This is the BBC Radio 4 dramatization starring Philip Madoc as medieval monk and wily sleuth Brother Cadfael. After the violence of spring, when the civil war between Stephen and Maud swept through the town, Shrewsbury has enjoyed a quiet summer. Now, at the beginning of autumn, all is peaceful; the harvest was good, and the store cupboards are full. But, as Cadfael reflects ruefully, such harmony cannot be expected to last. He is right. The trouble begins when Gervase Bonel, rich lord of the manor, proposes to sign over all his property to the abbey in return for food and lodging for the rest of his life. Though the abbot is pleased to accept such a gift, it comes at the expense of Bonels stepsons inheritance . And when Bonel is found poisoned, it seems certain that his actions have caused him an enemy or two. But Cadfael is not convinced that the obvious suspect is the right one. Are the monks powers of detection strong enough to lead him through the maze of clues to the truth?

Ellis Peters is the nom de plume used by author Edith Pargeter to write her bestselling Brother Cadfael historical mysteries. Inspired by her interest in Shropshire history, she penned the first novel, A Morbid Taste for Bones, followed by 17 more novels and one book of short stories starring the crusader turned monk with a talent for detection. In 1993, she was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement, and in 1999 the CWA established the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award (for the best historical crime novel of the year) in her honor. She was awarded an OBE in 1994 for services to literature. Ellis Peters died in 1995, aged 82.