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: 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: 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: Thrilling addition to fun series!
Review: I liked this addition a lot. This series is a lot of fun and the characters are easy to connect with. My favorite of course is the Monk. Buy this one you'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling addition to fun series!
Review: I liked this addition a lot. This series is a lot of fun and the characters are easy to connect with. My favorite of course is the Monk. Buy this one you'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: I will not change my score but...
Review: I was a little hasty with my review of this particular Cadfael the first time I read it, and feel duty bound to give a better account this time. I still maintain that there is not enough sleuthing for my money in this book, but what I did not appreciate last time was the very skilful manner in which Cadfael pits his wits against the sinister, and extremely intelligent, Hugh Beringar. This book is far more interested in having three main plot lines as opposed to the usual whodunit mentality of the other Cadfaels that deal just with the one main line of enquiry to do with one murder. I still believe I prefer the straight forward detective approach in Cadfael novels, but I think that Ellis Peters was concerned with writing vaguely the same story over and again and so attempted to branch out from the typical style of story one might expect for a crime novel. I think she should be applauded for this, and although it in some cases this means a weaker end product, I do think it is beneficial to the Cadfael series as a whole. Whatever the story in a Cadfael novel, we are as always treated to the exciting and enchanting world that Peters has decided to portray. A glimpse of what life may truly have been like in the 12th century, or at least we can believe that some parts of the novel could at least be a little bit historically accurate. The fun is in accepting that you do not which parts are and so we can allow ourselves the pretence that it is, in fact, all true. Nice
Rating:
Summary: Cadfael's story continues
Review: Set against the backdrop of civil war-torn England in 1138, "One Corpse Too Many" is the second book in The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael. Shrewsbury (the home of Cadfael's Abbey) is caught up in the conflict between Empress Maud and King Stephen. The Castle is laid siege to and seized by Stephen. Stephen then executes ninety-four of Maud's supporters in Shrewsbury. Yet, when a count is taken of the bodies, there are ninety-five corpses. Thus the mystery begins--and Cadfael, the monk/herbalist of Shrewsbury springs into action. I cannot make heads or tales of whether I like "One Corpse Too Many" as much or more than the first book in the series (A Morbid Taste For Bones). Both books are quite good. However, with the exception that they are both mysteries featuring Brother Cadfael, they are quite different. This gives me great hope for the rest of the series. The character of Cadfael is developed successfully and Peters avoids being formulaic. I missed some of the characters from "A Morbid Taste For Bones" (particularly the pompous presence of Prior Robert). Yet there are some great new characters in book two. My favorites are "the boy Godric" and the wily and resourceful Hugh Beringar. The dual love stories of "One Corpse Too Many" add another dimension to the book. Cadfael's closing comments (in which the title phrase is used) are well worth the price of the book. All in all, I give "One Corpse Too Many" a heartfelt recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling and thrilling
Review: There is a civil war in England, as two claimants to the English throne fight it out in Shrewsbury. After an assault on the castle, the attacker, King Stephen, overthrows the supporters of Empress Maud. After the victory, King Stephen orders the surviving defenders to be executed. However, Brother Cadfael discovers an extra body among the dead. He tries his best to discover the identity of the victim and the murderer. To add to his troubles, he finds himself the caretaker of one of the daughters of a supporter of Empress Maud. The young girl lives in the monastary disguised as a young novice. Also he finds an injured supporter of Empress Maud who is charged with delivering the gold from the castle treasury. What is Cadfael to do? To make matters worse, he is being watched by a clever young nobleman, Hugh Beringar, who seems to match Cadfael's every move. Can Cadfael outwit him? Read and see.
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