Satan's Lullaby

Description

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 it

Priscilla Royal grew up in British Columbia and earned a B.A. in World Literature at San Francisco State University, where she discovered the beauty of medieval literature. She is a theater fan as well as a reader of history, mystery, and fiction of lesser violence. When not hiding in the thirteenth century, she lives in Northern California and is a member of California Writers Club, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. www.priscillaroyal.com

At the start of Royal's outstanding 11th medieval whodunit featuring Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas (after 2013's Covenant with Hell), the imperious Fr. Etienne Davoir arrives from France to inspect the operations of Eleanor's Tyndal Priory, of the Order of Fontevraud, in East Anglia. While such inspections are routine for other orders, this will be Tyndal's first in Eleanor's eight years as prioress. Abbess Isabeau, Davoir's sister, has sent a message from France saying her brother "would look into whether any impropriety had occurred amongst the religious." The night before the priest's arrival, a soldier escorting his party has his throat slit while sleeping in an inn. Another murder follows, and suspicions center on a member of Tyndal Priory, even as Eleanor must fend off an accusation of a carnal affair. Royal amplifies and deepens her series characters in the service of a clever plot that elevates her work to the top rank of historical mystery writers. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *