These two mysteries are set in Great Britain, one just in time for Christmas, and one set in the good old days when being King meant something, back in 1145.
That's the time when Brother Cadfael lived at the monastery of Shrewsbury. I've been reading Ellis Peter's stories about the ex-Crusader, now-Benedictine monk for many years, long enough to welcome each new volume like an old friend.
Ms. Peters' plots lie within the "cozy" tradition of the British mystery, close enough to Agatha Christie in that she observes with an equally sharp eye the society Brother Cadfael moves in. The west of England about the years 1145 was racked by a number of conflicts: civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud, Countess of Anjou, raids from the Welsh tribes, even the occasional incursions by Vikings, as recounted in Ms. Peters' last book, "The Summer of the Danes."
Yet through it all, the monks of the abbey, and the people of nearby Shrewsbury, live their lives according to the cycle of the calendar, and the recounting of those times is another of Ms. Peters' strengths. The seasons provide a backdrop for her plots and sometimes drive them as well. In "The Confession of Brother Haluin," an accident caused by repairing damage to the roof of the monastery during a winter freeze spurs a journey of repatriation.
And hanging over it all is the civil war, which has racked the country for nine years. In some books it barely appears, but it is still there. In this one, it draws in Brother Cadfael, who learns that his son, unknowingly be got two decades before and only recently reunited with him, had been captured when a castle was treacherously turned over to the king. He journeys to a 12th-century version of a summit meeting to seek his son's whereabouts, a journey that leads to a break between him and his beloved abbey.
Ms. Peters sharply re-creates life in the 12th century. The writing flows with a measured cadence that does not hurry the pace, and it does not take long side trips into worthless minutiae.
Then there is the spirituality. The Christianity practiced here is thoughtful and reasoned, and it informs Brother Cadfael's actions (as it should). There is a simpleness in its reliance on faith and fair dealing and honest talk that is appealing. The sins of man do not throw Brother Cadfael; in his world view, it is to be expected of everybody, even himself. The wholeness of his faith is entertaining and enlightening, no mean combination in these times, in books like these.
The PBS series "Mystery" will broadcast four Brother Cadfael stories in January and early February, with Sir Derek Jacobi playing the good brother.
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It's Christmas in the English town of Hampton, and Inspector Proby has a lot on his mind. Three women are shotgunned to death over several weeks, his wife's cheating on him again, and he's finding himself attracted ever so slightly to one of his fellow officers, a female, I might add, although more's the pity, since that little gender twist would add a needed shock to "Inspector Proby's Christmas," the first in a projected series.
It's hard to pin down why this debut novel doesn't excite me. It's decently written, free of cliches, its prose efficient and direct. If you've read Inspector-level mysteries by Martha Grimes, P. D. James and Peter Robinson, you would find this a rather limited example of the genre.
I suppose it all boils down to the detective at the center of it all. Jim Proby is a rather colorless figure, devoid of any interesting characteristic. While he is justifiably concerned over his wife's infidelity (oh, don't worry, you'll learn about it early enough anyway), he's a man who's seen it before and is prepared to soldier on, and what's the excitement in that? Far better to see him before he's built the fortress around his emotions.
Mr. Gano also commits minor sins of resolving his subplots rather too quickly and telegraphing the showdown and pulling the payoff exactly as expected. In short, "Inspector Proby's Christmas" is a three-hour diversion that will be quickly forgotten once all the presents are unwrapped.
BOOK REVIEW
Title: "Brother Cadfael's Penance"
Author: Ellis Peters
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Length, price: 292 pages, $18.95
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Title: "Inspector Proby's Christmas"
Author: John Gano
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Length, price: 184 pages, $18.95