Rating: 
Summary: Exciting Mediaeval Whodunit
Review: "One Corpse Too Many" appeared a couple of years after the earlier, 'pilot' book in the Brother Cadfael series. During the intervening period, Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) had fleshed out her picture of mediaeval Shrewsbury somewhat - and also clearly formulated a plan for developing her earlier novel into a longer series of stories. This second book skilfully sets the scene and introduces characters for later volumes, so for maximum enjoyment of both this and later volumes, you should read this early in the sequence (indeed, the TV dramatisations of the books features this as the first episode).The action of this book is set in 1138, during the siege of the castle of Shrewsbury - held by parties loyal to the Empress Maud - by King Stephen, anxious to defend and uphold his claim to the throne of England. As in the previous book, Brother Cadfael's interest lies more in seeing to a successful resolution the personal dramas of those innocents caught within the wider political manoeuvrings, than any pursuit of larger goals. Indeed, his dogged pursuit of the truth and justice for the unidentified and unremarked "extra" corpse amongst those slain on Stephen's orders is just one example of this. Throughout the book, though, the solving of the murder mystery takes second place to his concern for those still living. Indeed, the murder is solved almost along the way, as it were. And not by Cadfael, alone. As with others in this series, Peters' use of archaic language (both words and phrasing) in her prose and attention to historical detail draw the reader wholly into the picture of mediaeval Britain that she paints. In addition, she has a fine sense of drama, which makes the book hard to put down from the outset. Even when you know the outcome, the tale remains gripping, so even if you've seen the TV dramatisation, this book remains an excellent and exciting read. Its ending is somewhat different (and rather more satisfying) than the TV version, too.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting Mediaeval Whodunit
Review: "One Corpse Too Many" appeared a couple of years after the earlier, `pilot' book in the Brother Cadfael series. During the intervening period, Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) had fleshed out her picture of mediaeval Shrewsbury somewhat - and also clearly formulated a plan for developing her earlier novel into a longer series of stories. This second book skilfully sets the scene and introduces characters for later volumes, so for maximum enjoyment of both this and later volumes, you should read this early in the sequence (indeed, the TV dramatisations of the books features this as the first episode). The action of this book is set in 1138, during the siege of the castle of Shrewsbury - held by parties loyal to the Empress Maud - by King Stephen, anxious to defend and uphold his claim to the throne of England. As in the previous book, Brother Cadfael's interest lies more in seeing to a successful resolution the personal dramas of those innocents caught within the wider political manoeuvrings, than any pursuit of larger goals. Indeed, his dogged pursuit of the truth and justice for the unidentified and unremarked "extra" corpse amongst those slain on Stephen's orders is just one example of this. Throughout the book, though, the solving of the murder mystery takes second place to his concern for those still living. Indeed, the murder is solved almost along the way, as it were. And not by Cadfael, alone. As with others in this series, Peters' use of archaic language (both words and phrasing) in her prose and attention to historical detail draw the reader wholly into the picture of mediaeval Britain that she paints. In addition, she has a fine sense of drama, which makes the book hard to put down from the outset. Even when you know the outcome, the tale remains gripping, so even if you've seen the TV dramatisation, this book remains an excellent and exciting read. Its ending is somewhat different (and rather more satisfying) than the TV version, too.
Rating: 
Summary: A superior mystery
Review: An intelligently crafted problem, superior depiction of the historical period, and vivid, diverse characters make this a mystery that transcends the genre. This is the only Cadfael book that I've read (so far), and so my observations are not influenced by other books in the series. From the start, I was drawn in by the convincing evocation of medieval Shrewsbury, a little universe consisting of castle, town, and monastery, and its population of knights, monks, bondsmen, ladies, and Flemish mercenaries. Cadfael, the middle-aged warrior-turned-monastic, with his spiritual outlook and worldly knowledge, is a strong and lovable protagonist. The wily, nonchalant knight Hugh Beringar makes a worthy adversary. The mystery itself--the "one corpse too many" found among the pile of executed enemies of the king--is actually secondary to the main story of the book: whether Cadfael will succeed in helping a young fugitive, Godric, escape the wrath of the king. The skillful interweaving of these plots, along with not one but two nice little love stories, make this book a refreshing change from the standard mystery. The juxtaposition of spiritual and worldly values is well handled and gives the book a feeling of depth. Most novels nowadays are too poorly written to be worth finishing. Not this one: Peters's prose style is vivid and clean, comparable to Mary Stewart when she was at the top of her game with her Merlin books. I give it 4 stars out of 5 only because you need somewhere further to go for the truly great works of literature. As far as mysteries go, they don't get better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Misses the target
Review: Cadfael mysteries should be about sleuthing around. About telling the reader why something is important without telling them who it points to. Peters generally has us guessing up until the final moment as to the villain. But with almost all of this book being taken up by the blossoming romance between Godith and Torold and whether they escape or not, the actual murder and therefore murderer are only really touched upon in the last two chapters. Unusually, I knew the killer very early on. This was more to do with the fact that there was no-one else who could reasonably be the killer as opposed to my own detective genius. This book left me with the same feeling as watching a film billed as a Schwarzenegger Action-thriller only to find that it was all about rabbits.
Rating:
Summary: Dire times for Shrewsbury
Review: Dire times for Shrewsbury In this book the second of Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael series we find Shrewsbury in 1138 in deep trouble. The forces of King Stephen are approaching and citizens are scrambling to align themselves with the victor. Unfortunately those in the castle were aligned with the Empress Maude and paid dearly for it. This book introduces us to the crafty Hugh Beringar a worthy friend or foe to Cadfael. Part of Cadfael's dilemma in this chronicle is to determine which Beringar is. They are evenly matched for foxiness, but we hope that Cadfael's age may assist him in the end. This series is a must for the medieval lover. It is an excellent mystery and will keep the reader guessing.
Rating:
Summary: Dire times for Shrewsbury
Review: Dire times for Shrewsbury In this book the second of Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael series we find Shrewsbury in 1138 in deep trouble. The forces of King Stephen are approaching and citizens are scrambling to align themselves with the victor. Unfortunately those in the castle were aligned with the Empress Maude and paid dearly for it. This book introduces us to the crafty Hugh Beringar a worthy friend or foe to Cadfael. Part of Cadfael's dilemma in this chronicle is to determine which Beringar is. They are evenly matched for foxiness, but we hope that Cadfael's age may assist him in the end. This series is a must for the medieval lover. It is an excellent mystery and will keep the reader guessing.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Ellis Peters
Review: Ellis Peters is one of my favorite authors--with anything she writes. The woman is just awesome! No matter what she writes about, it's always interesting and not without humor and often makes you think about issues still relevant today. She is what I call a literate writer--a 'thinking person's' mystery writer. One Corpse Too Many is a fascinating book in which Brother Cadfael must figure out who the extra body is and why they were murdered. As usual, he rivals Sherlock Holmes in his use of close observations and minute details that always solve the mystery. This book also introduces my second favorite character in the series--Hugh Berengar. When he first appears, one doesn't know if he's good or bad, as he and Cadfael are two of a kind when it comes to cleverness. I would recommend any of Peters' novels and any of the audiocassettes and especially the A&E television series of Brother Cadfael, played by Derek Jacobi who also reads some of the books.
Rating:
Summary: Murder Among Medieval Mayhem
Review: Every so often I pick up a book that has been published for years and wonder "Why didn't I read this earlier". Such is the case with this book, the second in the Brother Cadfael series. I always thought the notion of an amateur sleuth in medieval England sounded a bit too hokey for me, but after seeing this novel listed as one of the Independent Mystery Sellers Association 100 Favorite Novels of the Century I decided to give it a try. Part political intrigue, part historical romance, and part mystery, this novel had me hooked from chapter one. There are twenty books, or chronicles, in the Cadfael series that take place against the backdrop of the battle between King Stephen and Empress Maud for the contested throne of England. In this particular novel, King Stephen and his forces overtake the castle at Shrewsbury, the town in which Brother Cadfael's abbey is situated. Allegiances to King Stephen and Empress Maud create an atmosphere fraught with danger for no one can be trusted to keep any secrets under penalty of death. Cadfael looks into the murder of a young man who is found strangled among the corpses of the defenders of the castle whom King Stephen has had hanged for treason. This murder takes a backseat to Cadfael's efforts to protect the daughter of one of the former Nobleman of Shrewsbury castle, who had pledged allegiance to Maud, and a game of cat and mouse between Cadfael and a mysterious young man named Hugh Beringar. Both story lines have enough suspense of their own in diverting the reader's attention from the murder. The language and style of the book is written in an almost Shakespearean way lending to the atmosphere of a very romantic period. This may seem a bit "flowery" to some, but lends some authenticity to the time period. This was a fun book and I look forward to reading more of Brother Cadfael's adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Murder Among Medieval Mayhem
Review: Every so often I pick up a book that has been published for years and wonder "Why didn't I read this earlier". Such is the case with this book, the second in the Brother Cadfael series. I always thought the notion of an amateur sleuth in medieval England sounded a bit too hokey for me, but after seeing this novel listed as one of the Independent Mystery Sellers Association 100 Favorite Novels of the Century I decided to give it a try. Part political intrigue, part historical romance, and part mystery, this novel had me hooked from chapter one. There are twenty books, or chronicles, in the Cadfael series that take place against the backdrop of the battle between King Stephen and Empress Maud for the contested throne of England. In this particular novel, King Stephen and his forces overtake the castle at Shrewsbury, the town in which Brother Cadfael's abbey is situated. Allegiances to King Stephen and Empress Maud create an atmosphere fraught with danger for no one can be trusted to keep any secrets under penalty of death. Cadfael looks into the murder of a young man who is found strangled among the corpses of the defenders of the castle whom King Stephen has had hanged for treason. This murder takes a backseat to Cadfael's efforts to protect the daughter of one of the former Nobleman of Shrewsbury castle, who had pledged allegiance to Maud, and a game of cat and mouse between Cadfael and a mysterious young man named Hugh Beringar. Both story lines have enough suspense of their own in diverting the reader's attention from the murder. The language and style of the book is written in an almost Shakespearean way lending to the atmosphere of a very romantic period. This may seem a bit "flowery" to some, but lends some authenticity to the time period. This was a fun book and I look forward to reading more of Brother Cadfael's adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent ......BUT !!!!
Review: I have wanted to begin the Cadfael series for sometime now. Several things have stopped me over the past few years. (1) The series is shelved in the mystery section of our Public Library. For some reason 'mystery' books have always had a lesser quality ... or so I USED to think. (2) I like 'thick', 'meaty', historical, doomsday, sciencefiction (sometimes) ... but many paged books in which characters can be developed and worlds created. And most important fiction from which I can learn as the author creates and I read ! (Jules Verne was the beginning for me as a young reader.) OK so I am wrong about MYSTERIES and I am WRONG about QUANTITY vs. QUALITY !!!! ...These Cadfael things are marvelous ! True I have just recently finished only the second of the series (about to pick up the 3rd.) so I am TAKEN by Brother Cadfael, the early English Church and the historical settings these wonderful books present.BUT ...... ..And there is always a BUT !!!! I did have a very slight problem with this second in the series "One Corpse. Too Many" ... it is very slight but I look for authenticity and when an author presents a series of this type I expect it. On the whole the author gives you just that a glimpse into the past with a monk detective who has KNOWN the WORLD and WOMEN and LIFE and BATTLE etc ... and is very good at what he now does as a sort of alchemist of the monestary in early England working the gardens and seeking justice and unmasking the killer(s) But !!!!!!! in this particular book the author talks about the 'bringing in' harvesting of the CORN crop! This really bothered me very very much since this is 1130s England (Old World) and CORN was not KNOWN to Europe until after Christopher Columbus. Corn of course is a NEW WORLD crop. ...I have to wonder how the publishers let this get by ??? BUT please don't let this STOP you from reading the book or the series I will continue reading them and NOT LOOK for similar presentations unless they prove as bothersome as CORN (or worse)! ..I suppose ! it is possible that something else was called CORN in those days and I have just made a fool of myself. If anyone can advise on this point I will appreciate the enlightment. efc
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