This is the second book in the Brother Cadfael mystery series, featuring an older Benedictine Monk who retired to the Abbey at Shrewsbury after a wild and eventful youth, and now spends his time peacefully in the Abbey’s herbarium. Or tries to: it seems there’s always a murder to be solved in 12th Century England, and Brother Cadfael is the man to do it.

This book takes place in the summer of 1138, during the war of succession for the crown of England between King Stephen and his cousin the Empress Maude. King Stephen holds Shrewsbury under siege, and he is seeking followers of his main opponents, William FitzAlan and Fulke Adeney. In particular, he wants to find the only daughter of Adeney - Godith - to hold for ransom in exchange for her father. He suspects she is hiding at the Abbey.

Meanwhile, Shrewsbury Castle falls to King Stephen, and the remaining 94 defenders are hanged. Brother Cadfael offers to help bury the bodies, and discovers one extra. Someone apparently tried to cover up a murder by adding an extra body to the pile. Brother Cadfael is determined to get to the bottom of it, and the King agrees. (The characters muse on the topsy-turvy morality of war that allows Stephen to collude in the killing of the 94, but be horrified by the killing of an additional man.)

As in the previous book, Brother Cadfael does not let his detective duties deter him from matchmaking. There is a lovely passage when two young people suddenly experience a difference in their regard for one another:

"And talk they did… Each of them took up the thread from the other, as though handed it in a fixed and formal ceremony, like a favour in a dance. Even their voices had grown somehow alike, as if they matched tones without understanding that they did it. They had not the least idea, as yet, that they were in love.”

“Ah well,” Brother Cadfael muses, “these things are for the young.” (See my previous review about Brother Cadfael’s proclivity for fixing up people, in which I give you the lyrics for “Hello Young Lovers.”) These lyrics include the apt stanza:

"Don't cry young lovers, whatever you do,
Don't cry because I'm alone;
All of my memories are happy tonight,
I've had a love of my own.
I've had a love of my own, like yours-
I've had a love of my own."

Another wonderful passage in the book is an exchange between Brother Cadfael and Hugh Beringar, one of King Stephen’s soldiers about to engage in a duel to the death with his enemy, Adam Courcelle. Brother Cadfael asks Hugh if he will spend the night before in prayer:

"‘I am not such a fool as all that,’ said Hugh reprovingly, and shook a finger at his friend. ‘For shame, Cadfael! You go to bed and sleep well, and rise fresh to the trial. And now I suppose you will insist on being my deputy and advocate to heaven?’

‘No,” said Cadfael grudgingly. ‘I shall sleep, and get up only when the bell rings for me. Am I to have less faith than an impudent heathen like you?’"

Still, Cadfael worries to himself about the outcome of the duel:

"‘The trouble with me,’ he thought unhappily, ‘is that I have been about the world long enough to know that God’s plans for us, however infallibly good, may not take the form that we expect and demand. And I find an immense potential for rebellion in this old heart, if God, for no matter what perfect end, choose to take Hugh Beringar out of this world and leave Adam Courcelle in it.’”

Evaluation: This second book in the Brother Cadfael series is a marked improvement over the first. Characters have more depth, and if the murderer is not so well hidden to readers, the process by which the characters get there is an enjoyable one. And like the first, there are two pairs of lovers that find fulfillment thanks to Brother Cadfael. Sad in a way, but also sweet, and entertaining. ( )

An odd setting perhaps for whodunits 12th century England and a sleuth that doubles as a monk, but an enjoyable read nontheless. ( )

One Corpse Too Many is the second chronicle of Brother Cadfael, and, like the first, invokes a fairly authentic picture of life in the Middle Ages. Though the book wasn't gripping and some of the surprises were predictable (on purpose, perhaps), I found it quite enjoyable.

In this story, the royal cousins Maud and Stephen are warring for the throne, and England is suffering as castles are stormed and cities taken. Shrewsbury is no exception, and when Stephen takes it he orders that the ninety-four remaining defenders be hanged. After the hangings, Brother Cadfael and some other brothers go to wash and prepare the bodies for identification and burial. But there are ninety-five bodies there, not ninety-four, and that last corpse did not die by hanging. He was strangled, and planted in that deadly heap so that private murder might be covered by the king's sentence.

Who was the strangled man, and why was he so stealthily murdered? Cadfael is determined to find out, and launches a discreet investigation. He is aided by Godith Adeney, daughter of the castle's lord, who comes to the abbey dressed as a boy to escape Stephen's search. Together they unravel the threads of the murderer's cord, while trying to keep Godith's identity a secret. But her crafty betrothed, Hugh Beringar, seems to have a good idea of where she is. He doesn't miss a trick, that one, and delivering up Godith to Stephen would seal Beringar's place in court. So why he is playing right into Cadfael's hands?

I really liked Hugh Beringar. It was fun to go along, all unwitting, with Peters' careful leading and then have my ideas turned inside-out. Beringar reminds me strongly of Anthony Hope's notorious villain Rupert of Hentzau. He's also a little like Eugenides from Megan Whalen Turner's Attolian series. I really hope that Beringar shows up in later stories, and not just as a cameo!

Both this story and the first Cadfael chronicle have two pairs of lovers. I wonder if every story hereafter will feature someone falling in love. It's a common element of Agatha Christie's stories, despite her claim that she disliked adding romance to murder mysteries.

I was surprised to notice several comma splices throughout the book. In general Peters seems to be a very proficient writer with good characterizations and descriptive skills, but she certainly had trouble with using semi-colons instead of commas. A good editor should have caught those splices. It's a small point, but it does distract from the story for picky editors like myself. Ah well.

Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a bit and once a certain character's true nature was fully revealed, I knew exactly who the murderer was. I won't warn you away from playing along with Peters; I found it more fun to be fooled a little. Maybe that's why I'm reading murder mysteries in the first place! Overall this was a good little mystery enhanced greatly by its medieval setting and memorable hero. Recommended! ( )

In this second chronicle of Brother Cadfael of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Shrewsbury we are introduced to Hugh Beringar, who challenges Brother Cadfael as the most interesting character in this series by Ellis Peters. Hugh, soon to be made sheriff of the shire, shares many of the characteristics of Brother Cadfael in his shrewd mind, worldly savvy, humanitarian impulses, sense of justice, warrior skills and courtesy. We have considerable historical narrative in this book that propels the plot along as King Stephen lays siege to the town and castle of Shrewbury in his bid to overcome the forces of his cousin, Queen Maud. We have much interesting detail of the circumstances of a medieval siege as King Stephen is victorious and requires the life of every renegade in an orgy of hanging. The problem is when Brother Cadfael discovers that there is one corpse too many in the grisly pile and his sense of justice rejects the advice that in the midst of so much destruction one more corpse should not stir his interest. With two lovely romances to heighten the interest, this is my favorite in the 19 books of the series. ( )

One Corpse Too Many is the 2nd mystery of Brother Cadfael. This one is a step above the other Cadfael that I have read. The mystery is intriguing and while Cadfael is attempting to solve a murder (which gets lost for a time) he also has a charge he needs to protect, and try to send to safety. There is plenty of suspense and I found this to be a very enjoyable read.

King Stephen has laid siege to the castle at Shrewsbury and after a successful conquest has all the captured defenders hung from the walls. The next morning Cadfael is charged with preparing the mass of bodies for burial. In so doing he finds an extra corpse unaccounted for on the hanging roster. Cadfael undertakes the task of discovering the murderer who tried to hide behind the Kings justice. ( )