Time Travel

Do you ever wish you could hop onto a magic carpet and travel back in time to another place, another era, and take a break from the violence and horrible news stories bombarding you via television and internet? Let me tell you a bout a mystery series that will do just that.

The author is Ellis Peters which is a pseudonym for Edith Mary Pargeter. She was a British author who wrote the Brother Cadfael series. Some of you may remember seeing that series on television several years ago. (Why don’t the powers that be re-run some of these really interesting shows?)

Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk living in the twelfth century, sets about solving murders. These stories give a glimpse into history and its uncertain times. Factions of King Stephen and the Empress Maud are at war. Intrigue, danger, murder are woven throughout the fabric of the books.

Twenty books make up the series, beginning with A Morbid Taste for Bones. They really need to be read in chronogical order. I thought I had all of the books but, on checking through, I see that I don’t. I’ll need to remedy that. A few of the other titles are: St. Peter’s Fair, Mourning Raga, and The Joyful Woman. I noticed on Amazon that the whole series is available as a set if you want to put out some serious money. (Update: As an Ellis Peters fan pointed out, Mourning Raga and Death and The Joyful Woman are not Cadfael novels but are penned by Ellis Peters nonetheless.)

Even years after her death, Ellis Peters’ books still rank high on Amazon. If you have any interest in British history or even if you don’t, you might enjoy an escape to an earlier time and the way life was lived for many people. And, in the process, get involved in a mystery with Brother Cadfael.