Hermit of Eyton Forest (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)
Little peace is to be found in England in the year 1142 as civil  war continues to rage. The effects of the violence reach even  into the cloistered world of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter  and St. Paul. Richard Ludel, the father of one of the abbey's  students, has recently died of wounds received in battle. His  ten-year-old son, also called Richard, has now become Lord of  Eaton. Richard's formidable grandmother, Dionysia, wants the boy  released from the abbey's custody, where his father placed him,  into her own. She has contracted a child marriage for young  Richard that will gain the Ludels control over a large  neighboring estate. No one is exactly what they seem, and more  than one character has a past that bears closer examination. Add  to this several subplots and a large amount of political  intrigue, and you have a great story. Although Brother Cadfael  is more an observer than an actor in this work, bodies and red  herrings pile up in a satisfying way before all the puzzles are  solved. In a departure from most of the Cadfael books, the  reader here is female, Roe Kendall. The gender change does not  diminish the listener's pleasure; Kendall has a fine touch with  accents, and it is easy to tell the characters apart.  Recommended for public library collections where works by Peters  and historical mysteries are popular. Barbara Rhodes, Northeast  Texas Lib. Syst., GarlandCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.