Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Rare Benedictine | 1988 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 2 | Eye Witness | 1993 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 3 | The Price of Light | 1993 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 4 | A Light on the Road to Woodstock | 1988 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 5 | A Morbid Taste for Bones | 1977 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 6 | La bara d’argento | 1977 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 7 | One Corpse Too Many | 1979 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 8 | Un Cadavre de trop | 1979 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 9 | Monk’s Hood | 1980 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 10 | Saint Peter’s Fair | 1981 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 11 | The Leper Of St. Giles | 1981 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 12 | The Virgin in the Ice | 1982 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 13 | The Sanctuary Sparrow | 1983 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 14 | The Devil’s Novice | 1983 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 15 | Dead Man’s Ransom | 1984 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 16 | I due prigionieri | 1984 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 17 | The Pilgrim of Hate | 1984 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 18 | An Excellent Mystery | 1985 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 19 | Mistero doppio | 1985 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 20 | Il corvo dell’abbazia | 1986 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 21 | The Raven in the Foregate | 1986 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 22 | Il roseto ardente | 1986 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 23 | The Rose Rent | 1986 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 24 | L’eremita della Foresta | 1987 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 25 | The Hermit of Eyton Forest | 1987 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 26 | The Confession of Brother Haluin | 1988 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 27 | L’apprendista eretico | 1989 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 28 | The Heretic’s Apprentice | 1989 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 29 | The Potter’s Field | 1989 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 30 | Il monaco prigioniero | 1991 | Ellis Peters | N/A |
| 31 | The Summer of the Danes | 1991 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 32 | The Holy Thief | 1992 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
| 33 | Brother Cadfael’s Penance | 1994 | Ellis Peters | Buy |
The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael is the series that made Ellis Peters famous worldwide. Set in 12th-century Shrewsbury during the English civil war known as The Anarchy, the series follows a Welsh Benedictine monk who uses his worldly experience and sharp mind to solve murders. Cadfael came to the monastery late in life after years as a soldier and sailor during the Crusades, which gives him a practical perspective that his cloistered brothers lack.
The series includes twenty-one full-length novels, several short stories, and various companion editions. A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) introduces Cadfael and establishes the formula that would sustain the series for nearly two decades. Each book presents a murder or mysterious death within or near the abbey, and Cadfael works alongside (and sometimes around) the local sheriff to find the truth.
Peters populated the series with memorable recurring characters, including the young monk Brother Mark, the sheriff Hugh Beringar, and the stern Abbot Radulfus. The historical setting is rendered with care, and the civil war between Stephen and Maud provides ongoing political tension. The television adaptation starring Derek Jacobi brought the character to an even wider audience in the 1990s.