Yet another Cadfael book imported from Shelfari with no review, and it didn't make it to LibraryThing, either, so whatever I thought when I first read this, other than I gave it 4 stars, is gone.

A young minstrel races into the sanctuary and grabs the cloth on the altar to escape the mob chasing him, certain without proof that he has committed murder and theft. The abbot stops the mob from beating him to death and gets them to leave. A rather action packed start to a Brother Cadfael book, but rest assured, it's another gem in this series. He has a legal right to 40 days of sanctuary before he has to be handed over to the authorities, providing he doesn't leave the compound, and--I know you'll be shocked--Brother Cadfael investigates, along with Hugh Beringer with the help of others. Yes, of course there is a romance as a side part of this, or it wouldn't belong in this series, would it? ( )

Summary: A young traveling entertainer at a wedding seeks sanctuary in the abbey, pursued by a mob accusing him of murdering and robbing the groom’s father while Cadfael and Hugh explore the possibility of other suspects closer to home.

It is the time for midnight matins at the abbey, usually peaceful. Instead, the monks hear the sound of an uproar growing louder. Then in bursts a lithe young man pursued by an angry and drunken mob. The young man, Liliwin, is a traveling juggler and singer, hired to entertain at Daniel Aurifaber’s wedding to Margery, daughter of a rich family. Daniel is at the head of the mob (rather than in bed with his bride) accusing Liliwin of murdering and robbing his father, a goldsmith. Liliwin claims that after he had been turned out without being paid because he broke a lamp, pushed into it by rowdy guests, he wandered off, finding outdoor shelter in a copse of trees until realizing he was being pursued. Abbot Radulfus grants sanctuary, a forty day reprieve from arrest, trial, and death, provided that Liliwin not leave the abbey.

Almost at once we see the trust between the shrewd abbot and Cadfael, who is sent to look after Daniel’s elderly grandmother, Juliana, suffering heart problems. He’s able to question members of the household. We also learn that the father, Walter, lives, although badly concussed. Cadfael retrieves Liliwin’s juggling balls and something more–news that the maid Rannilt to whom he was attracted in their brief encounter at the wedding party is concerned about him.

Neither Cadfael nor Hugh Beringar, the deputy sheriff, with whom Cadfael shares a rapport, believe Liliwin guilty. No stash of stolen goods has been found. And there is enough greed surrounding the Aurifaber household to make them want to learn more. Then Baldwin Peche, the locksmith living across from the Aurifabers as their tenant, turns up floating in the river–while Liliwin was supposed to be confined to the abbey. In fact, Liliwin had been about the night of the death, escorting Rannilt back to the Aurifaber’s after a visit (and tryst) encouraged by Susanna, Daniel’s sister, who managed the household.

Hugh and Cadfael have forty days to sort all this out. Liliwin’s presence draws out the character of some of the brothers. Prior Robert resents the disruption of the abbey’s life Liliwin represents. Brother Jerome, a strict sort keeps pressing Liliwin to examine his soul as a disciplinarian. And brother Anselm delights in a fellow musician, taking Liliwin under his wing, hoping to recruit him for the abbey choir. He restores the lad’s shatter rebec, a type of stringed instrument.

Finding the place where Peche was murdered, marked by some distinctive plants coinciding in one place becomes significant, as are marks on the murdered man’s back, and remarks Rannilt shared about the household with Liliwin as are the last words which Rannilt overhears Dame Juliana say before her fatal seizure. The slowly intensifying story culminates in a chase where Rannilt is held hostage while Liliwin, now freed of suspicion, attempts a risky rescue.

Peters gets all the elements for a good mystery just right in this story–an accused we are rooting for, an array of possible suspects around the fraught household of Aurifaber, a budding love story that we don’t want to see interrupted by a death sentence, or a death, and behind it all, the worldly wise spirituality of the abbey and the maturing friendship of Cadfael and Hugh. ( )

http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2019-07.html#peters ( )

Los oficios religiosos de Shrewsbury se ven interrumpido por una turba de exaltados que persiguen a Liliwin, un joven músico a quien acusan de espantosos crímenes. Cuando éste pide protección y refugio en la abadía, donde deberá permanecer cual gorrión en una jaula, fray Cadfael se decide a probar su inocencia. La investigación dará un giro inesperado tras descubrir que la supuesta víctima de Liliwin sigue con vida...

When a man escaping from an enraged mob claims sanctuary, Cadfael is ordered by his abbot to begin investigation of whether the mob's claims are legitimate. When a body is found on the river's edge, the mob suspects the man but Cadfael suspects otherwise. As he approaches the truth, he discovers that someone had weaved a perfect crime. Confronting the murderer is much more complicated considering the life of a maid is at stake & a man's innocence. ( )