One Corpse Too Many

by Ellis Peters Book 2 in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series.

First published 1979

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Shrewsbury, 1138. King Stephen has captured the castle after a rebellion and orders the execution of its defeated defenders. Brother Cadfael is given the grim task of preparing the bodies for burial, but when he counts them he finds one corpse too many. The extra dead man was not among the condemned prisoners and shows signs of having been murdered separately.

Cadfael’s investigation unfolds amid the fear and confusion created by the civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda. The victim’s identity links the killing to private loyalties hidden inside the political crisis, while a young woman caught among the defeated rebels needs Cadfael’s help. The mystery turns the aftermath of a military victory into a question of individual justice: even when the king has authorised mass execution, one unlawful death still demands an answer.