Publisher, Audio Partners (September 2000)

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"Each addition to the series is a joy. Long may the chronicles continue." --USA Today

"This superb recording will entertain listeners as they consider both the King's justice and God's." --AudioFile

"Brother Cadfael, hero of twenty novels by Ellis Peters and star of a new PBS Mystery series, is joining Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Maigret, and Lord Peter Wimsey in the first rank of great fictional detectives...The entire series is made up of intricately plotted whodunits peopled with compelling characters and a stunning array of sights and sounds." --World magazine (NC)

Highly recognized from PBS-TV's Mystery! series.

It is mid-December in the year 1141 and a new priest, Father Ailnoth, a harsh and callous man, arrives at Holy Cross, outside the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. His accompanying train includes his housekeeper and her nephew, Benet. Gentle Benet, quite the opposite of Father Ailnoth, spends his days working in Brother Cadfael's herb garden. After Father Ailnoth is found murdered, suspicion falls on Benet. Now Brother Cadfael must sort out the complicated strands of innocence and guilt. This medieval whodunit has Peters' usual richness of detail, intricacy of plot, and satisfying characterization.

About the Author: Ellis Peters (1913-1995) is the pen name taken by Edith Pargeter, who also wrote many books under that name. She took the first name of her brother for her pen name, Ellis. Of her many books, she is best known for her historical novels set in Shropshire, most particularly those with Brother Cadfael at their center. She received numerous prestigious writing awards. Peters was a writer of such high esteem that the British Crime Writers Association recently established a new annual award in her name, The CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger.

About the Performer: Stephen Thorne is a veteran actor who has acted most notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Old Vic Company. He participated in over 2,000 broadcasts for the BBC. He has performed many audiobooks, among them five for the Audio Partners Corporation.