A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1)

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A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #1)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 11,845 ratings · 432 reviews

Ellis Peters' introduction to the murderous medieval world of Brother Cadfael...
A Morbid Taste for Bones

In the remote Welsh mountain village of Gwytherin lies the grave of Saint Winifred. Now, in 1137, the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided to acquire the sacred remains for his Benedictine order. Native Welshman Brother Cadfael is sent on the expedition to tran...more

Mass Market Paperback, 197 pages

Published 1994 by Grand Central Publishing (first published 1977)

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May 09, 2013 Jon added it

Recommended to Jon by: Ron Andrea

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, read-in-my-40s, loved-it

4 stars

Due to the acquisition of GoodReads by Amazon on March 28, 2013 and my existing and continuing boycott of all things Amazon, the review I wrote after reading this book now resides, safe and secure, at my blog. You can read it by following this link: http://bit.ly/11WPGYN

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Nov 27, 2011 Werner rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of historical mysteries

Recommended to Werner by: I was a fan of the PBS Brother Cadfael episodes on Mystery!

Shelves: mystery-crime-fiction, books-i-own

Dame Edith Pargeter had already, by 1977, made a reputation for herself, under the pen name of Ellis Peters, as a mystery writer; but under her own name, she was also a respected author of historical fiction, much of it set in medieval Wales. When she brought the two genres together in this first of many novels, set in the border country between England and Wales (where she grew up) in the turbulent mid-1100s and featuring Brother Cadfael, a former veteran soldier now a monk in his sixties, and...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Chrissie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, great-britain, hf, series, alt

Marvelous story. You have to read it to find out exactly what happens. A fun spoof on religion. The historical detail, the characters, and the humor are enchanting. By the end I loved Brother Cadfael and all the villagers of Gwytherin, Wales. An utterly charming tale and funny too!

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Jul 25, 2008 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-mystery-crime, series-abandoned

Great historical mystery series.

Since this info was hard for me to find, below is a list of the Cadfael novels in order of publication:

A Morbid Taste for Bones

One Corpse Too Many

Monk's Hood

St. Peter's Fair

The Leper of St. Giles

The Virgin in the Ice

The Sanctuary Sparrow

The Devil's Novice

Dead Man's Ransom

The Pilgrim of Hate

An Excellent Mystery

The Raven in the Foregate

The Rose Rent

The Hermit of Eyton Forest

The Confession of Brother Haluin

The Heretic's Apprentice

A Rare Benedectine

The Potter's Field...more

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May 05, 2013 Hanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, shelf-a-ton-16

In a weird way, this book is pure nostalgia.

I never read this book before, but my mother used to have the entire collection and in my memories it seems like she was constantly reading one of them while i was a kid (which is probably not really true, but you know how memories work! they are alway slightly distorting the truth).
I saw this book a little while ago in the library and i just had to read it now.

It is a nice, quick and enjoyable read. Not too much suspense (although i am glad i was able...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: britain-fiction, historical-fiction

Ah ha! We meet at last Brother Cadfael. Pray tell, Brother, was it as boring for you as it was for me?
I have heard much about the Brother Cadfael series and heard plenty of good reports on the books, including the first book in the series. This one. A Morbid Taste For Bones.
Having been one of the only English speaking persons in the world to have never read any of the books or watched any of the tv shows I have had A Morbid Taste For Bones on my radar for a goodling amount of time. Always putti...more Ah ha! We meet at last Brother Cadfael. Pray tell, Brother, was it as boring for you as it was for me?
I have heard much about the Brother Cadfael series and heard plenty of good reports on the books, including the first book in the series. This one. A Morbid Taste For Bones.
Having been one of the only English speaking persons in the world to have never read any of the books or watched any of the tv shows I have had A Morbid Taste For Bones on my radar for a goodling amount of time. Always putting it off for whatever reason...I am not sure now what they were.

My Ellis Peters blooding was a successful one and came in the form of one of her historical fiction books written under her other pen name, Edith Pargeter, which I read last year. That was A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury. The memory of her incredible writing in that book still makes my toes curl to this day. I loved it. It became one of my all time favourite historical fiction books.

It was this lingering taste of the author's work that made me clear the schedule this month and finally read the first Cadfael. But next to the Classicist nature of A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury, I am afeared A Morbid Taste For Bones presents like the poor, country cousin.
The writing quality I recognised, although it was more Shakespearean than Classicist in this historical mystery.
For me there was no story of interest propped up by the intelligent writing. It took far too long to get to the crime and then I really couldn't care less who killed whom and why. The scenes kept reminding me of a drawn out Shakespearean play. Good for someone watching in the back seats of a dusty old theatre with their mouths agape, leaning forward, their fists clenched in anticipation of events, but for me as a reader, it was more like a two hour train ride. Very little bumps and very little entertainment unless I bring it myself.

This may seem sacrilegious to those who love these books and the tv series, but I could easily have given this book 2 stars instead of 3. If it were not for my immense admiration for the way Ellis Peters strings her old fashioned words together, I would not have been so kind to A Morbid Taste For Bones.
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Oct 24, 2012 Hazel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, everyone-should-read

I have watched most of the Cadfael TV series, yet found it hard to remember what happened in this one before setting out to reading it. It did come back as I read it, but this didn't reduce my enjoyment of the book.

At first, I was a bit thrown by the very prim language used, but I got used to this quickly, and very soon stopped noticing it whatsover. It must just ave been the change from the Pratchett I've been reading.

As a whodunnit, this book delivers. It has a skeptical protagonist, a whole r...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mystery, time-medieval

The first time I read this book I wasn't impressed with it, and I only read the second in the series to make sure that I was giving the series an opportunity even if one book was a dud. I am glad I did! I ended up enjoying many of the subsequent volumes in the series.

Upon rereading this book recently, I'm not entirely sure what it was about it that I didn't care for the first time. To be sure, it is a little different from some of the other historical mystery series I've read. The reader isn't a...more The first time I read this book I wasn't impressed with it, and I only read the second in the series to make sure that I was giving the series an opportunity even if one book was a dud. I am glad I did! I ended up enjoying many of the subsequent volumes in the series.

Upon rereading this book recently, I'm not entirely sure what it was about it that I didn't care for the first time. To be sure, it is a little different from some of the other historical mystery series I've read. The reader isn't as involved in the story. It is a somewhat sanitized mystery in which the reader is a detached observer rather than being pulled into the lives of the characters and becoming attached to them. The mentions of the historical culture of the Benedictines and other people are subtle rather than rich in detail.

That said, the author uses interesting word choice and sentence structure. I thought the following description of the landscape was a unique use of imagery: "... and the water meadows were strung like a necklace of emeralds along the fringes of a necklace of silver and lapis-lazuli." (pg. 24) However, as a geologist, I was a little iffy on the "bright as the sparkles of mica in the river pebbles". (pg. 34) Although mica minerals are often sparkly, mica is not a very hard mineral. The only way I can see it surviving the energy from a river current is if it's incorporated into a rock like granite - in which case, the sparkling could just as easily be due to quartz. I know I'm overthinking it though, haha.

I was interested to note that Brother Cadfael does mention the difference in views regarding celibacy between some of the Celtic priests and those areas more strongly aligned with the Roman Catholic church. (pg. 26) If that's accurate, I didn't realize that some priests continued to marry after Pope Urban II declared the wives of priests to be slaves and sold priests' wives into slavery. However, I suppose that was only 40-50 years prior to when this story is taking place. Rome was a long way from Wales, so I guess the papacy didn't have the ability to enforce it strictly.

The author doesn't really mention any language issues within England itself. This is less than a century after the Norman Conquest. The Old English spoke by the Saxons and the language spoken by the Normans was not the same. When the author mentions Sioned speaking "English" I always wonder which language she is really speaking. The language of the nobility would have been the Norman language. Engelard is supposed to be a member of the nobility, yet he is described as being Saxon in appearance. Despite there being Saxons and Normans within the abbey itself, no mention is made regarding the bilingual nature of the time period. Without an author's note, it's impossible to know if this decision regarding a singular English language was made on purpose or out of ignorance. It's definitely something that someone who is more of a stickler for historical accuracy might have difficulty ignoring in order to enjoy the series.

As for the story, (view spoiler)

I wish I had paid attention to Brother Cadfael's age when it was mentioned; it would have been helpful in establishing this book's placement in a timeline of the series. (view spoiler)(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-stories, historical-fiction, books-read-in-2011

I freely confess that first I came to the Brother Cadfael saga through PBS. Later I read the books that had never made it into TV form and am just now getting around to reading some of the books that have been favorite television programs of mine for some time.

It's a measure of the quality of the adaptations that neither the book nor the TV program is a disappointment. The printed story is a bit more complicated but the TV show touches on all of the major plot elements and even adds some embell...more

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Aug 27, 2007 LJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, amateur_sleuth, england, wales, middle_ages_5th_cent-1558, 1100s

A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES (Amateur Sleuth-England/Wales-1100s) – VG
Peters, Ellis – 1st in series
Mysterious Press, 1977- Paperback
The prior of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided it needs a holy relic and has decided on the bones of Welsh Saint Winifred, now residing in the village of Gwytherin. An expedition group is sent with Brother Cadfael, a native Welshman, as translator. However, the people, and particularly the village's largest landowner, Rhisiart, are opposed to losing their Saint. When Rhisiar...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Sandra aka Sleo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, historical, mystery

I'm pretty sure I've listened to this before, but it was still entertaining, although I wished the poseur of a sanctimonious murdering monk had a more public downfall. Patrick Tull, as a narrator, tends to put me to sleep and makes all characters sound alike so I'm listening to a different narrator on the next book in the series. Brother Cadfael is a lovable guy, but also tough, which is nice.

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Sep 15, 2008 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Written as a stand-alone tale, here we find Brother Cadfael fully grown and developed--credit to Ellis Peter's experience writing mystery novels.

The best starting point for reading the series, then read "A Rare Benedictine" before continuing with the main sequence.

Cadfael series: excellent historical fiction. Ellis Peters draws the reader into the twelfth century with modern story telling but holds us there with a richness of detail which evokes a time and place which might as well be fictional....more

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Dec 14, 2008 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book begins one of my favorite series of all time. Brother Cadfael is a 12th century monk who "came to the cloth late in life" and serves as an herbalist for his monastery. The literary quality of this writing is rarely matched in modern literature.

This is an old-fashioned mystery series in the sense that it relies on a well-constructed story line and doesn't get into gory details and foul expletives to tell the reader how bad things are. Ellis Peters did her homework on the time period an...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Anirban rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-mystery, historical-mystery, favorites

I started reading this book after I was recommended by Goodreads. This was my first Ellis Peters mystery featuring Brother Cadfael. And, I can happily say that this won't be my last. This book can classify as a Cozy-mystery. The crime is very simple. The amount of blood and gore is almost non-existent, and the solution to the crime is pretty simple too. One doesn't have to re-read pages to get hold of the modus operandi of the killer or to understand the plot.
The protagonist, Brother Cadfael, is...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Mary Ellis rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers of historical fiction, mysteries

This is a fine beginning for the 20-odd Brother Cadfael Chronicles. There's considerable insight into one aspect of medieval Christianity: how fervently the bits of themselves that saints left behind (their bones, clothing, anything they touched) were cherished by people back then. Clerics coveted them as drawing cards to bring into their churches pilgrims who needed a miracle or hoped to witness one. Towns with a saint buried nearby had bragging rights over less favored jurisdictions. Every man...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have read several Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters and decided that I needed to start at the beginning of the series. In 1137, the Prior of the Benedicine Order at Shrewsbury decides that the relics of a saint are needed at the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. After some investigation, he discovers that the body of Saint Winifred is buried in the small Welsh village of Gwytherin and has been largely forgotten by the outside world. Brother Cadfael is sent with the small group of monks...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, course-altering, herbs

I've given stars indescriminately to Ms. Peter's entire Cadfael canon, but that's only because I read them 30 years ago and I can't remember which ones I loved and which ones I only merely loved a little. I give the series five stars because they were pretty much flawless. Also, for me, life-changing.

While the stories are set in the 12th century, a hard time to give color and texture to, Ms. Peters acquits her writerly duties with perfection. Her understanding of language and rhythm is remarkab...more

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Jun 20, 2012 M.J. Fiori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: krimi-mystery-thriller-procedural, historical-fiction

The first book in Ellis Peters' Cadfael series was serviceable, if a bit rote as far as procedurals go. My expectations were obviously a bit too high - but I've no doubt Peters will improve as the series goes on - though I do have to say that Cadfael himself is everything the historical-sleuth lover could hope for. I look forward to the other books. As for this debut outing, I guess I'm just not overly fond in general of beautiful/wise maiden partners-in-crime-solving, and in specific of the las...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Jane Connor rated it 2 of 5 stars

В XII веке в бенедиктинском монастыре в Шрусбери настоятель сильно переживает, что у монастыря нет мощей какого-нибудь, даже самого завалящего святого. И тут одному монаху является валлийская мученица Виннифред, которая, как монах утверждает, повелела ему найти ее мощи и перевезти в монастырь. Делегация монахов отправляется в валлийскую деревню, где жила и умерла Виннифред. Местные жители, разумеется, не в большом восторге из-за того, что их местную святую хотят забрать какие-то чужаки. Главного...more В XII веке в бенедиктинском монастыре в Шрусбери настоятель сильно переживает, что у монастыря нет мощей какого-нибудь, даже самого завалящего святого. И тут одному монаху является валлийская мученица Виннифред, которая, как монах утверждает, повелела ему найти ее мощи и перевезти в монастырь. Делегация монахов отправляется в валлийскую деревню, где жила и умерла Виннифред. Местные жители, разумеется, не в большом восторге из-за того, что их местную святую хотят забрать какие-то чужаки. Главного несогласного, всеми уважаемого человека, на следующий день находят убитым. Смекалистый и наблюдательный брат Кадфаэль берется за разгадку этого неприятного дела.

Это первая книга из здоровенного цикла детективных романов под общим названием «Хроники брата Кадфаэля», написанных Эдит Перджтер под псевдонимом Эллис Питерс. В соответствии с названием, главный действующий герой книжек – монах-бенедиктинец. Но разумеется, монах он не простой – в прошлом Кадфаэль был моряком и участником Крестовых походов, и только на склоне лет решил уйти в монастырь. А так как Кадфаэль, согласно автору, человек наблюдательный, обладающий глубоким знанием человеческой природы и практической сметкой, то часто его помощь в странных происшествиях оказывается неоценимой.

Как ни старайся, не провести параллель между «Хрониками брата Кадфаэля» и циклом Гилберта Кийта Честертона об отце Брауне нельзя. То, что Питерс позаимствовала идею у Честертона, еще надо доказать, но внешние сходства неоспоримы. Хотя кто его знает – людям, не читавшие про отца Брауна, наоборот вспомнится монах-детектив Вильгельм Баскервильский из «Имени Розы», и тогда уже Умберто Эко будет формальным эпигоном Питерс :). Дальше уже как пойдет; вопрос основной, что нравится ли вам больше – повести про отца Брауна или романы про брата Кадфаэля.

Я вот сразу скажу так – Честертон и его отец Браун мне не в пример ближе. Честертон объективно и как писатель гораздо лучше, и своих рассказах он так или иначе ставит всяческие этические проблемы. Плюс ко всему у Честертона отец Браун у него не просто так, сам по себе, католический священник: не потому что так вот автору (читай, Эллис Питерс) так захотелось, а потому что отцу Брауну не только его превосходное знание жизни помогает разрешать загадки и проникать в тайны, но и его мировоззрение тоже в этом играет не последнюю роль.

Питерс, которую хвалят за точность исторических деталей, не заморачивается такими глупостями, как ментальность средневекового монаха. У ее брата Кадфаэля (как и у многих героев романа) есть, знаете ли, такое усредненно-гуманистическое мировоззрение современного нам человека. Упомянутый уже Умберто Эко, профессиональный медиевист, от такого изображения средневекового монаха полез бы на стенку :).

Непонятно тогда, к чему было переносить действие романов именно в XII век. Почему бы не описывать захватывающие детективные сюжеты, где расследования бы проводил мелкий библиотекарь или шахтер? Все было бы честнее, и по крайней мере мне не пришлось бы через строчку кривиться от нарочитого снисходительного высокомерия брата Кадфаэля по отношению к своим собратьям и всем окружающим.

А если рассуждать просто с литературной точки зрения, то мне показалось, что Питерс затягивает свой роман, перенося детективную завязку чуть ли не ближе к концу книги, когда читатель уже крепко уснул под ее занудства о жизни валлийских крестьян. Манера у нее крайне примитивная, написано все донельзя банально, и т.н. «детективная интрига» просчитывается не то что на раз, ее там и нету. Один роман (и пару небольших вступительных повестушек о том, откуда есть пошел брат Кадфаэль) я еще одолела, но дальше «Хроники» читать желания у меня не возникло.
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Jan 24, 2012 Erin Stuhlsatz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I picked up this book at Heidi's house because I didn't want to read either grownup nonfiction book I'd brought with me. I was very pleasantly surprised. I didn't know there was yet another prolific cozy mystery writer that I had yet to hear of. This was obviously very naive of me. I could probably meet another new writer every week and be even more overwhelmed by all the books I'll never get to.

Anyway, this book was lovely! The main character, Brother Cadfael, is a Benedictine monk in Shrewsbu...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Jeffery Moulton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books, mystery, historical-fiction

I knew nothing of Brother Cadfael or the series written by Ellis Peters when I picked up this book. I was just looking for a good mystery book to distract me for a few hours. What I found was far more than I expected.

The book takes place shortly after the Crusades and focuses on an somewhat unusual priest, Brother Cadfael, who inadvertently becomes the lead detective (of sorts) for a murder when the brothers from his cloister go to Wales to retrieve the bones of a particular saint. The mystery w...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Cecily Felber rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Everyone should read this book!

Brother Cadfael (pronounced Cad-file) has definitely entered the ranks of great fiction detectives that include Sherlock Holmes and Lord Peter Wimsey. But these stories are more than just murder mysteries in medieval drag. Ellis Peters has the incredible gift of transporting her reader into 12th century England. You really do feel as though you are in that long-lost world lit only by fire, where it's quiet and green and life moves at a pace most people can be happy...more

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Feb 23, 2010 Sarai rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, historical

Brother Cadfael of the Benedictine Monastery of Shrewsbury, because he speaks Welsh, is enlisted to travel with other brothers to Gwytherin in Wales to retrieve the bones of St. Winifred. The townfolk, however, are not so keen to give up their saint. Into the delicate transaction is thrown the mysterious murder of the leader of the resistance, and Cadfael must draw upon his powers of observation to solve the crime and bring the real killer to justice - as well as giving St. Winifred her peace an...more

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Sep 20, 2009 Mark added it

This is a simple Agatha-Christie-style murder mystery novel without much in the way of fancy or complicated additions. But for what it is it does it fairly well, and it has a nice light feel to it – I read the entire thing in an afternoon, barely noticing it. That sounds like I’m putting it down, I guess, and it is genre fiction in a fairly unambitious way. But it succeeds at what it tries to do, and the characters are pleasant company so actually I like it. (I liked it a lot more than, say, nov...more

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Aug 21, 2009 Mary Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anglophiles, mystery buffs, readers of hist. fiction

Recommended to Mary by: My brother, John Campbell

This is the first of twenty Brother Cadfael books. I read them back to back, not wanting to leave the oasis of the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul (an actual place) in Shrewsbury, near the Welsh border; and enjoying the calm, slightly irreverent religiosity of Brother Cadfael himself. Edith Pargeter, writing as "Ellis Peters," has captured England at a time when appositives (Edward, the Carpenter) were evolving into surnames; when the royals, the landowners, and those in authorit...more

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Aug 13, 2009 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Enoyable history candy. I find myself taking on the speech mannerisms of the books I'm reading, and after nearly a dozen Brother Cadfael's I was a walking talking 12C monk.

The mysteries are quite gentle, despite featuring murders. Brother Cadfael, the protagonist, is never put in danger--compare, for example, to Dick Francis where almost every book features the hero getting beaten up twice (once to show that he feels pain, and again to show that he's brave enough to take the beating he knows is...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Rich rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries, history

It used to be that if you wanted history in your books you read bodice-ripper romance novels that had Fabio, or one of his look-a-likes on the cover, or you read thick historical novels, and that was a genre completely unto itself. Then there was historical fantasy, ala` Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels.
Historical novelist Edith Pargeter, blended historical fiction with mystery and created the character of Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk, with a talent for solving mysteries.
This is the firs...more

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Nov 27, 2011 M Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I read most or all of this series some years ago, inspired by the BBC adaptations starring Sir Derek Jacobi. At that point, we were still depending on the local library for our reading material. But now that I've got enough of the ready to at least buy used copies of books I want to keep, I'm slowly gathering the whole set of these marvelous medieval mysteries by "Ellis Peters."

The first book of the series introduces us to Brother Cadfael, former Crusader and now cloistered Benedictine of Shrews...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Joe rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is a mystery set among the superstions generated by religion and the history of the Catholic Church in Old England and Wales. The hero is Brother Cadfael, monk with a history of sdventure and violence, who gave up his life of magic, romance and derring-do to tend the Abbots Garden, and make peace with the Lord. Although, he is in a mideviel setting, he thinks of the Church as a modern member. accepting its faults and the flaws of its members including their need for power and recogniti...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Sally rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, re-reads

Since I was a child and began reading seriously for fun, I have gotten a thrill out of finding a series of books where characters return with a new story. Most often, as it turns out, the series I read are either mystery or fantasy. Shortly after falling in love with Dorothy Sayer's Peter Whimsey and consuming all the Agatha Christie mysteries with Poirot and Tommy and Tuppence, I came upon the Brother Cadfael mysteries and managed to get every one of them to read. Now, in this age where audiobo...more

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Another stolen Saint	9	45	May 21, 2012 07:33am

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About Ellis Peters

A pseudonym used by Edith Pargeter.

Edith Mary Pargeter, BEM (September 28, 1913 in Horsehay, Shropshire, England –October 14, 1995) was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay...more

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Books by Ellis Peters

The Leper of Saint Giles (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #5)

One Corpse Too Many (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #2)

Monk's Hood (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #3)

St. Peter's Fair (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #4)

The Virgin in the Ice (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #6)

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Quotes from A Morbid Taste for Bones

“I do believe I begin to grasp the nature of miracles! For would it be a miracle, if there was any reason for it? Miracles have nothing to do with reason. Miracles contradict reason, they strike clean across mere human deserts, and deliver and save where they will. If they made sense, they would not be miracles.” — 12 people liked it

“It's a kind of arrogance to be so certain you're past redemption.” — 3 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/321545.A_Morbid_Taste_for_Bones?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1296427936l/321545.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/321545.A_Morbid_Taste_for_Bones?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters[/url]

A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #1)

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