Cadfael is a delight on so many levels - the history, the mystery, the life story of this singular monk. So much of the detail is accurate to time and place. i bet most don't know that the story of cadfael's life is also a very typical theme for period litereature - warrior returns from foreign wars to retire into the monastic or hermetic lifestyle. Ellis Peters did an outstanding job. too bad she passed before writing another dozen or so...