The cloistered walls of Shrewsbury Abbey have always protected Brother Cadfael from the raging Civil War. But when fighting escalates between Empress Maud and King Stephen, the war takes a deadly step closer to him. Taken prisoner in the battle for Maud’s land is Olivier de Bretagne, Brother Cadfael’s own son- born as a result of a brief encouter thirty years earlier. Now Brother Cadfael resolves to plead for his son’s release at a peace conference scheduled to take place in Coventry; but there is no sign of Olivier there. After much soul searching, Cadfael makes the difficult decision to break his monastic vows, leaving Coventry without permission- because he knows he must do everything in his power to find his son.In his twentieth chronicle Brother Cadfael is involved in an investigation of a uniquely personal nature, for as he observes, ‘Before I was a Brother I was a father.About the AuthorEllis Peters is one of the pseudonyms of Edith Pargeter who wrote several books under her own name and also Peter Benedict, Jolyon Carr and John Redfern. She was the recipient of the Crime Writers Association and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award. She died in 1995.ReviewsA more attractive and presupposing detective it would be hard to find. SUNDAY TIMES As usual, Ellis Peters writes with quietly compelling expertise and an eye for character. WOMAN’S JOURNALBook InformationISBN 9780751513707Author Ellis PetersFormat PaperbackPage Count 288Imprint Time Warner PaperbacksPublisher Little, Brown Book GroupWeight(grams) 150gDimensions(mm) 178mm * 140mm * 18mm