One Corpse Too Many

Cadfael has settled down to a quiet religious life at Shrewsbury Abbey after an adventurous, and far from monastic, youth, fighting as a crusader in the Holy Land. King Stephen successfully besieges the nearby castle, and orders 94 of the occupants put to death, but Cadfael discovers there are 95 corpses to prepare for burial. He realises that he has uncovered a murder, and gains King Stephen's permission to try to solve the crime. The trail follows a cache of hidden treasure, the fleeing daughter of the castle's owner, Godith, and an up-and-coming local young man, Hugh Beringar.