Summary: Three missing refugees, an amnesiac monk left for dead, and a dead young girl encased in ice amid civil war and marauding bands challenge the skills of Cadfael and Hugh Beringar.

The civil war between Stephen and Maud is heating up as Maud and her forces have returned to England to contest Stephen’s reign. A young boy and his older sister, accompanied by a nun fail to arrive at Shrewsbury, refugees of an attack on a city. Then Cadfael, concerned for these three, is invited to come to Bromfield, along the way they would have taken to attempt to restore a monk assaulted and left for dead, Brother Elyas. It turns out he was assaulted along the road after travelers matching the three refused his offer of shelter at Bromfield. And in the wake of civil war, a marauding band is pillaging rural dwellings, seizing their livestock and killing the inhabitants.

As Cadfael tries to heal Brother Elyas in both body and mind, he investigates the circumstances of his assault, which brings him upon the scene of a dead young woman encased in ice. Subsequently, a shepherd sees Cadfael and recognizes him as one to be trusted and puts into his care Yves, the boy they are seeking. But what of the sister? Yves confirms that the dead young woman is not his sister but the nun who had accompanied them. The sister had gone off with a man she had conspired with who she thought she had loved. He also had been attacked by marauders but she had fled him after their escape.

Together, Cadfael and Hugh face several challenges. Reuniting the boy with his sister. Restoring Elyas, who seems traumatized by what happened the night he was assaulted. Finding out who murdered the nun. And hunting down the powerful band of marauders who have built a secret stronghold. And another mystery, a stranger also searching for the children. Who is he and what part will he play in the unfolding plot?

Peters’ plotting creates for us an interesting weave of story elements that make us wonder how all these will relate. Yves is a most enterprising and surprisingly mature thirteen year old. And we also witness the growing friendship between Cadfael and Beringar, each answering to different callings. There is also a wonderful surprise for Cadfael that comes at the end of this story. But you will just need to read it if you don’t already know! ( )

En esta ocasión, llega al monasterio otro monje de un monasterio cercano, buscando a dos hermanos que estaban bajo su cuidado y que desaparecieron durante uno de los asaltos que se produjeron en la ciudad debido a la guerra que hay en el país. Los dos hermanos iban acompañados de una monja que era la encargada del cuidado de la chica y todos empiezan a temerse lo peor cuando la monja aparece muerta en un regato que se había congelado. Fray Cadfael intentará resolver el asesinato y, además, tendrá que localizar a los dos hermanos que parecen haberse separado en algún lugar.

In Bk 6, Brother Cadfael in the midst of winter is called to tend a sick monk found nearby a monastery south of his own. Soon he discovers the sick monk is the key to unraveling the mysterious disappearance of 2 children & a missing nun. Bandits nearby adds to the tense situation but when the nun's body is found frozen in a creek, Cadfael suspects murder which means someone is hiding a heinous crime in the midst of chaos. ( )

Brother Cadfael Mysteries by Ellis Peters (4 stars)
A Morbid Taste for Bones (#1) / The Virgin in the Ice (#6)
These books are part of a 21-book series about a 12th century Monk named Brother Cadfael, who has a talent for solving murder mysteries. There is also a PBS series about Brother Cadfael starring Derrik Jacobi as the monk. I have seen a few of these shows so I decided to give the books a try as I was sampling different types of mystery stories. Cadfael is an interesting character, having been a crusading soldier in his younger days he is, you might say, a bit unconventional as a monk. He has a long colorful history behind him and there is a lot of pretty accurate historical fact thrown in with the novels as well keeping them entertaining and figuring out the ‘who done it’ portion with Brother Cadfael.
Morbid Taste for Bones: The monastery where Cadfael lives is looking to gain more notoriety by beefing up their collection of relics from Saints, so one of the brothers has a miraculous vision showing him where to find some relics to take back to his monastery, it just so happens the relics are in Wales and the people of the town are not so convinced they need to give them up to these English Monks….
The Virgin in the Ice: The story begins with the historical sacking of Worcester in 1139, historical information is revealed, including a good inside look at English society in the middle ages and Cadfael sets out to look for a pair of royal youths who have been missing since the battle and solving murders along the way. ( )

This is the one where he meets Olivier. ( )