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Book Review
Jun. 10th, 2015 09:23 pmThe Virgin in the Ice
by Ellis Peters
This is the sixth Cadfael mystery, and its one of the more complicated ones. After the sacking of Worcester during the 12th century conflict between Stephen and Matilda, two young people and a nun go missing, and Cadfael is called to a neighboring monastery to help nurse Elyas, a monk badly injured by bandits that have begun preying on local holdings. The missing nun is discovered under the ice of a brook, raped and murdered, and the searches for her killer, the brigands who attacked Elyas, and her two young charges become entangled. The way all these threads interact makes for a very rich and compelling story with some really interesting surprises. There are a couple of plot elements that seem to be going in one direction and then veer off into another in ways I didn't quite see coming. It was all very satisfying.
By now some standard patterns and features of this series are emerging: the foolish actions of youths as the impetus that sets the plot in motion, young lovers with a hurdle to overcome, and the often tragic effects of the conflict between Stephen and Matilda on people from all walks of life. It can be a little formulaic, but it happens to be a formula I find quite appealing. Plus, it still allows for a lot of variation and suspense.
by Ellis Peters
This is the sixth Cadfael mystery, and its one of the more complicated ones. After the sacking of Worcester during the 12th century conflict between Stephen and Matilda, two young people and a nun go missing, and Cadfael is called to a neighboring monastery to help nurse Elyas, a monk badly injured by bandits that have begun preying on local holdings. The missing nun is discovered under the ice of a brook, raped and murdered, and the searches for her killer, the brigands who attacked Elyas, and her two young charges become entangled. The way all these threads interact makes for a very rich and compelling story with some really interesting surprises. There are a couple of plot elements that seem to be going in one direction and then veer off into another in ways I didn't quite see coming. It was all very satisfying.
By now some standard patterns and features of this series are emerging: the foolish actions of youths as the impetus that sets the plot in motion, young lovers with a hurdle to overcome, and the often tragic effects of the conflict between Stephen and Matilda on people from all walks of life. It can be a little formulaic, but it happens to be a formula I find quite appealing. Plus, it still allows for a lot of variation and suspense.
