The Virgin in the Ice

November 1139, and the civil war in England has forced refugees into Shrewsbury.  The ill and exhausted are in the infirmary of the abbey.  Sun-Prior Herward from Worcester has also come to the abbey in search of two orphaned noble children who were on the way to Shrewsbury, but seem to have disappeared.  One is a girl of eighteen, along with her brother who is thirteen.  They are travelling with a nun who is the girl’s tutor.

The sheriff however, will not provide safe passage for their uncle to search for them because he is a supporter of Empress Maud.  The sheriff will ensure that they are searched for and when found safely turned over to their uncle.

Shortly after this, Cadfael has to venture out into the cold, snowy weather to a sister abbey at Bromfield where a man has been attacked and is in bad shape. Prior Leonard informs Cadfael that the man is a monk and he could very well know the whereabouts of the missing trio.

Cadfael goes in search of the trio, and has success at a remote cottage.  The lad tells him that his sister had left them with her lover.  As they progress back to Bromfield, Cadfael discovers the body of a young woman frozen in a brook.  Cadfael assumes that it is the body of the lad’s sister.  The following day, the lad informs him that it is actually the nun who had accompanied them.

As the search for the sister continues, Deputy Sheriff Hugh Beringar discovers a number of holdings that have been raided, people killed and the livestock stolen.  It would appear that there is a gang of trouble makers on the loose in the area.

What follows in author Ellis Peters’ historical mystery thriller is a tale of treachery, relief at the finding of a lost sheep, terror when another is threatened and the finding of a killer.  But most outstanding is the surprise the author provides at the end.  A well written, fast paced thriller that is possibly the best in this series so far.