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    One Corpse Too Many
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    One Corpse Too Many
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    One Corpse Too Many
    Ebook356 pages6 hours

    One Corpse Too Many

    By Ellis Peters

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    In the Summer of 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes Brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden to the bloody battlefield.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHead of Zeus
    Release dateJun 2, 2014
    ISBN9781784080525
    Author

    Ellis Peters

    Ellis Peters (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, 1913–1995) is a writer beloved of millions of readers worldwide and has been widely adapted for radio and television, including her Brother Cadfael crime novels, which were made into a series starring Derek Jacobi. She has been the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Agatha Award for Best Novel, and was awarded an OBE for her services to literature in 1994.

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    Reviews for One Corpse Too Many

    4/5

    572 ratings34 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A girl, disguised as a boy, turns up at the monastery, seeking refuge. The king had a number of persons executed. One additional body is found. Cadfael gains the king's permission to seek the murderer. Meanwhile the king and his men are seeking the girl. This was a re-read for me, and I remembered enough of the story to make me realize I'd read it before, but the intervening time made details seemingly new at times.
    • 4/5
      Amazing how much more I enjoy these books now that I know the characters. This one, like all Cadfaels that I read, began quickly with the crux of the mystery, and then lagged a bit in tedium of detail, and then was over all too swiftly. The final fight went on (in actual time, not reading time) for longer than I would have suspected, and with a bit of a twist I also did not expect.Somewhere along the way in my reading, I missed this book as being #2, which in turn led to some confusion over Hugh Beringer and his place in future books. It really does pay to read series in the order written!
    • 4/5
      Brother Cadfael has lived a long and varied life and now resides at peace in a monastery. But King Stephen and Empress Maud are in contention for the throne of England, and Stephen is about to attack. After the swift and decisive battle, he orders 94 supporters of Maud to be hung. Only problem is when the local monastery offers to commend their mortal souls to heaven, 95 victims appear. 2 love stories and a duel later justice is found.
    • 3/5
      Plus a little bit of extra star for being one of the best Cadfael. A comforting sort of read.
    • 4/5
      In this second book in the series, when the King has a number of rebels executed, an extra body turns up, and Brother Cadfael works to figure out who it is and who killed him. The story has dramatic tension, young love, games of cat and mouse, and a great reveal at the end. I recall a later volume in the series echoed some features of this plot but was altogether darker; this one is a light, warm pleasure.
    • 4/5
      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!
    • 4/5
      I like Cadfael, this is a good story in the series.
    • 5/5
      When Shrewsbury town & abbey falls to King Stephen's forces, all 93 defenders of the tower are executed, only there were 94 bodies instead. Cadfael is called in to investigate in spite of the Sheriff's objections. A murderer has taken advantage of the executions to dump a victim & Cadfael discovers that the murderer has taken an interest in the victim's sister. Will he be able to prevent an evil plan from being carried out? If only Cadfael can expose the murderer in time.
    • 5/5
      A memorable medieval tale that I truthfully found to be much more a well-crafted story of honor, life and friendship than a traditional murder mystery. Cadfael is a character for the ages.
    • 4/5
      The second book of the Cadfael series but the first to take place in Shrewsbury, the setting for the majority of the series, also this volume includes more about the political situation of the time detailing the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Maude.
    • 5/5
      Many years ago, I met Brother Cadfael for the first time in the PBS Mystery series. That episode was One corpse too many, the second Cadfael novel. In this book we meet the character of Hugh Beringar for the first time. It is 1138 and Shrewsbury is in the midst of the turmoil between Empress Maud and King Stephen. The castle is being defended by Maud's men but Stephen takes it. As a warning, all the defenders are hanged. Brother Cadfael offers to prepare those 94 men for burial and discovers a 95th man, one who definitely doesn't belong. Unraveling this mystery takes every ounce of the Brother's detective skills.This was certainly the best PBS episode, and after reading at least half of the series of books, the best book so far.
    • 3/5
      A mystery set in history, in the medieval time period when the families of Kings fought to take the throne. Brother Cadfael follows the clues to solve the murder of an unknown young man. Enjoyed!
    • 4/5
      Those rebelling against King Stephen have been executed...but while 94 were hanged, 95 bodies await burial. Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk, wonders why, and thus begins a murder investigation in twelfth century England.An engaging and enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      For me, this is where the Cadfael series really took off. The first book, A Morbid Taste for Bones, was rally too grim for my taste, and had a too bitterly ironic ending. This one, despite a grim beginning (King Stephen orders he hanging of the garrison that had held Shrewsbury castle against him, and one more person is hanged than was authoriozed) has a much more emotionally satisfying ending. Also, the first one was chiefly set in Wales, while this, like most of the others, is set in Shrewsbury itself, and it also establishes the partnership between Cadfael and Hugh Beringar, who in this is virtually a romantic hero..
    • 4/5
      I was surprised by the adversarial relations between Cadfael & Beringer, having had them firmly fixed in my mind as allies from the PBS TV series! Good mystery despite my 'pre-knowledge' due to seeing the TV adaptation.
    • 5/5
      The year is 1138 and the war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud is the background of this story. When Shrewsbury Castle falls, there are ninety-four solders, loyal to the Empress, that were hung as traitors. Brother Cadfael is asked to help bury the dead. He agrees but discovers ninety-five. This is not important to the others but Cadfael pursues and finds the murderer. Yet another wonderful book. Ellis Peters, gives us a wonderful real character to be friends with. He ha wisdom, and wit. A very good read.
    • 4/5
      My dad thinks Brother Cadfael is too much of a "libertine" to be a realistic Dark Ages Benedictine brother. Probably Tony Shalhoub is a Monk more to his liking.
    • 5/5
      A memorable medieval tale that I truthfully found to be much more a well-crafted story of honor, life and friendship than a traditional murder mystery. Cadfael is a character for the ages.
    • 4/5
      I love that -- so far at least -- these books aren't just historical fiction with a touch of mystery, or mystery with a touch of historical fiction, but solidly grounded in both. The political situation is inextricably linked with the mystery, too, even though the mystery is not vitally important to the political situation. It's lovely.

      The characters are fun, too. Cadfael, of course, is clever and good, but I rather liked the background characters, particularly Hugh and Aline. The ending made me very happy. I suppose they aren't really clearly drawn and given depth, but they're still intriguing, and I hope to see them again in later books. I didn't like Godith as much, once I started liking Hugh, but I do like that Godith and Aline have as much of a part to play as anyone and aren't relegated to just being future brides of the main characters.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars

      Brother Cadfael is thrust into the heart of political intrigue via his herb garden. Or rather, an unlikely new addition to the herb garden - a lay servant of youthful boyish appearance. Cadfael soon realizes his new assistant's secret, and agrees to lend aid as he is able.

      It is the time of King Stephen's war upon the Empress Maude, granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Lines are drawn and England is divided. Stephen, also a grandson of William, has laid siege to Shrewsbury, on his way to fight Robert of Gloucester.

      Stephen takes Shrewsbury but fails to acquire the prize personages who had been within it's walls - FitzAlan and Adeney. After a thorough search of the town, these two are missing and the remaining garrison leader, Hesdin, does not reveal there whereabouts, even under torture. Adam Courcelle, one of Stephen's captains, suggests that mercy to the garrison would be seen as a sign of weakness, so Stephen orders the entire garrison, and Hesdin, hanged immediately. Stephen's Flemish mercenaries carry out this grim duty.

      Brother Cadfael beseeches the abbott and the king to allow the monks of the abbey to retrieve the bodies, prepare them for burial and allow the townsfolk to claim the bodies of their kin. While laying out the bodies, Cadfael discovers there are ninety-five, instead of ninety-four, bodies. And the extra corpse is a young squire, not a seasoned soldier. He reports this discrepancy to King Stephen, who agrees to allow Brother Cadfael to investigate and bring about justice.

      The rest of the tale involves Cadfael's continuing investigation, discoveries and battle of wits with various players in and around Shrewsbury. A medieval murder mystery well worth the reading.
    • 4/5
      Six-word review: Politics in medieval England breed murder.Extended review:In this second Brother Cadfael tale, the resourceful monk is not just a detective but a clever problem-solver.The tale ranges beyond the exposure of a murder committed under cover of political executions to take in royal rivalry, romance, a treasure seeker, intrigue, and deadly combat. The period flavor is distinctive, the adventure is entertaining, and the characters appealing. Brother Cadfael acquires dimensions and grows more interesting. I'll continue with the series.I gave it three and a half stars in a larger literary context, but it gets four stars within the mystery genre just because I liked it a lot.
    • 3/5
      One Corpse Too Many is the second novel in the Brother Cadfael series. The castle at Shrewsbury, sworn to the cause of the Empress Maud, is taken by the forces of King Stephen, her cousin and usurper of the throne of England. The captured forces are put to death, and Brother Cadfael is put in charge of giving rites to and laying to rest the 94 unfortunates. However, he discovers a 95th among them, a young man who was clearly not among the castle's defenders, and yet has somehow been dumped in with them. He is allowed by King Stephen to discover who the man was, and who killed him and used the mass execution as a cover. Although technically the second book in the series, this book introduces many of the regular features and characters in the series, including Hugh Beringar who serves as a partner in Cadfael’s many investigations. For those who love a good mystery, with an interesting protagonist—and a little history thrown in, this would be a fun read. 3 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      This is the second in the Brother Cadfael Chronicles and the first in the series that I've read.The year is 1138, and war rages between the forces of King Stephen and those of Empress Maud. At Shrewesbury, where Brother Cadfael is living out his vocation is a Benedictine monk and tending to the gardens and herbarium of Shrewesbury Abbey, King Stephen has given the order to hang a number of men who have been condemned to death as traitors.Brother Cadfael has taken on the task of perparing the bodies for Christian burials. When he discovers that there is one more body than there was supposed to be, he also takes on the task of finding finding the murderer.I became so smitten with this book, that I rushed to the library to check out the first in the series.This was an intelligent mystery that was well-articulated, and a real pleasure to read.I intend to eventually read the entire series, in order. I've decided not to devour them all at once, though, but to savor them a bit at a time, and make them last - like the most delicious dessert that you would like to make last forever!
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. For a mystery it is not bad but Ellis Peters does a wonderful job bringing delightful characters to life. The characters are such that I want to read more not necessarily to solve the mystery but rather to find out what happens to the characters. The history of the time makes a great backdrop. While historical events are used medieval life is only partially shown. It is shown in a more idealized sense rather than a more realistic sense but it does provide for a great read.
    • 4/5
      Why did I put off reading Ellis Peters for so long? One Corpse Too Many was my first venture into the Brother Cadfael series, and it left me wanting more. Henry I's death led to a crisis of succession when Henry's daughter, Maud, and his nephew, Stephen, both claimed the right to the throne. When the book opens, Shrewsbury, home to many of Maud's supporters, is about to fall to Stephen's men. After the town falls, the leaders of the resistance are rounded up and executed. Brother Cadfael is charged with collecting and burying the bodies. As he goes about his task, he discovers that there is one corpse too many. Cadfael's sense of justice compels him to discover the person who used the mass execution to cover up murder.The evidence of guilt relies too much on coincidence, yet I can forgive this in a book whose central figure is a man of faith. One person's coincidence is another person's answered prayer.Although the setting is medieval, it's similar to a country house mystery. It takes place in a closed setting, limiting the number of suspects. It has stock characters: beautiful, wealthy, and troubled young women; young men of questionable character; and a wise amateur detective perfectly placed to investigate the crime. It's what Peters does with the stock location and characters that makes it special. The characters wrestle with issues of duty, loyalty, honor, honesty, faith, courage, and justice. Passages like this provoke reflection:He left Osbern reassured and comforted, but went on ... carrying with him the load of discomfort and depression the lame man had shed. So it always is, he thought, to relieve another you must burden yourself.I'm sorry that I waited so long to start this series, and I'm glad that I have so many more books to look forward to.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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!
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      England has suffered through more than one civil war. This entry in the Brother Cadfael series takes place in 1138, when the 2 year old fighting between King Stephen and the Empress Maud has spilled over into the vicinity of Shrewbury. Shrewsbury Castle is held by adherents of Maud. In a final assault, Stephen's troops take the castle along with 94 of its defenders. Two of the three main leaders of the defence, FitzAlan and Adeney, have escaped; the third is hanged along with the 93 other captives.After the mass execution, the Benedictines of Shrewsbury Abbey petition Stephen to allow them to give decent burial to those who have no kin to claim them. Brother Cadfael is among those who retrieve the bodies and prepare them for burial. But at the end of that grim task, Cadfael counts 95 bodies, not 94--there is one corpse too many. And one of the dead was not hanged but strangled--clearly murdered.Peters' writing in this book is more vigorous and more intense as befits the subject. The plotting is very good, just complicated enough to keep the reader guessing. The denoument is absorbing--very well written and interesting in its basis. The overall interest in the story is enhanced by the historical circumstances--the conflict between Sttephen and Maud. The background of the rival claims--and the claimants themselves--is well integrated into the plot and never obtrusive.But Peters' strength in the series is her characterizations. She continues in this book to give us endearing characters, no matter how unpleasant some are. We meet again many of the inhabitants of the Benedictine community introduced in the first book, although in more cameo roles this time. In addition, there are new ones who will recur--Brother Mark, Cadfael's assistant, for example. Others who will play major roles in the series we meet for the first time: Hugh Beringar and Aline Siwald, even Stephen. Those who appear only in this book tend to be more one dimensional although lively enough. All in all, the characters are affectionately drawn and believable enough.A typical Ellis Peters book. Highly recommended.