Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #1
“Both men and women partake of the same human nature, Huw. We both bleed when we’re wounded.”
Brother Cadfael
A Morbid Taste for Bones is a book that grew on me the more that I read. This book has Church politicking, a whodunnit, and a morbid trip to claim a saint’s bones. By the end, I was cheering on Cadfael and the Welsh villagers for handling the situation in very unique ways.
Cadfael joined the church late in life, which gives him a unique perspective among the brothers of the Abbey. He does not automatically believe everything that the higher-ranked brothers say, even telling a villager that merely being a member of the church does not make them less fallible than other humans. His mischievous nature makes itself well-known as he watches and handles the chaos unfolding around moving Saint Winifred. He is also grave when needed. As the hunt for a killer is pulled in multiple directions, he keeps a cool head and tries to find the truth no matter where the clues lead. He is a well-rounded character that I genuinely enjoyed by the end of the book.
The plot is morbid as it revolves around the Prior wanting to claim a Saint’s relics (bones) to compete with a nearby priory. While Brother Cadfael prefers to nap through these discussions, he still invites himself and Brother John for the trip to Wales. Being the only one who speaks Welsh in the group, he is stuck in the middle as the villagers adamantly oppose the removal of their saint and tempers flare. Cadfael serves as the interpreter, mediator, and, when the leader of the opposition is found dead, investigator. Even with the many hats he wears, he never seems to outweigh the other characters.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than expected after I finished the first few chapters. Cadfael grew more exciting, and I look forward to seeing other situations where he gets himself stuck in the middle.
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