This Brother Cadfael book kicks off with a young juggler, hired to perform at the wedding of the local goldsmith’s son, being chased into the Abbey in front of a mob accusing him of having killed the goldsmith. Lilliwin’s a slight young man, who does not look like a murder, so Brother Cadfael is on the case.
What unfolds is a really sad story – the goldsmiths’ family, though wealthy, has always been rather parsimonious, and that past is what causes the real murder of this book (the goldsmith was just hit over the head, and makes a recovery).
This ends up being probably the most tragic of these books (at least so far). It’s also probably one of the most true to its time – this murder makes perfect sense within the family structures of the 12th century. It’s a really good story – the kind that makes you think for a while when you’re done, and have put it down.