An omnibus volume containing the first two chronicles of Brother Cadfael, the remarkable medieval detective, features A Morbid Taste for Bones and One Corpse Too Many, as well as photographs and text from Cadfael Country. 17,500 first printing.

A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES. In 1137 the head of Shrewsbury Abbey decided to acquire the remains of St Winifred. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to her final resting place in Wales and they find the villagers passionately divided by the Benedictines' offer for the saint's relics. Canny, wise and all too worldly, Cadfael isn't surprised when this taste for bones leads to bloody murder. ONE CORPSE TOO MANY. In 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes Brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden to the bloody battlefield. Not far from the safety of the Abbey walls, Shrewsbury Castle falls, leaving its ninety-four defenders loyal to the Empress to hang as traitors. With a heavy heart, Brother Cadfael agrees to bury the dead, but discovers ninety-five bodies awaiting his attention. MONK'S-HOOD. Brother Cadfael's herb garden is flourishing under his care, then a local dignitary is poisoned with one of the herbalist's own concoctions and Cadfael finds he has to defend himself and another suspect whom he is sure is innocent.

In 1141, two monks have arrived in Shrewsbury from Winchester, where their abbey was destroyed. Now Brother Humilis, who is very ill, and Brother Fidelis, who is mute, must seek refuge at Shrewsbury. And from the moment he meets them, Brother Cadfael senses something deeper than their common vows binds these two brothers. And as Brother Humilis's health fails, Brother Cadfael faces a poignant test of his discretion and his beliefs as he unravels a secret so great it can destroy a life, a future, and a holy order.

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The Pilgrim of Hate: As the pilgrims gather at Shrewsbury, in distant Winchester a knight has been murdered. Among the throng of pilgrims, some strange customers indeed begin to puzzle Brother Cadfael, and as events unfold it becomes clear that the murder is a much less remote affair that it first seemed. An Excellent Mystery: In 1141 England is still torn by civic strife. Among the victims of the carnage is the Abbey of Hyde Meade, totally destroyed. But as its brothers attempt to rebuild their lives, old wounds are re-opened, painfully relived and harsh deeds committed. Only Brother Cadfael can ultimately distinguish between victim, innocent and guilty party. The Raven in the Foregate: Abbot Radulfus returns from London, bringing with him a priest for the vacant living of the Holy Cross (known as the Foregate)- a man of scholarship and discipline, but not humility. When he is found drowned in the millpond, suspicion is cast in many directions... and only the perseverance of Brother Cadfael can unravel the threads that lead to the murderer.