(by MartinHafer on 16 January 2014)

This installment of "Cadfael" begins with a new priest, Father Ailnoth, being installed in the town. To say that Ailnoth is a nasty, judgmental jerk is a gross understatement and he immediately seems to try his best to alienate himself from the townsfolk.
Around the same time, a young lady comes to Cadfael and tries to confess to him. Cadfael was technically correct in telling her that she MUST go to her priest (Ailnoth), as a Monk's duties do NOT include receiving confessions. However, Cadfael's manner was brusque--much more so than usual for this normally gentle monk.
The next day, the woman who came to Cadfael is no where to be found. She soon is found dead--drowned by an apparent suicide. When this is brought to Ailnoth's attention, he tells everyone that she was a whore and he refused to give her absolution when they met. It is assumed she killed herself following this.
Not surprisingly, soon after this Ailnoth is found dead--also drowned. This is obviously not a suicide--he was murdered. The problem is that practically the entire town is suspect since he was such a nasty guy! And, whoever did this MIGHT have also killed the girl. Cadfael's job is to sort through both these deaths and determined what actually occurred. This is especially important because whether or not the dead woman can be buried in sacred ground is at stake, since the Church won't allow suicide victims to be buried in their cemeteries. Additionally, the woman was pregnant. Who was the father?
Aside from a VERY sloppy scene where one of the actors quoted Edmund Burke (who lived in the 18th century--even though the series is set in the 11th century!!), this is an exceptional installment of the series--possibly the best. The plot has many nice twists and turns and kept me guessing for some time. I also like how Brother Cadfael dealt with the killer. However, after watching about half the shows, it did make me marvel at the shear number of murders, suicides and accidental deaths in this town!