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

It's in the Marrow

A journey in time to a new place in an old time. A telling made marvelous by the reader. The story whose words elaborate a world of beauty and innocence that will a happy ending out of dire circumstance.

Enjoyable Story

A good beginning to a great series. I've been a fan of the Cadfael stories for many years and enjoyed hearing this one done on Audible.

Problem telling who was speaking

The narrator did not differentiate the characters' voices. It was impossible to tell who was speaking. If I hadn't seen the Cadfael Mysteries on PBS I wouldn't have a clue what was going on. Perhaps these books should be sight read instead of listening to them.

A fine book and well-read; Patrick Tull is so-so

A fine book and well-read, although Patrick Tull is not consistent with the men's voices and cannot do women's voices at all.

I judge recorded books primarily by the narrator. This is a typical Brother Cadfael novel: lots of 12th century atmosphere, a murder mystery and a pair of young lovers.

Patrick Tull reads well, rolling the words around his mouth with great enjoyment. I grew a little tired of it before the novel finished, but still listened with pleasure. Unfortunately, Tull cannot do women's voices (although there aren't many women in the novel). I can't always tell the men apart by their voices, and sometimes it will sound as though one man is speaking and then the second half of the sentence sounds like someone else: the men’s voices are not consistent. Sometimes I can't tell if the narrator is speaking, or if it's Cadfael or some other character.

Nevertheless, it's a fine book and well-read. In fact, when I tried to find a better reader on Audible for Brother Cadfael, I couldn't.

A little boring

I had a hard time getting through it. I read where someone likened Cadfael to Sherlock Holmes, but imho he was no where near on that caliber. Perhaps it’s just not the author for me.

I love this series

These books do a great job of capturing the Middle Ages, the monastic life, & the role the church played in every day life. Add to that great characters, good plots, early forensics, & a narrator whose voice fits the story perfectly, and what's not to love? (Note: I don't care much for the versions read by a woman, simply because there are SO many male characters that it just works better when read by a man.)

This first mystery does a wonderful job of easing the reader into the time & place, and introducing all of the characters.

I didn’t start with the first —

This is my favorite So far of the Chronicles (and my 7th). Peters layers the story brilliantly, and just when you think you can see the next level — the sheet is pulled out from underneath. Tull is one of the best. He has been my steadfast companion through the Aubrey-Maturin series, and his performance is perfect here.

A clever story

The machinations of Brother Cadfael reach a new level in this story.
However all is well in the end

Good story, but not my favorite narrator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, for sure. This is a gentle historical mystery with enjoyable characters and a sense of humor.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

An interesting and perhaps predictable resolution. My one criticism is that there was no credible development of a motive. This made the ending seem a bit weak to me.

How could the performance have been better?

I find Patrick Tull to be a bit difficult to understand and he tends to over-perform. He also reads slowly and I typically listen to his narrated books at 1.25x speed.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably, and I have watched several of the PBS adaptations of the Cadfael books. I am not sure if this book was made into a show.

Any additional comments?

This is a good listen. I think it would be better with a different narrator. I found the first half of the book a bit slow, but the second half flowed well.

A different kind of mystery

My first experience with Ellis Peters. A good story and a nicely done dramatic presentation by Patrick Tull