Thursday, October 22, 2009

Hidden in Plain View Thursdays

Monk's Hood: A Medieval Whodunit


By Ellis Peters


Welcome to the weekly feature where we use Random.org to pick a book from our library shelves (real or virtual) and bring it out into daylight.  To join in, pick a random book from your library and tell us:
  • title, author, #of pages, edition, (tags, and collections if LT)
  • why that book is in your library, (how and when you acquired the book)
  • whether you've read it or not
    • if so did you like it and why;
    • if not, do you plan to read it?
Be sure to leave us a link to your post so we can compare notes.

Can you spot today's book?  Answer at the bottom.


Ellis Peters' Brother Caedfael series is a favorite of mine and my husband.  We got hooked on them over 25 years ago when we found them in a bookstore in HongKong.  We had read one of them, and when we spotted the whole series, we gobbled them up.  This week's random pick is Monk's Hood, no. 5 in the series.

I'm refreshing my memory here from other reader's reviews on LT, but the story involves a rich nobleman who is murdered by poison (Monk's Hood) stolen from Caedfael's own dispensary.  When Caedfael  begins to help investigate, he discovers his first love (from his pre-monastic/pre-crusade days) is the newly widowed spouse of the deceased.  All the usual players are present- the sheriff, the abbot, and several colorful townsfolk.

These mysteries are excellent, almost but not quite cozy, with well developed plots, well researched early forensics, and characters who stay with the series and grow as you read each book in the series.  You can pick up any of them without reading the others, but they are all worth a peek.

They're also great videos to watch on a dark and snowy night...we often check them out from Netflix.  Derek Jacoby does an outstanding portrayal of Caedfael.  Either reading or watching, they're both enjoyable.

Now --did you find the hidden book.  It's the 4th to the left of the center bookend on the very top shelf. here's what it looks like.




3 comments:

  1. This is a neat meme! I'v heard of Ellis Peter's work before, but haven't read any yet. Thanks for highlighting this book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. http://chelisshelves.blogspot.com/2009/10/hidden-in-plain-view_22.html

    Here's my hidden in view.

    It's definitely hidden because I had a hard time finding it to get the page numbers.

    Chèli
    Cheli's Shelves

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know I'm late to the party; that's what happens when there's a three hour time difference! At any rate, here's my submission for Hidden in Plain View Thursday; I'd love to provide a visual, but since the move, my books are still in boxes, stacked 8-10 high in a nook in my bedroom... Can't wait to get to the Great Reorganization!

    ReplyDelete

Welcome, thanks for stopping by. Now that you've heard our two cents, perhaps you have a few pennies to throw into the discussion. Due to a bunch more anonymous spam getting through, I've had to disallow anonymous comments. I try to respond to all comments posing a question, but may not always get to you right away.