Tyrant of the Mind: A Medieval Mystery

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful story by Priscilla Royal! TYRANT OF THE MIND contains characters that I can care about, interesting dialog and story twists. Most importantly for me, the author straddles the two time periods (theirs and ours) in a balanced way that is neither anachronistic nor outdated. Highly recommended. I'm working my way through this entire series.

Tyrant of the Mind is a first-rate historical mystery. The characters are fascinating and full of life. Royal has a marvelous talent for incorporating medieval history and customs into the story line. The mystery is incredibly complex. It kept me guessing until the final chapters. I'm a big fan of Ellis Peters and Margaret Frazer's medieval mysteries and I'm so glad that I discovered such a wonderful new series.

Priscilla Royal's 'Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal' stories (this is the second) are especially competent in every respect. Her characters are carefully drawn and three dimensional, her story line is logical and intriguing, her grasp of medieval detail is extremely good...she is simply a first rate story teller. It happens that medieval mysteries are my favorites, and this author is right up there with Alys Clare, Margaret Frazer, Bernard Knight, and Kate Sedley. I'll look forward to her next entry in the 'Prioress Eleanor' tales.

Eleanor of Wynethorpe, the prioress of Tyndale in East Anglia, is summoned home because her young nephew Richard is very ill. Accompanying her is the renowned healer Sister Anne and Thomas a monk who was forced into the church by a fanatical bishop. Visiting the castle are Sir Geoffrey, his wife Isabella and his son Henry and his daughter Julianna who are negotiating the marriage of Lord Adam's son and Eleanor's brother Robert to Sir Gregory's daughter Julianna . While Anne takes care of Richard, Isabella flirts with Robert and Sir Geoffrey fights with his son and herHenry and Robert engage in fisticuffs. Shortly thereafter, Henry is dead from knife wounds and Robert is found standing over the body, his hands dripping with blood. Surprisingly, it is Sir Geoffrey who argues that Robert is innocent and his father who has him locked in a guarded room waiting for the sheriff to come. Eleanor and Brother Thomas work together to find the real killer because they believe Robert is innocent. TYRANT OF THE MIND is a fascinating medieval mystery that takes place six months after the ill fated rebellion of Simon de Montefort. Readers geta tantalizing glimpse of the inner workings of a medieval castle. The heroine is the voice of reason and quite logically shows her father why her brother couldn't possibly be guilty; in an age when women had no rights, Eleanor stands up for her beliefs. Brother Thomas, who also plays a role in finding out who the killer is, has adjusted to the circumstance that forced him to become a priest. Priscilla Royal will appeal to fans of medieval mysteries as her style is reminiscent of renowned author Sharon Key Perman. Harriet Klausner