The Rose Rent (1986)

Some twenty years ago I read the second book in this series and found it too mannered for my taste. I so disliked it that I steered clear of Ellis Peters until I picked this one of my pile. This time I enjoyed the period feel and found the characters richly delineated. The mystery had a satisfying complexity without feeling contrived and there is a satisfying distinction of place between the town, the abbey, and the hinterland. ( )

I got this from the "free books" box at the local library. I picked it up because I am a fan of the PBS series and I actively participate in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

I loved the descriptive narrative and the language. The story itself was a little uneven, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I did find myself wishing for more romance near the end. Oh well. ( )

What a delight to be drawn into the world of Brother Cadfael in the medieval town and Abbey of Shrewsbury, England. The author, Ellis Peters, is a medieval scholar, a master of the English language and a shrewd observer of character just like her worldly-wise, but now tonsured character, Brother Cadfael. This is the thirteenth in a series of mysteries surrounding the folk of Shrewsbury all of which are deftly solved by the herbalist and former Crusader, Brother Cadfael. There is always a touch of romance, an assurance of everyone in his proper place in society, reverence for those things Holy, and respect for men and women of honour and courage with a wide latitude of allowance for the weaknesses of humankind. Ellis Peter's characters speak with the cadences and words of the middle ages and are immensely likeable. ( )

This book has a different pacing then the last several in the series. There is still a build-up to the first murder and the mystery, but in this instance we are focused on the mystery. There is detail about the part of medieval life that surrounds and embraces those involved in the mystery and that background breathes life into these stories. But in this instance the politics of the King and Empress is lacking, but not sadly so.

That the tug of war of the Civil War that was occurring and featured so prominently in the preceeding books is gone has allowed the series to grow and be much more focused on it's genre. A much better mystery then some of what has been contrived to fit in the Civil War previously.

What one misses is that Cadfael, who does solve our mysteries with help, has special skills in herbology and this is not needed to solve the crimes and has seldom been played up. He is making casting impressions in this case and that certainly seems much more like a modern sleuth then one whose background as the local pharmacist for near twenty years would also be able to contribute.

Cadfael does not recognize his own growth away from his hut of herbs and spices, but does indeed know that solving the problem of the mystery is where he finds peace. I would think that at some time the abbey would say something along those lines, but we do glimpse the politics there on occasion and see that won't be forthcoming soon. ( )

The Rose Rent is the 13th book in the Brother Cadfael Mystery series. Cadfael is 12th Century English monk and apothecary with an open mind and an observant eye. It was a pretty good book and it did a good job of keeping one guessing who was the ultimate villain.

The Rose rent is required from the Widow Perle when she made a gift to the abbey of her property after the death of her husband and child, every year on St. Winifred's translation she was to receive one white Rose from the bush behind the house. Things go wrong when it appears someone tried to kill the rose bush in an apparent effort to invalidate the contract with the abbey. Unfortunately for the saboteur, they were caught in the act by a monk who prevented the vandalism with his life. But finding out who and why is not as easy as it sounds with a rather large list of suspects. ( )