The Devil's Novice (Brother Cadfael Mysteries) (origineel 1983; editie 2012)

The latest addition to the abbey is a young man with night terrors...what sins has he committed in order to act this way? Brother Cadfael works out the clues as usual. I thought I knew the murderer this time, but the motive was not apparent until the end. Good read, as always. ( )

All of the Cadfael books are wonderful. I have not read them all but I have read many. Go back to a different time and place, leave the cell phones and traffic behind. They are a fast and fun read that will leave you thinking about a lot of things. ( )

Meriot Aspley comes to the Abbey at Shrewsbury as a young troubled novice. Cadfael feels he may not really be fit nor wishes to be in the Benedictine order, contrary to what he says. Meanwhile, chaos is in the countryside and an emissary for King Stephen goes missing. We meet Brother Mark again - Cadfael's former assistant and now the Brother-in-charge at the hosital for lepers at St. Giles - who is an important part of the plot. Ellis Peters at her best and a surprise ending. ( )

There was more of the "local politics" of the Stephen/Maud civil war in this novel than in previous ones. Opportunist nobility and bishops are seeking to take advantage of the political chaos by setting up their own fiefdoms that support neither Stephen nor Maude. Nobody is quite sure of what the mission was of the priest murdered in the forest.

Meriet is the Lord of Apsley's second son, delivered to the Abbey to become a priest, while his first son Nigel is about to be married and will take over lands to the north as part of his wife's dowry. Brother Cadfael is pretty sure Meriet does not have a vocation, that he has come to the Abbey for some other reason.

Reading these novels in order pays off as some characters persist from one to the other, and assist in the development of Cadfael's character. Cadfael works in tandem with Hugh Berengar the deputy sheriff of Shrewsbury who is now consistently featured. ( )

Clearly something is troubling Meriet Aspley, 19, who is dropped off at Shrewsbury Abbey declaring his intention to become a monk. Elsewhere, the Bishop's man, Peter Clemence, a distance relative of the Aspleys, has gone missing and no one knows where. Brother Cadfael is intrigued, especially by certain actions of Meriet. Did the young man commit murder? Or who is he protecting? ( )