The Rose Rent - Ellis Peters

1986; 198 pages. Book #13 in the 'Brother Cadfael' series. New Author? : No. Genre : Mystery (Cozy). Overall Rating : 7½*/10.

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For the price of one rose per year; young, wealthy, pretty, moneyed Judith Perle rents one of her houses to Brother Cadfael's abbey. But it must be cut from the bush alongside the house, and must be delivered on a certain day.

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Alas, someone has murdered the brother whose job it was to deliver the flower each year. And they've hacked the rosebush to pieces. Who would want to upset this arrangement?

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What's To Like...

As usual for an Ellis Peters book, there are likeable characters, a love story by-plot, and some fantastic historical fiction. The story takes place along the English-Welsh border in 1142 AD, which is a kewl setting. But first and foremost, it's a whodunit. You travel with Brother Cadfael (and sheriff Hugh Beringar) as they search for answers, whilst limited to 12th-century technology. And everyone you meet seems to be a suspect.

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This is a "cozy" mystery, so there is very little blood and/or onstage violence. Still, the story flows nicely, although it is not a fast read, since Ms. Peters weaves a lot of medieval terminology into it.

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Kewl New Words...

Horarium : the daily schedule of those living in a religious community. Demesne : manorial land retained for the private use of a feudal lord. Caput : the central manor in an agricultural estate. Cantrip : a mischievous trick. Lambent : flickering lightly over or on a surface. Chatelaine : the mistress of a castle or other feudal estate. Assize : a session in court.

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Excerpt...

"Father, what more should I do for the cleansing of my soul?" ventured Eluric, quivering to the last subsiding tremors of guilt.

"Penance may well be salutary for you," admitted the abbot somewhat wearily. "But beware of making extravagant claims even upon punishment. You are far from a saint - so are we all - but neither are you a notable sinner; nor, my child, will you ever be." (pg. 25)

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A Rose Rent is not the same as a Rent Rose.

For some reason, I thought the title meant 'a torn rose', not 'a rose as payment for living in a house'. Ah, English! You are an ambiguous tongue.

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Ultimately, The Rose Rent should be rated on its merits as a whodunit. You'd think a short (less than 200 pages) formulaic mystery would mean the perpetrator(s) will be either pretty obvious or a random selection, but Ellis Peters keeps you constantly changing your prime suspect. And for a cozy, there is still lots of action.

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There is a logical ending to The Rose Rent, and of course, true love also triumphs. There's nothing epic about a Brother Cadfael tale, but I enjoyed both the mystery and the historical fiction facets of this book. 7½ Stars.