A Morbid Taste for Bones

By: Ellis Peters

Narrated by: Patrick Tull

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Cadfael's return to his Welsh homeland for a visit proves a rather discomfiting homecoming when an honorable nobleman turns up in a patch of forest with an arrow embedded in his chest. There are questions about the arrow, the man's daughter needs Cadfael's help, and a very odd burial takes place.

©1977 Ellis Peters (P)1991 Recorded Books, LLC

Great Story and Better Performance

No one beats Patrick Tull as a reader. Great story. Put the two together and you have a joyful experience.

Great book!

This is one of my all time favorites. If you're looking for something a bit different, this is a great series to read.

Hard not to like Cadfael!

This is the first in Ms. Peters amazing series. If you are looking for period murder mysteries - I highly recommend it!

Fun start to a great series

This is the first entry in the Brother Cadfael series. It introduces most of the continuing cast of characters and is a delight in and of itself. Brother Cadfael, "retired" crusader turned monk and sometime detective is an enjoyable creation by Ellis Peters, and his adventures as a Benedictine Monk in both England and Wales have long be favorites with me.

In this book Brother Cadfael is part of a group traveling into Wales to hunt for the body of long dead Saint Winifred to return to his abby to inspire pilgrims to visit. The Welsh villagers aren't eager to loose their saint, murder takes place, and it is up to Brother Cadfael to find a solution that will bring a measure of justice, mercy, fairness and satisfaction to as many people as possible.

Patrick Tull does a good job of bringing Brother Cadfael and his friends to life.

Great Cadfael story.

I enjoy the easy pace of Cadfael stories, the subtle humor, and historical perspective. A great twist at the ending. Great performance as well.

Patrick Tull is the GOAT

I resurrected this very old book to listen to (last time was probably in the 90s, before there was Audible) because I love Patrick Tull’s narration. And oh how I miss him! The tone, the pacing are just perfect, and I can’t think of anyone else who is as good. The story was satisfying, if a little predictable, but the narration took it to a level way beyond ordinary.

Earns 5/5 Patron Saints..Compelling Entertainment!

The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series begins with “A Morbid Taste for Bones,” but my beginning came from “Cadfael,” the much favored British television series and the iconic performance of Derek Jacobi. Addicted to murder mysteries, I was fascinated by Ellis Peters’s medieval twist incorporating the historic struggle over the English throne between Empress Maud and her cousin Stephen, sides drawn in a civil war, class diversity, abbey life, and medieval mores, justice, and cruelty. The setting is in and around the Shrewsbury Abbey and focuses on the Benedictine Brothers who reside there. Brother Cadfael was a soldier having served in the Crusades, but a religious calling brought him to join the Abbey, however late in life, primarily as a healer with a vast knowledge of herbs and plants to tend to the sick, but he is also brilliant in critical thinking along with medieval forensic techniques. This leads him to be the one to instigate, lead, or support investigations into deaths he views as suspicious or outright obvious murder. So, when a murder occurs related to a disagreement over the bones of the Welsh Saint Winifred, Brother Cadfael is at the ready to uncover the truth and devise a plan best for both sides.

Ellis Peters’ work is stupendous, unique, and compelling with detailed narration using descriptive language and dialogue well representative of the tone and speech I understand to be of a medieval era. My experience was enriched by the audiobook version narrated by the talented Patrick Toll whose voice is deep, pleasant, and animated. He provides some changes in dialect and tone to represent the third-person narrator and other characters, mostly male. His attempt to perform the women’s voice was adequate, but not necessarily a fault. The story is more complex than the television production including additional side stories, issues, and incidents to the drama which made listening to the story vastly enjoyable. There were so many character names, and although the main characters I can visualize from the television show, others I would have found easier to remember if I could visualize them in print form. This, however, did not effect my entertainment, and I highly recommend the audio bersion for this book and the rest of the series!

Poor narrator

I never knew who was talking. Everyone sounded the same. Story was mildly interesting but took forever to get going.

My first Cadfael novel - loved it!

I had watched some of the TV productions before with Derek Jacobi and enjoyed them but I wasn’t expecting to love this story as much as I did. Ellis Peters’ phrasing and descriptions are wonderful. The characters are lovingly portrayed and her insight into medieval church and history are compassionately and honestly told, at least as far as I know. The narrator of this volume, Patrick Tull, was wonderful, with British accents to match the characters (they sounded somewhat Irish by my ear but perhaps that was the Welsh of the story and Cadfael’s heritage).

As always, Ellis Peter's tells a wonderful tale.

I have all the DVDs of the Cadfael series, and have enjoyed them each many times. The audiobooks lend a new depth.