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 Davoir’s sick clerk dies
from a potion sent by Sister Anne, Tyndale’s
sub-infirmarian. Is Sister Anne guilty of simple
incompetence—or 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 king’s 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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