Monk's Hood
First edition
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| Author | Ellis Peters |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Boscove |
| Series | Brother Cadfael |
| Genre | Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
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Publication date
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1980 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) & audio book |
| Pages | 224 |
| Awards | Silver Dagger 1980 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 7374059 |
| 823/.912 19 | |
| LC Class | PR6031.A49 M6 1980 |
| Preceded by | One Corpse Too Many |
| Followed by | Saint Peter's Fair |
Monk's Hood is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in December 1138. It is the third novel in The Cadfael Chronicles. It was first published in 1980 (1980 in literature).
It was adapted for television in 1994 by Central for ITV.
Gervase Bonel dies from monkshood oil put in his food. Brother Cadfael made the oil. Who used it as poison? Cadfael assesses the motives of Bonel’s family and household staff, including his Welsh natural son and his stepson, and deals with Bonel’s widow. She was once his sweetheart, long ago. The sergeant views the case differently from Cadfael.
This novel received the Silver Dagger Award in 1980 from the UK's Crime Writers Association. The author was commended by one reviewer for her ability to draw characters who are distinctly medieval, "not modern men and women masquerading in medieval garb," while dealing with fine points of medieval Welsh law. Another reviewer missed the lively character of the second novel, Hugh Beringar, wishing him to be more involved in this plot, yet saying "Peters does wonders with the medieval scene and with complex character relationships."
In early December 1138, Abbot Heribert of Shrewsbury Abbey is summoned to a Legatine council in London and his authority is suspended. The Abbey's business is also postponed, with one exception: Gervase Bonel, who has ceded his manorial estate at Mallilie to the Abbey in return for a small house where his needs in retirement will be provided, is allowed to move his household before the charter is signed. All expect that Heribert or his successor will complete the agreement after the council.
Prior Robert is left in charge of the Abbey. He receives gifts meant for the Abbot, including a fat partridge which he shares with Bonel, having his cook send a portion with dinner. Bonel is taken ill immediately after eating it. Brother Cadfael the herbalist and Brother Edmund the Infirmarer run to his aid but cannot save him. Cadfael recognises Bonel's widow as Richildis Vaughan, to whom he was informally betrothed over 40 years earlier. He realises that the sauce in which the partridge was served was poisoned by a liniment he made. Its active ingredient is monkshood (Wolfsbane), deadly if ingested.
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Wikipedia