Title:

Dead Man's Ransom

Author:

Ellis Peters

Category:

Mystery / Thriller

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

February 28, 2024

rother Cadfael returns for his ninth mystery in Dead Man's Ransom. Peters seems to be improving her storytelling as the series advances, it is no longer easy to spot the villain, I did not guess who the murderer was in this story. Peters now has an established set of characters in addition to Cadfael - the abbot, the deputy sheriff, his fellow monks. In this book, Peters introduces a wise, mature nun named Sister Magdalen. Just like Cadfael had an earlier career as a crusader before joining a religious order, Magdalen once served as a mistress for a nobleman before starting her second career doing God's work. I got the impression that Peters created Magdalen to serve as a female foil to Cadfael, and that we shall be seeing more of her in later volumes.

It is 1141 AD and civil war rages in England as King Stephen and Empress Maud battle for the right to rule the kingdom. Up north, two powerful earls have decided that they might like to rule a chunk of England themselves. They raise troops and split the civil war into another faction. King Stephen marches north to put down these rebellious earls, and the town of Shrewsbury musters a contingent of men to join him on the march (Shrewsbury has remained loyal to King Stephen). The sheriff of Shrewsbury, Gilbert Prestcote leads the Shrewsbury men in support of Stephen, but in the battle, things go poorly for the king and his troops. Prestcote does not return home with the surviving men, it is up to his second-in-command, Hugh Beringer, to gather those who are still standing and retreat back to Shrewsbury. The fate of Prestcote is unknown - is he dead or is he being held for ransom?

Shrewsbury is near the border with Wales, and with most of its men-at-arms absent, Welsh raiders decide it is a good time to loot the English countryside. A band of mauraders streams into England, searching for easy plunder. This band of opportunists decide to attack the seemingly defenseless nuns-house at Godric's Ford. Although Mother Mariana is the prioress of Polesworth at Godric's Ford, it is the cunning old Sister Magdalen who organizes the English to repel the Welsh raiding party. The Welsh meet more resistance than expected, and turn back - yet leave behind one of their own, a young man who was swept away downstream. The young Welsh man is rescued from drowning by the merciful sisters, but he speaks no English. Brother Cadfael has Welsh ancestry and does speak Welsh, and so he is sent for to interrogate the prisoner. The young man turns out to be Elis ap Cynan, who's mother is cousin to Owain Gwynedd, a powerful Welsh figure. Elis is a valuable hostage - and then word comes that sheriff Prestcote lives and is being held by the Welsh. It seems like a straightforward operation to swap the two men.

Ellis Peters likes to add romance to some of her Cadfael novels. Young, beautiful people of high character ending up happily married seems to be her ideal way to end a mystery. While being held inside the castle of Shrewsbury, Elis catches a glimpse of young blonde, beautiful Melicent and instantly is smitten. And it seems that the attraction is mutual. But, irony of ironies, Melicent is the daughter of sheriff Prestcote - once the hostage swap exchange occurs, Elis will be sent back to the Welsh and never set eyes upon the new-found love of his young life!

I like how Peters builds her plot around actual historical events. (At least, I presume that King Stephen really did fight a battle against rebel earls in the winter of 1141, I certainly do not know enough English history to determine if this indeed happened.) Including true history makes the rest of the novel seem more plausible, though Peters has always been excellent at presenting an authentic seeming depiction of medieval England.

There are 21 Brother Cadfael books, so I am almost halfway through this series and have not given up yet. Next on the list: The Pilgrim of Hate.