Brother Cadfael investigates - One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters/Edith Pargeter
A Book review
One Corpse Too Many is a 1979 medieval mystery novel by English novelist Edith Pargeter writing under the pen name of Ellis Peters. It’s the second instalment of Peters’ The Brother Cadfael Chronicles and a sequel to the 1977 novel “A Morbid Taste for Bones”.
In “One Corpse Too Many”, it’s the year 1138 and the wales-born Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk and the herbalist of Shrewsbury Abbey tries his best to serve the people of Shropshire amidst the raging civil war between the forces of King Stephen and Empress Matilda, also known as the Anarchy.
“In such dreadful times as these no one can do more than choose his own road according to his conscience, and bear the consequences of his choice, whatever they may be.”
Ellis Peter, One Corpse Too Many (1979)
It’s a demanding task at the best of times, and it’s not made any easier by King Stephen taking the Shrewsbury Castle and punishing the rebels who have challenged his right to the throne.
When the body of a murdered man is discovered among the dead rebels, Brother Cadfael, already seasoned veteran in the art of sleuthing, is drawn away from tending his herbs to suss out the culprit.
Faithfully to the common themes in The Brother Cadfael Chronicles, “One Corpse Too Many” is not purely an account of bloody murder, but it also covers a case of amorous entanglement.
All these elements Peters binds together with a deft hand and authorial confidence I have seldom witnessed.
“The trouble with me, he thought unhappily, is that I have been about the world long enough to know that God’s plans for us, however infallibly good, may not take the form that we expect and demand.”Ellis Peters, One Corpse Too Many (1979)
For me, the best draw of “One Corpse Too Many” and the Cadfael Chronicles as a whole is the sleuth himself. Brother Cadfael, this crusader-cum-monk-cum-detective, is infinitely humane and wise to the ways of the world—but in stark contrast to so many of his sleuthing colleagues, not cynical or misanthropic.
Like the first case of Brother Cadfael in “A Morbid Taste for Bones”, “One Corpse Too Many” invites the reader to a well-researched historical setting that moves along very entertainingly mixing real people from known history together with fictional ones. It’s a concoction that goes down easy even if the hooded amateur sleuth Brother Cadfael is a new acquaintance.
By the time of the publication of “One Corpse Too Many” Ellis Peters/Edith Pargeter was already well-established pen-smith and it shows on every page of the book. Even compared to the first novel of the series, “One Corpse Too Many” displays a certain confidence in the narration that makes the story a joy to follow along.
Also, a more confined setting in allows One Corpse Too Many to emphasise the best loves tropes of proper mystery writing.
“The ugliness that man can do to man might cast a shadow between you and the certainty of the justice and mercy God can do to him hereafter. It takes half a lifetime to reach the spot where eternity is always visible, and the crude injustice of the hour shrivels out of sight.”
Ellis Peters, One Corpse Too Many (1979)
As the second case of Brother Cadfael, “One Corpse Too Many” is a delightful historical mystery and a brilliant follow-up to “A Morbid Taste for Bones”. Peters’ prose is enjoyable, the characters well-developed, and most importantly, the mystery at the heart of everything was intriguing enough to keep me engaged to the very end.
A quick view at Goodreads shows an unquestioned appreciation for the novel. Based on nearly 800 hundred reviews and a little over 13,000 ratings, Edith Pargeter’s “One Corpse Too Many” averages above four stars. With one review calling it a “Very strong follow up!” and another echoing the sentiment with a telling “It doesn’t get better than this.” I think it’s fair to call “One Corpse Too Many” by Ellis Peters is refreshingly pure-blooded cozy mystery in a medieval setting.
Well worth a four-four start review.
Edith Pargeter's Brother Cadfael - A Great Detective?
