Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas aren't sure why the Abbess has sent her brother to inspect their house, but they are determined to prove that the buildings, the people, and the faith are strong and well-tended. When a member of the visiting priest's retinue falls ill and dies, the leaders of Tyndal Priory are suspected of murder. They must tread carefully as they investigate and find proof of what really happened.
SATAN'S LULLABY is the eleventh book in Priscilla Royal's Medieval Mystery series. The main characters, of which there are many, sometimes refer to past adventures but it's not too distracting to a new reader. It did take me several chapters to really get into the flow of the story and begin to keep everyone straight.
The murder mystery at the heart of the story is a good one. It keeps the reader guessing right to the end. The resolution is unexpected, and I have to admit for me it wasn't entirely satisfying. The author drops some red herrings that aren't entirely false leads, but never really go anywhere. The characters who populate the priory and connected village are smart and likeable but the visitors are, for the most part, very simple and one-dimensional.
I recommend this book for fans of historical mysteries and for open-minded readers of Christian fiction.
It is the autumn of 1278. The harvest is in. The air is
crisp. Dusty summer breathes a last sigh before the dark
seasons arrive.
For Prioress Eleanor, dark times arrive early in Norfolk.
The head of her order, Abbess Isabeau, has sent Father
Etienne Davoir from its headquarters in France to inspect
all aspects of Tyndal Priory from its morals to its roofs.
Surely the Abbess would not have chosen her own brother for
this rare and thorough investigation unless the cause was
serious and she had reason to fear intervention from Rome.
Prioress Eleanor knows something is terribly amiss.
The situation turns calamitous when Davoirβs sick clerk dies
from a potion sent by Sister Anne, Tyndaleβs
sub-infirmarian. Is Sister Anne guilty of simple
incompetenceβor murder? Or, Davoir asks, did Prioress
Eleanor order the death to frighten him away before he
discovered the truth behind accusations she is unfit for her
position? When Davoir himself is threatened, the priest
roars for justice. Even expectant father Crowner Ralf, the
local representative of the kingβs justice, has lost all
objectivity. The most likely suspects are Anne, the woman
Ralf once loved, the prioress he respects, and the Tyndal
monk, Thomas, who is his closest friend. Who among the
French and English assembled at Tyndal has succumbed to
Satan's lullaby?
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