Justice for the Damned

Medieval Mystery #4

by Priscilla Royal

It is May of 1272, and Prioress Eleanor of Tyndale, recovering from a near-fatal winter fever, journeys to Amesbury Priory to visit her aunt in time for the Feast of Saint Melor. Although Eleanor hopes to regain her strength in the midst of pleasant childhood memories, Death reveals a most troublesome fondness for her company.

A ghost now haunts Amesbury. And when a man is decapitated near the river where the grim figure walks, Sister Beatrice, Eleanor’s aunt and acting prioress of Amesbury, shows an uncharacteristic hesitancy about taking charge of any investigation.

As others apparently fall victim to the vengeful ghost, Eleanor struggles to put a human face on the restless spirit, and Brother Thomas, pursuing a secret mission for the Church connected with the Priory’s famous Psaltery, finds that his own demons have unexpectedly taken on a very human form....

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Crime

229 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Priscilla has a degree in world literature from San Francisco State University, where she discovered the beauty of medieval literature. She is a theater fan as well as reader of history, mysteries, and fiction of lesser violence. She lives in Northern California and belongs to the California Writers Club and Sisters in Crime.

Reviews

[Cissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the medieval atmosphere of this series. I am sure that there are attitudes and details that are anachronistic, though I'm not an expert- but Royal does a good job of keeping the characters and most of their emotions plausible for their era.

Plus- nice tricky murder mysteries!

In this one there is a murdering possible ghost, plus various other schemes and undercurrents which tie in to the murders to some degree. I do think the favoring of a marriage based on love was anachronistic, but then I am not an expert! Certainly the opposition and the alternatives to such seemed realistic.

Both Eleanor and Thomas are well-drawn protagonists, and the secondary characters also spring to life.

It's a dense plot, but handled well, even though initially I had a hard time keeping track of the relationships among the villagers.

This is the second in the series, but I think one could easily start here.

[Dee Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible,com 6 hours 54 min. Read by Wanda MCaddon
There are are more books in this series which I had hoped would improve with time, but this is the fourth and last one I'll spend time listening to.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like this entire series, and this entry was no exception. The characterization is top notch, but it's the thorough understanding and knowledge of how "religious" would act and think in medieval times that keeps me coming back. Prioress Eleanor and her fellow nuns and monks are exemplary people, and I want to keep reading more and more about them.

The only question left -- when will Thomas's secrets revealed? That is going to be a blockbuster of a storyline.

[G L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this 3.5 stars. The plotting is less complex than in the previous books. That was disappointing.

On the other hand, there are some well written scenes in which we see more deeply into Thomas' struggles, and that helped balance the simpler plot.

I enjoyed the book very much; I simply did not find the whole to be quite as satisfying as its predecessors.

[Mairi Chong · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Medieval mystery, Prioress Eleanor investigates a suspicious death that is universally accepted as being committed by a ghost!
This is a light-hearted read but the historic details give it some substance. The characters are well drawn and the possibility of a supernatural element, is intriguing. I enjoyed this very much.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all the other books in this series, I really enjoyed this one with it's atmosphere and "real-life" feel. But I was slightly disappointed with the guilty party scene and felt like it was rushed. It didn't necessarily take anything away from the overall story, but I would have liked it better if the author had put a little more time into the scene.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written for the most part with a good plot. If Eleanor is returning to the abbey where she grew up and has only been gone two years, however, wouldn't she know the locals, both within the abbey and in the village? That part of the story didn't ring true.

[Rose Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book

Again the author takes the reader on a path with many ins and and one has to finish in order to find the real killer.

[Nance Roepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the series somewhat hit or miss. This one was fairly good.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoy this mystery series

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying continuation of the series.

[Michael Wojciehoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supernatural, greed, death, theft, sinfulness oh my what a convoluted tale.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful historical mystery

I've loved this series for years. It's so good I'm making a second pass thru it. It remains every bit as good as I remember.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

People cry a lot in these books. And talk to themselves.
It's interesting how easy it is for the characters to consider the possibility of crimes or other physical acts being done by ghosts or demons.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It might be time to take a break from these novels. I find they are getting slightly predictable. Don't get me wrong, I thought this novel was very good but I liked the twists and turns of some of the previous novels.

[Bruce Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice

Another great book in the series. Do you believe in ghosts that can commit murder? Some of the people of Tyndale think a ghost is out for revenge and others think it could be some real. It is a great read.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much better than the third book. The continuing characters grew and changed, setting up the fifth book, soon to be available.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prioress Eleanor #4

[BookAddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the Eleanor of Tyndal Priory. These just keep getting better.

[Cathy0584 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy murder mysteries and books set in a 13th century abbey in England, this is spot-on. A wonderful read also if you've enjoyed Ellis Peters' "Brother Cadfael" series.

[John Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great series, and I have learned a lot of medieval life, as well as following mysteries.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to get the formula. There's almost too much misdirection in these books.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read as out trio venture to Amesbury Priory

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Royal really brings her characters to life. However, the limits of the characters sometimes make it obvious who's the culprit.

[Rachel Cochran · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing tends to be repetitious. I've also discovered that I prefer to read the Author's Notes first to better understand how she handles the historical context. So on to the next in the series.

[Susan Corcoran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and very readable. The characters are likeable and the period setting is very realistic.

[Tanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not as good as some of the other books in the series

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting medieval background, well drawn characters and a solid mystery.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely done historical mystery. I really like the main character, Eleanor the young Prioress of Tyndale, the plot was engaging, and the historical details interesting.

[Vicki Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prioress Eleanor has returned to the priory at Amesbury where she grew up under the care of her aunt Sister Beatrice. Eleanor is recovering from a near-fatal illness and hopes to regain her strength there. There have been sightings of ghosts and soon after she has arrived, accompanied by Sister Anne and Brother Thomas, a local man is murdered. Thomas has been sent there to secretly discover who is trying to steal the very valuable Amesbury Psaltry. I could do with a little less of Thomas' struggling with his homosexuality and with Eleanor's secret lust for Thomas. But the story is interesting as are some of the local characters.