The Confession Of Brother Haluin
By Ellis Peters
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
December, 1142. A brother of Shrewsbury Abbey suffers a fall that almost kills him. He makes a shocking deathbed confession to Brother Cadfael. When the man recovers Cadfael accompanies him on an arduous journey to redeem his past sins.
Ellis Peters
Ellis Peters (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, 1913–1995) is a writer beloved of millions of readers worldwide and has been widely adapted for radio and television, including her Brother Cadfael crime novels, which were made into a series starring Derek Jacobi. She has been the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Agatha Award for Best Novel, and was awarded an OBE for her services to literature in 1994.
Read more from Ellis Peters
The Will and the Deed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Pick Up Hitch-Hikers! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death Mask Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holiday with Violence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lily Hand: And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assize of the Dying Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Horn of Roland Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Funeral of Figaro Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Most Loving Mere Folly Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Confession Of Brother Haluin
Related ebooks
The Swoop! or, How Clarence Saved England: A Tale of the Great Invasion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man in the Snow: A John Shakespeare Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sword Of Islam Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Merchant's Tale: An atmospheric historical crime adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Eye For A Tooth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House of the Arrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barchester Towers: A Barsetshire Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Martin Chuzzlewit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Flight of the Heron: Historical Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlood Royal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Crowner's Crusade Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Men of No Property Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwo Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not George Washington Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Witch Hunter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Some experiences of an Irish R.M. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChoir of Crows, A Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conspiracy of Wolves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Serpent in the Heather Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piccadilly Jim Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meet Mr Mulliner: Classic Humorous Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mansions of Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lord of the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shakespeare Murders Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Nightingale Gallery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Templar Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nectar for the God: Mennik Thorn, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath at Pompeia's Wedding Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Old Man In The Corner Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bloodstone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Historical Mystery For You
The Stranger in the Lifeboat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories: A Miss Marple Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mapmaker's Apprentice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Apothecary's Poison Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady of Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The ABC Murders: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Librarian of Crooked Lane Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder for Christmas: A British Holiday Murder Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Watchmaker's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Find Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sentence Is Death: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eight Perfect Murders: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spider's Web Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sworn to Silence: A Kate Burkholder Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Word Is Murder: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Things in Jars: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Line to Kill: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guardian of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death: Grantchester Mysteries 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Jew in Prague Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Under a Red Moon: A 1920s Bangalore Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mystery of Mrs. Christie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Courting Dragons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Find You First: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shakespeare for Squirrels: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Confession Of Brother Haluin
255 ratings16 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter's nom de plume) presents us here with another delightful story, at times sad, at times very touching--especially its ending. You will walk with Haluin and Cadfael through the roads of England (still torn by the conflict between Matilda and Stephen for the crown), the first plodding painfully in crutches, the other accompanying him in this pilgrimage of redemption--and much discovery. The whole mystery you will quickly unveil, yet, Pargeter had such talent for telling stories, everything is so perfectly and expertly unwound, you will not mind the actual lack of a mystery! (I recommend everyone enjoying the "Cadfael" series to read book 16, "A Rare Benedictine," that tells the story of Cadfael entry into monastic life.)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the Brother Cadfael series, but in this one, I figured out the big twist long before it was even an issue. Ellis Peters kind of broadcasted it; the writing is just as great as the others, but parts of it just aren't a mystery.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Satisfying entry in the Cadfael series, about a fellow monk with a secret, and a need to atone for it. I guessed the solution to the mystery, but it was still "good fun".
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It is a snowy winter in Shrewsbury and the snow endangers the roof of the guest hall. Brother Haluin helps in the repairs and is seriously injured. Thinking he might die, he confesses to several sins. When he recovers, he asks to make a pilgrimage of repentance and Brother Cadfael is sent to accompany the young brother. Of course there is a murder but other discoveries are made along the way.This volume could have used a map as most of the action takes place away from Shrewsbury. A welcome addition to the Brother Cadfael mysteries.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the Brother Cadfael series, but in this one, I figured out the big twist long before it was even an issue. Ellis Peters kind of broadcasted it; the writing is just as great as the others, but parts of it just aren't a mystery.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brother Haluin is severely injured when repairing the Shrewsbury roof during a winter storm. Being on his death bed, he makes a confession of an event that occurred 18 years before. If he lives he swears to do penance for the act even on his severely mangled feet. This puts into play a series of events to which all is not as it seems. Solid entry in the Cadfael series of novels.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5After a horrific accident, Brother Haluin confesses to a sin unconfessed. Cadfael is chosen as his companion to assist him to complete his penance. When a maid ends up dead on the road, Cadfael must sort out all the confusion & realizes that a young girl is at the center of the mystery. Cadfael not only must find the killer, he must also discover the truth about the young girl who reminds Brother Haluin of a love long lost.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Haluin suffers a near-fatal fall and makes what he thinks is a dying confession to the abbot and Cafael; he unexpectedly recovers and decides to make a journey of expiation with Cafael as his companion.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Six-word review: Improbable tale charms indulgent series fan.Extended review: It's not hard to picture the author chuckling quietly to herself as she pieced together the fifteenth chronicle of a medieval monk whose monastic life seems to be as riddled with episodes of violent death as if he were a spiritual ancestor of Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher. The first book of the series takes place in the spring of the year 1137, and this one begins in December of 1142. That's an average of nearly three dastardly crimes per year within the reach of the quiet, well-run abbey in Shrewsbury, all of which depend somehow on Brother Cadfael for their solution and the invocation of justice.So it's no wonder that by now the author has ventured rather far into the realm of unlikelihood, albeit with the usual complement of concealed identities, long-hidden sins, thwarted romances, and complicated family relationships.However, if we've stayed with the series this long, we love Brother Cadfael, and we're just happy to watch him going about his business, doing what he does best, which on most days is growing and tending his herb garden, preparing remedies, and offering wise counsel to those who seek it, and on surprisingly frequent occasions is investigating crimes and exposing culprits.In this installment, it doesn't even matter that Cadfael has almost no detecting to do. His main function is to serve as a go-between and catalyst while the dramas of others play out. That's enough. I got what I came for.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brother Cadfael mysteries are good for rainy days when one's brain just can't think any longer and escape, escape, escape is all one wants to do! This particular one is a rather slim volume, but still, it was as expected. No spoiler alerts for this review (unlike some of the ones that follow), but I will say that although I guessed the answer to the main mystery early, early on, I was puzzled as to the motive for it. But all is revealed in the end....This plot gives us a glimpse into the life of a Benedictine convent, and of how these beautiful stone convents and monasteries were constructed. Just a glimpse, but still interesting.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In this the 15th Brother Cadfael Chronicle, we watch unfold the unhappy consequences of long distant, long hidden deception. The author gives us an important lesson in the sorrows brought about by suppressing devious actions of the past which can only be rectified by the sometimes painful process of revealing truth. Brother Cadfael, the medieval monk of Shrewsbury Abbey reflects, "Truth can be costly, but in the end it never falls short of value for the price paid." The tangled tale begins with the inexplicable rejection of a suitable husband for a daughter and proceeds to the burdening of the young suitor with false guilt driving him into the cowl at the Benedictine Abbey of Shrewsbury with a heaviness that now 18 years later is still consuming him. Brother Cadfael, resident herbalist and amateur sleuth of the Abbey, is the partner in the redemption of this young monk as they make pilgrimage together to the tomb of his long lost beloved and to the revelation of painful occurences of the dark past. Ellis Peters can not only tell a good tale, but she also has a remarkable insight into human nature--the motives that drive us and the consequences of our unfortunate choices.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another enjoyable mystery that isn't too mysterious early on, but still a great diversion. These stories never fail to please. Unfortunately, I am starting to run low on unread Brother Cadfael books.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When you can see some of what is coming at you for pages in a mystery, then it is not doing what it should be doing. This is the problem I found with The Confession of Brother Haluin. Previously when Peters has sent Hugh Beringar to court then we have court intrigue find its way to Shrewbury. This time, we do not. We find very little in the way of additional detail about Saint Peter and St. Paul's though we do hear about the brothers who work in the scriptorium as that is where Haluin has found his skills to be valued.As we delve into the story, we see so much earlier than Cadfael what is taking place, that it leaves me wondering why the story was even written. Then the body. All good mysteries are murder mysteries and so there must be a body.But we don't get to the body for such a long time, and by then we know the heart of the mystery so the motive for there being a body is too evident. The reason to read the story is to pass time and keep up with the rest of the series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoy all the Cadfael mysteries, so I would recommend any of them.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the Brother Cadfael series, but in this one, I figured out the big twist long before it was even an issue. Ellis Peters kind of broadcasted it; the writing is just as great as the others, but parts of it just aren't a mystery.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent story in the Brother Cadfael series. A monk who is trying to atone for something he did when younger is badly injured, confesses to having given herbs from Cadfael's collection to procure an abortion with his girlfriend, which then kills her. He thinks that this is a deathbed confession, but he lives. He goes on a pilgrimage as part of his penance and what he finds out changes his life.