One Cool Monk

I'm not a big fan of historical mysteries, with one exception, Brother Cadfael.

The character Brother Cadfael is featured in a series of novels by the late Ellis Peters, whose real name was Dame Edith Pargeter. They were brought to greater fame in a series of television shows you can often catch on PBS as part of their Mystery! series. The shows star Derek Jacobi and Cadfael and are intensely loyal to the books -- and perfect for family viewing with no graphic violence, no foul language and no sex.

Cadfael is not your typical monk. In his youth, he took to the Middle East, fighting in the crusades and helping to liberate Jerusalem. He then spent several years as a sailor in the Mediterranian. He has drank, fought and killed, loved and made love to women, traveled the world, waged war and in general lived a full and rich life.

At the age of 40 he becomes a benedictine monk serving at Shrewsbury in the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. He is an expert with herbs and flowers, a knowledge that plays a part in his solving of crimes. Shewsbury and the abbey really do exist and are quite the tourist attraction these days.

The thing I like is that he solves crimes with his mind. He calls upon his experiences in the world, which give him insight into the workings of the human mind and emotion. He combines that experience with his intellect and gift for rational thinking.

Add to the great story telling and crime solving a back drop of inner-abbey politics (which makes Congress look tame) and England being involved in a civil war for much of the series, and you've got great drama, whether you read it or watch the series.

It's good stuff!