A Morbid Taste for Bones

I first remember seeing a Brother Cadfael book when an overnight guest left one in my share house bedroom in 1988, but I've never got around to reading one (there are twenty books in the series!). A Morbid Taste for Bones is the very first one, published in 1977. The wonderful thing about writing books set in the twelfth century is that they don't date at all, or at least, this volume of Ellis Peters' murder mysteries hasn't. There are strong female protagonists, there is sex, there are recognisably eccentric characters, but there is plenty of strangeness about the medieval world, too, including the overwhelming power of the church, a fairly rough system of justice, and the accepted rhythms of agricultural life.

Brother Cadfael is a very attractive character, and I was pleased to see that Derek Jacobi had a go at portraying him on TV -- he seems like perfect casting. Cadfael is a monk, but he has a rich secular past -- he's known women, he's fought in the Crusades and been exposed to other cultures, he is worldly and shrewd. The plot of A Morbid Taste for Bones was a lot of fun, focusing on in particular on the politically ambitious Prior Robert and the ecstatically holy Brother Columbanus, whose performative visions cause Cadfael to roll his eyes. The tussle over the bones of neglected Welsh saint Winifred leads to bloodshed, but luckily Cadfael is around to set all to rights.

I enjoyed this book a lot and the person who recommended Brother Cadfael to me as perfect comfort reading was right on the money.