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The Virgin in the Ice
Ellis Peters Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Virgin in the Ice
" In this sixth episode of Brother Cadfael, the venerable Benedictine monk of the
Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shrewsbury finds his tranquil life at the monastery
suddenly disturbed. It is dead winter of 1139. The civil war between King Stephen and the
Empress Maud continues to rage, even in this freezing weather. But winter waits for no
man, and neither does murder. As a result of this war, two orphans and their companion,
who happens to be a nun, have fled from Worcester. However, somewhere in this vast
wintry expanse, they have gone missing. Naturally, this leads to Cadfael's involvement. He
proceeds to try to find them. The victim is on ice, all right, but not for safe keeping. She
has been murdered. With a little help from his friend Sheriff Hugh Beringer, Cadfael
combines his skills of being a sleuth, a monk, and an expert in herb medicine to solve this
intriguing mystery!   

"

Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Virgin in the Ice
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - near future
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - nearly 100%
Kind of investigator - british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - religious figure
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - jealousy
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 1
Unusual forms of death - drowned
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb
Origin in Death by J.D. Robb
Naked in Death - Death Series 1 by J.D. Robb
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb


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Ellis Peters Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
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SCHOLARS:
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