in a brief review, nick b williams, sr in the "los angeles times" found this a fascinating chronicle that will hold the reader's interest. "since man, as a species, first dropped down from the trees to walk on his hind legs--erect, that is--he hasn't changed so much--he still kills for profit or--well, sport. that's evident enough in "dead man's ransom" by ellis peters, a fascinating chronicle of 12th-century england. in this, we meet again the canny brother cadfael, apostle of survival and a sensible degree of mercy, pre-dating sherlock holmes by generations. what better way than this to get some notion of our anglo-saxon origins, along with gore enough to keep us flipping zestfully ahead through all the carnage.".