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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, show more 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.... show lessTags
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Member Reviews
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 show more 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. show less
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 show more 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. show less
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mom
729 works; 1 member
Author Information
21 Works 1,168 Members
Series
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Justice for the Damned
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Prioress Eleanor; Brother Thomas; Sister Beatrice; Gytha
- Important places
- Tyndal Priory, England, UK; Amesbury Priory, England, UK
- Epigraph
- Whether it makes one cry or sing,
justice must be carried out.
-- Marie de France, c. 1170, "Lanval," 1.
437-8 (translator unknown) - Dedication
- To Peter Goodhugh with gratitude
for your kindness and help from the beginning. - First words
- This early May morning in 1272, near the feast of Saint Melor, dawned with such sweetness that the Fontevraudine monks and nuns of Amesbury Priory rushed from Chapter with far more eagerness to their assigned tasks than they ... (show all)had felt heretofore.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Thus the novice mistress of Amesbury Priory resolved to learn more about this Thomas of Tyndal, a man with the power to destroy the creature she loved most in the world.
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- Members
- 81
- Popularity
- 382,498
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.71)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 5
