Tyrant of the Mind

(Paperback)

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A nun and a monk defy death and dishonor at her family's Welsh fortress... In the winter of 1271, Death stalks the corridors of Wynethorpe Castle on the Welsh border. When the Grim Reaper touches the beloved grandson of the castle lord, Baron Adam sends for his daughter, Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal, and her sub-infirmarian, Sister Anne, to save the child with prayers and healing talents. Escorting them to the remote fortress is Brother Thomas, an unwilling monk fighting his private demons. Death may be denied once in his quest for souls but never twice. Soon after the trio arrives, an important guest is murdered. The prioress's brother, bloody dagger in hand, stands over the corpse. All others may believe in his guilt, but Eleanor is convinced her brother is innocent. Outside her priory, in a world of armed men, Eleanor may have little authority, but she is determined to untangle the Gordian knot of thwarted passions and old resentments even if it means defying her father, a man with whom she longs to make peace. As passions rise with the winter wind and time runs short, Eleanor, Anne and Thomas struggle to find the real killer.

Reviews

The chill that pervades Royal's second medieval historical (after 2003's Wine of Violence ) stems not just from the bitter winter besetting the Welsh border castle of Wynethorpe but also from the murderous tensions that afflict its occupants. The illness of Richard, grandson of Baron Adam of Wynethorpe, has brought home the boy's aunt, Eleanor, prioress of Tyndal, as well as her companions, Sister Anne, a nun skilled in medicine, and Brother Thomas, a handsome and unwilling monk. Jealousy, lust, fear and treachery lead to murder, perhaps committed by Eleanor's brother, Robert, who's found standing with a bloody knife over the freshly slain victim. It's up to Eleanor and her oddly matched companions to prove Robert's innocence before medieval justice delivers its swift and violent verdict. The author carefully renders the hardships of surviving the harsh winters without obscuring the small pleasures that people of the period enjoyed. Eleanor, forceful or diplomatic by turns, is an engaging and resourceful her oine, and Brother Thomas shows surprising depths and strengths. Royal brings her 13th-century world vividly and artfully to life in a series sure to have a bright future. -- Publishers Weekly (11.2004)

Author Bio

Priscilla Royal is the author of the medieval mysteries Tyrant of the Mind and Wine of Violence. She was born in Seattle, grew up in British Columbia, and now resides in Northern California. She is a member of the California Writers Club and Sisters in Crime.