 First edition | |
| Author | Ellis Peters |
|---|---|
| Series | The Cadfael Chronicles |
| Genre | Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) & audio book |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | 0-333-34239-9 |
| OCLC | 233809069 |
| Preceded by | The Virgin in the Ice |
| Followed by | The Devil's Novice |
The Sanctuary Sparrow is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in spring 1140. Published in 1983, it is the seventh novel in The Cadfael Chronicles.
The story opens during the midnight service at the Abbey, when a young man seeks sanctuary, just seconds ahead of a mob of locals fresh from a wedding feast, charging him with theft and murder.
The novel was the second of the series to be adapted for television in 1994 by Central for ITV.
Reviewers found this story a bit more sentimental than earlier novels in the series. The plot reveals the killer sooner than expected,[1] but this is not a drawback, as "a dramatic turn of events that leads to the exposure of the killer and the transformation of Liliwin into a hero."[2]