliwin is innocent, but finding the truth and the treasure before Liliwin's respite in sanctuary runs out may uncover a deadlier sin than thievery--a desperate love that nothing, not even the threat of hanging, can stop. The Sanctuary Sparrow is the seventh book in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, featuring a "wily veteran of the Crusades." The historical mystery series earned Ellis Peters a Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award--and a legion of devoted fans (Los Angeles Times).

A monk must find a killer among a flood of religious pilgrims in this medieval mystery by the Edgar Award-winning author: "A series like no other" (The San Diego Union-Tribune).In the year of our Lord 1141, civil war over England's throne leaves a legacy of violence-and the murder of a knight dear to Brother Cadfael. And with gentle bud-strewn May, a flood of pilgrims comes to the celebration of Saint Winifred at the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, carrying with it many strange souls-and perhaps the knight's killer.Brother Cadfael's shrewd eyes see all: the prosperous merchant who rings false, an angelic lame boy, his beautiful dowerless sister, and two wealthy penitents. In the name of justice Cadfael decides to uncover the strange and twisted tale that accompanies these travelers. Instead he unearths a quest for vengeance, witnesses a miracle, and finds himself on a razor's edge between death and the absolution of love.

In this mystery in the award-winning series featuring a twelfth-century Benedictine monk, Brother Cadfael must travel to the heart of a leper colony to root out the secret behind a savage murder. Setting out for the Saint Giles leper colony outside Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael has more pressing matters on his mind than the grand wedding coming to his abbey. But as fate would have it, Cadfael arrives at Saint Giles just as the nuptial party passes the colony’s gates. When he sees the fragile bride looking like a prisoner between her two stern guardians and the bridegroom—an arrogant, fleshy aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather—he quickly discerns this union may be more damned than blessed. Indeed, a savage murder will interrupt the May–December marriage and leave Cadfael with a dark, terrible mystery to solve. Now, with the key to the killing hidden among the lepers of Saint Giles, the monk must ferret out a sickness not of the body, but of a twisted soul.