Edith Parfgether, an Englishwoman, was not a historian by training. Yet under the pseudonym Ellis Peters she created one of the most popular detective series, closely tied to major historical events that shook 12th-century England and Wales, from where Parfgether’s ancestors came.
The «Chronicles of Brother Cadfael» are also a political detective story—because the action unfolds against the backdrop of civil war between supporters of the rightful claimant to Queen Matilda’s throne and King Stephen of Blois, who seized the throne by force—and classic, intimate tales that involve the residents of the town of Shrewsbury and the surrounding area, as well as the inhabitants of the Benedictine abbey in Shrewsbury. It is here, in the evening of his life, that an old crusader, a seasoned warrior who has seen the world, withdrew. Taking the name of Brother Cadfael, he decided to spend the rest of his days in peace, serving God and healing people. But instead, Cadfael—an astute connoisseur of human souls and a man with rich life experience—has to investigate all sorts of crimes again and again...
A snowy December in 1142. The prior of the Shrewsbury abbey falls from the roof, nearly killing himself. On his deathbed, he makes a shocking confession to Brother Cadfael. Having miraculously escaped the embrace of death, Brother Halvin decides to atone for his sins through a pilgrimage. And Brother Cadfael must not only escort him on this journey, but also uncover old secrets.