The Pilgrim of Hate

by Ellis Peters

Overview

A monk must find a killer among a flood of religious pilgrims in this medieval mystery by the Edgar Award–winning author: “A series like no other” (The San Diego Union-Tribune).

In the year of our Lord 1141, civil war over England’s throne leaves a legacy of violence—and the murder of a knight dear to Brother Cadfael. And with gentle bud-strewn May, a flood of pilgrims comes to the celebration of Saint Winifred at the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, carrying with it many strange souls—and perhaps the knight’s killer.
 
Brother Cadfael’s shrewd eyes see all: the prosperous merchant who rings false, an angelic lame boy, his beautiful dowerless sister, and two wealthy penitents. In the name of justice Cadfael decides to uncover the strange and twisted tale that accompanies these travelers. Instead he unearths a quest for vengeance, witnesses a miracle, and finds himself on a razor’s edge between death and the absolution of love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504067492
Publisher:	Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Publication date:	07/27/2021
Series:	Brother Cadfael Series , #10
Pages:	228
Sales rank:	287,152
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ellis Peters is a pseudonym of Edith Mary Pargeter (1913–1995), a British author whose Chronicles of Brother Cadfael are credited with popularizing the historical mystery. Cadfael, a Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey in the first half of the twelfth century, has been described as combining the curious mind of a scientist with the bravery of a knight-errant. The character has been adapted for television, and the books drew international attention to Shrewsbury and its history.
 
Pargeter won an Edgar Award in 1963 for Death and the Joyful Woman, and in 1993 she won the Cartier Diamond Dagger, an annual award given by the Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britain. She was appointed officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1994, and in 1999 the British Crime Writers’ Association established the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award, later called the Ellis Peters Historical Award.

Editorial Reviews

"Enchanting . . . Medieval England comes marvelously alive.” —The Washington Post
 
“A series like no other . . . This latest example, like its predecessors, [is] a delight.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune
 
“Some of the most elegant, unstilted prose being written in mystery novels . . . A bestselling phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic.” —Chicago Sun-Times

From the Publisher

The celebration of St. Winifred, in The Pilgrim of Hate, is usually a time of great rejoicing at the Benedictine abbey in Shrewsbury. Even in 1141, with the political factions of Empress Matilda and King Stephen engaged in bloody civil war, the faithful come to Shrewsbury to honor the Saint and pray for miracles. Unfortunately, the shadow of a distant murder hangs over the festival. Several weeks earlier in Winchester, a good and loyal knight was foully slain. The motive for the killing could have been either political or personal, and the murderer may be lurking among the pilgrims. It falls to Brother Cadfael to ferret out the killer. He is curious about two young men who are traveling together to fulfill a bizarre vow. Cadfael cannot rest until he uncovers their story. A colorful cast of well-drawn secondary characters adds richness and depth to a plot that examines joys of faith, as well as the evils of guilt and vengeance. An Excellent Mystery, also set in 1141, is a close sequel to Pilgrim of Hate. When the Benedictine abbey at Winchester is ravaged by fire, two Brothers of the order seek sanctuary at Shrewsbury. Brother Humilis was a famous knight crusader before a nearly fatal wound led to his retirement from the secular world. His mute companion, Brother Fidelis, serves as Humilis's caretaker and nurse. Young Fidelis is like a shadow, his inability to speak makes him the keeper of many secrets. Stephen Thorne, who reads both novels, has a feel for Peters's distinctive prose style, making her use of medieval phrasing and vocabulary sound genuine and natural rather than "historical." Thorne voices the large number of characters and accents in each book with precision, making each unique. Librarians with long-established audiobook collections should note that both of these titles were originally issued in 1993. These recent reissues have been packaged in flimsy and irritating cardboard boxes, which are difficult to open and almost impossible to close. They are decorative but will not be useful for library checkout. Recommended nevertheless, for public library collections where Peters and/or historical mysteries are popular. Barbara Rhodes, Northeast Texas Lib. Syst., Garland Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Ellis Peters' Pilgrim Of Hate provides the tenth chronicle of Brother Cadfael, an 1100s investigator/monk. Stephen Thorne brings to life the vivid story of the monk's investigation of a medieval celebration's setting of murder.

Internet Bookwatch

"Enchanting...medieval England comes marvelously alive."

Washington Post

"Some of the most elegant, unstilted prose being written in mysery novels....a bestselling phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic."

Chicago Sun-Times

"Each book is an elegant little mystery, gracefully written, cleverly plotted and richly detailed, full fo the sounds and the color and the customs fo twelft-century England."

Cleveland Plain Dealer

"The Ellis Peters books set in 12th-centur Britain have this freshness of a new world at dawn....Peters weaves a complex, colorful, and at times quite beautiful tapestry."

Houston Post

"A series like no other....This latest example, like its predecessors, [is] a delight."

Union-Tribune San Diego

"Brother Cadfael deserves the sort of devout following which as been reserved for Sherlock Holmes."

(London) Financial Times