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Sanctuary Sparrow (Chronicles of Brother…
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Sanctuary Sparrow (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael) (original 1983; edition 1995)

by Ellis Peters (Author)

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1,914358,623 (3.88)78
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML:

Medieval monk Brother Cadfael races to save a young man he believes is falsely accused of robberyâ??before the protection of sanctuary expires.
In the gentle Shrewsbury spring of 1140, the midnight matins at the Benedictine abbey suddenly reverberate with an unholy soundâ??a hunt in full cry. Pursued by a drunken mob, the quarry is running for its life. When the frantic creature bursts into the nave to claim sanctuary, Brother Cadfael finds himself fighting off armed townsmen to save a terrified young man.

Liliwin, a wandering minstrel who performed at the wedding of a local goldsmith's son, has been accused of robbery and murder. The cold light of morning, however, will show his supposed victim, the miserly craftsman, still lives, although a strongbox lies empty. Brother Cadfael believes Liliwin is innocent, but finding the truth and the treasure before Liliwin's respite in sanctuary runs out may uncover a deadlier sin than thieveryâ??a desperate love that nothing, not even the threat of hanging, can stop.
The Sanctuary Sparrow is the seventh book in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, featuring a "wily veteran of the Crusades." The historical mystery series earned Ellis Peters a Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Awardâ??and a legion of devoted fans (Los Angeles Time
… (more)

Member:Jason_Hess
Title:Sanctuary Sparrow (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael)
Authors:Ellis Peters (Author)
Info:Mysterious Press (1995), Edition: Mass Paperback Edition, 224 pages
Collections:Your library, Fiction
Rating:
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The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters (1983)

  1. 00
    Plague Land by S D Sykes (charlie68)
    charlie68: Same time period
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» See also 78 mentions

English (31)  Spanish (2)  French (2)  All languages (35)
Showing 1-5 of 31 (next | show all)
Yet another Cadfael book imported from Shelfari with no review, and it didn't make it to LibraryThing, either, so whatever I thought when I first read this, other than I gave it 4 stars, is gone.

A young minstrel races into the sanctuary and grabs the cloth on the altar to escape the mob chasing him, certain without proof that he has committed murder and theft. The abbot stops the mob from beating him to death and gets them to leave. A rather action packed start to a Brother Cadfael book, but rest assured, it's another gem in this series. He has a legal right to 40 days of sanctuary before he has to be handed over to the authorities, providing he doesn't leave the compound, and--I know you'll be shocked--Brother Cadfael investigates, along with Hugh Beringer with the help of others. Yes, of course there is a romance as a side part of this, or it wouldn't belong in this series, would it? ( )
  Karin7 | Jan 22, 2024 |
Summary: A young traveling entertainer at a wedding seeks sanctuary in the abbey, pursued by a mob accusing him of murdering and robbing the groom’s father while Cadfael and Hugh explore the possibility of other suspects closer to home.

It is the time for midnight matins at the abbey, usually peaceful. Instead, the monks hear the sound of an uproar growing louder. Then in bursts a lithe young man pursued by an angry and drunken mob. The young man, Liliwin, is a traveling juggler and singer, hired to entertain at Daniel Aurifaber’s wedding to Margery, daughter of a rich family. Daniel is at the head of the mob (rather than in bed with his bride) accusing Liliwin of murdering and robbing his father, a goldsmith. Liliwin claims that after he had been turned out without being paid because he broke a lamp, pushed into it by rowdy guests, he wandered off, finding outdoor shelter in a copse of trees until realizing he was being pursued. Abbot Radulfus grants sanctuary, a forty day reprieve from arrest, trial, and death, provided that Liliwin not leave the abbey.

Almost at once we see the trust between the shrewd abbot and Cadfael, who is sent to look after Daniel’s elderly grandmother, Juliana, suffering heart problems. He’s able to question members of the household. We also learn that the father, Walter, lives, although badly concussed. Cadfael retrieves Liliwin’s juggling balls and something more–news that the maid Rannilt to whom he was attracted in their brief encounter at the wedding party is concerned about him.

Neither Cadfael nor Hugh Beringar, the deputy sheriff, with whom Cadfael shares a rapport, believe Liliwin guilty. No stash of stolen goods has been found. And there is enough greed surrounding the Aurifaber household to make them want to learn more. Then Baldwin Peche, the locksmith living across from the Aurifabers as their tenant, turns up floating in the river–while Liliwin was supposed to be confined to the abbey. In fact, Liliwin had been about the night of the death, escorting Rannilt back to the Aurifaber’s after a visit (and tryst) encouraged by Susanna, Daniel’s sister, who managed the household.

Hugh and Cadfael have forty days to sort all this out. Liliwin’s presence draws out the character of some of the brothers. Prior Robert resents the disruption of the abbey’s life Liliwin represents. Brother Jerome, a strict sort keeps pressing Liliwin to examine his soul as a disciplinarian. And brother Anselm delights in a fellow musician, taking Liliwin under his wing, hoping to recruit him for the abbey choir. He restores the lad’s shatter rebec, a type of stringed instrument.

Finding the place where Peche was murdered, marked by some distinctive plants coinciding in one place becomes significant, as are marks on the murdered man’s back, and remarks Rannilt shared about the household with Liliwin as are the last words which Rannilt overhears Dame Juliana say before her fatal seizure. The slowly intensifying story culminates in a chase where Rannilt is held hostage while Liliwin, now freed of suspicion, attempts a risky rescue.

Peters gets all the elements for a good mystery just right in this story–an accused we are rooting for, an array of possible suspects around the fraught household of Aurifaber, a budding love story that we don’t want to see interrupted by a death sentence, or a death, and behind it all, the worldly wise spirituality of the abbey and the maturing friendship of Cadfael and Hugh. ( )
  BobonBooks | Dec 13, 2023 |
When a man escaping from an enraged mob claims sanctuary, Cadfael is ordered by his abbot to begin investigation of whether the mob's claims are legitimate. When a body is found on the river's edge, the mob suspects the man but Cadfael suspects otherwise. As he approaches the truth, he discovers that someone had weaved a perfect crime. Confronting the murderer is much more complicated considering the life of a maid is at stake & a man's innocence. ( )
  walterhistory | Jul 12, 2022 |
Also read this previously in the 90's somewhere, I'm sure. Another good Cadfael mystery. All the usual things. ( )
  Malaraa | Apr 26, 2022 |
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Peters, Ellisprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
BascoveCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Benjamin, VanessaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Christensen, JanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
CĚŚeligoj, MetkaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dahlman, BritaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gilles, NicolasTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Grabska, MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gunsteren, Dirk vanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Janssens, PieterTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jensen, EdmondtTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kaplinski, MaarjaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kim, HunTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Livnat, MeiraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Menini, María AntoniaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ooide, KenTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thorne, StephenNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tull, PatrickNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Valla, RiccardoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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It began, as the greatest of storms do begin, as a mere tremor in the air, a thread of sound so distant and faint, yet so ominous, that the ear that was sharp enough to catch it instantly pricked and shut out present sounds to strain after it again, and interpret the warning.
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Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML:

Medieval monk Brother Cadfael races to save a young man he believes is falsely accused of robberyâ??before the protection of sanctuary expires.
In the gentle Shrewsbury spring of 1140, the midnight matins at the Benedictine abbey suddenly reverberate with an unholy soundâ??a hunt in full cry. Pursued by a drunken mob, the quarry is running for its life. When the frantic creature bursts into the nave to claim sanctuary, Brother Cadfael finds himself fighting off armed townsmen to save a terrified young man.

Liliwin, a wandering minstrel who performed at the wedding of a local goldsmith's son, has been accused of robbery and murder. The cold light of morning, however, will show his supposed victim, the miserly craftsman, still lives, although a strongbox lies empty. Brother Cadfael believes Liliwin is innocent, but finding the truth and the treasure before Liliwin's respite in sanctuary runs out may uncover a deadlier sin than thieveryâ??a desperate love that nothing, not even the threat of hanging, can stop.
The Sanctuary Sparrow is the seventh book in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, featuring a "wily veteran of the Crusades." The historical mystery series earned Ellis Peters a Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Awardâ??and a legion of devoted fans (Los Angeles Time

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A young man pursued by a lynching mob seeks sanctuary at the Benedictine monastery in Shrewsbury. He is accused of robbery and murder, but Cadfael senses his innocence and sets out to prove it.
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