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 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 fatally poisoned by a dose of deadly monk’s-hood oil from Cadfael’s herbarium.
The Sheriff is convinced that the murderer 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 . . .

Although there were lots of things to like about ‘Monk’s Hood‘, the third Chronicle of Brother Cadfael, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two, ‘A Morbid Taste For Bones‘ and ‘One Corpse Too Many‘.

I loved the evocation of the lives of shepherds on a remote, two-man farm in winter. There was a sense of peace and an atmosphere closer to prayer and service than I feel when I’m reading about the Abbey.

The operation of the Welsh law courts grabbed my attention, both because I knew nothing about their distinctive way of working and because Ellis Peters used the court scene skillfully to generate tension that started low-key and escalated quite credibly into something dramatic.

As I’m beginning to expect, the plot was crafted to highlight an aspect of twelfth-century life that might hold a few surprises for modern readers. This time, the focus was on three manifestations of patriarchal power: the ability of a lord to disinherit his heirs and grant his estate to the Church. the lack of rights of widows and the practice of villeinage which could allow a free man to be enslaved and the children of villeins to be born into bondage,

All of this made for an entertaining read. The main problem that I had was with the plot. It was clever and held a few twists but I felt it was too dominant. For the first time, solving the mystery felt out of balance with getting to know the people, the place and the time. I thought too much time was spent explaining every detail and that the resolution was too tidy and hopeful to ring true.

That being said, this was still an enjoyable read and I’ll be back for more Brother Cadfael soon.