Summary Of One Corpse Too Many

One Corpse Too Many is a mystery book by Ellis Peters and is the second book in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael. The book is a murder mystery centered around an extra dead body amongst other dead bodies about to be buried. As there is no specific moral or theme highlighted in the book, I would say it’s not a great book for teaching a lesson. However, with the great characterization and way of immersing the reader into the setting, it is definitely a great book to read just for the sake of reading. The civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud had been waging for years. It is the summer of 1138, in Medieval England. This makes the process of solving a murder more interesting, as there is no modern CSI. There are, however, good old …show more content…
The exact details help you imagine things the way the author thought of it; when used correctly, it can be a great tool. For example, on page 169, it reads, “They rode together, they two alone, by the same road as once before, and even more companionable than them. They went without haste, unwinding the longer way back, the way fitter for horses, the way they had first approached the grange.” Another thing you see from that quote is the old language the entire book is written in. The entire book is written as it would have been read in the 1200’s. A great example of this is on page 29, when Edric Flesher says, “Sorry I am, lad, to have no better comfort for you, but so it is. Take heart that at least no enemy has laid hand on her, and we pray none ever will.” The way the book is written, along with the great characterization, another great part of it, makes it come …show more content…
As the idea of loyalty is the only major competitor for the race of a theme or a moral, I would say the book was not intended to convey a message, moral, and/or theme. This book would be a great book for reading just for the sake of reading something, for those that just enjoy reading, rather than reading to let the author convey a message. All things considered, One Corpse Too Many is a great book; I enjoyed it, and I’m not really a fan of murder mysteries or historical fiction. I would recommend it to everyone, especially those interested in murder mysteries or historical fiction. The way the book made you feel as if you were there with both the old language and great characterization is a scarce feeling in books nowadays. The lack of a moral takes it out of the running for a book for teaching a lesson, unfortunately, as this is a great book. If you’re reading for the sake of entertainment, this book would be a great