Review: excellent  medieval mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 22, 2007
In the winter of 1271 Prioress Eleanor was ill and almost died by the spring.  She returns to Amesbury Priory where she took her vows.  Deep dark gloomy thoughts drown her and it is hoped that a change of scenery will bring her back to life.  Accompanying her is Brother Thomas but he is on a secret mission from his spy master.Thomas's job is go find the manuscript thief who would steal the priceless Psalter.  Both become involved in the lives of the people who depend on the abbey for their livelihood.  On her way to visit a widow, Eleanor comes across the headless body of Eulfalow.  It is said the abbey and the surrounding area is haunted by the ghost of Queen Elfrida who died at the abbey in the tenth century or the ghost of Eda, a woman who drowned in the river and was buried in unconsecrated ground because the verdict of her death was suicide.  A monk guarding the Psalter is killed by the supposed "ghost".  These new deaths are linked and it is up to Thomas and Eleanor to find and discover who and why.Priscilla Royal writes some of the best medieval mysteries on the market today.  Readers of Judith Tarr and Sharon Kay Penman will enjoy this medieval mystery that brings to life a bygone era when the church was all powerful and denizens from hell are believed to be walking the earth.  The audience gets a glimpse as well of the merchant class and how the leaders of the abbeys live.  However, as vivid as all that is, the investigation by Thomas and Eleanor make for exciting thirteenth century whodunit worthy of an Agatha Award nomination.Harriet Klausner