A Mordbid Taste for Bones

I read this book back in January. I had just finished a book on the Plantagenet Kings, and wanted something as a buffer before I started reading about the War of the Roses, which I haven't read yet because it's only out in hardcover prices. Someone mentioned this series to me, and as a fan of both mystery and historical fiction I gave it a try.

Title: A Morbid Taste for Bones
Author: Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter)
Format: Kindle
Time to Finish: 13 days

The premise of the book is that the Benedictine monk Brother Cadfael and some of his fellow clergy set off on a quest to retrieve the bones of a neglected Saint in Wales. Despite having the blessing of the archbishop and the prince of Wales, things don't go smoothly, and our monks soon find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery.
It was an entertaining and quick read, not even 200 pages. And I enjoyed it, but there were a few things that were less enjoyable. There seemed to be no set pacing or speed of the story. Scenes were arbitrarily short or long with no real logic. It made it hard to determine what was important and what was authorial self indulgence. Additionally, there was probably a little too much time spent on the churchly aspects for my taste. It's interesting to hear how different prayers dictated and divided the day, but it might not need to be mentioned every single day over the course of the study.
Finally, too much time was spent on praising the intelligence and attractiveness of the two female characters. It seemed a little over the top because it recurred with every appearance of the two characters. Establishing their merits early on was more than enough for reader, but apparently not for the author.
So now that I've said lots of terrible things about the story, it might be time to say some nice things. I did enjoy reading the story. For example, it was actually quite educational in terms of teaching me a bit more about medieval society (which, as a fantasy nerd, I care about) and some of different realities of the time. Additionally, despite the grievances listed above, the story is rather good and I was excited throughout. The characters are well constructed and one can never be sure of everyone's motives. While some people seem trustworthy, the truth is always a surprise.
The story is well crafted and has good characters, so there is little more that one can ask. Of course I did anyway. I liked the book and the story enough that I will probably read the next in the series at some point, but I doubt that I'll be able to make it through all 21
7/10