Tyrant of the Mind [Hardcover]

Priscilla Royal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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 heroine, 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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This second medieval mystery featuring the delightfully flawed Eleanor, Prioress of Tyndal, grabs readers by the lapels and forcibly hauls them into eleventh-century East Anglia. Her nephew's illness brings Eleanor back home to Wynthorpe Castle and embroils her in the latest family crisis, which involves her brother Robert's impending marriage. The prioress skates close to disaster when the bride-to-be's brother Henry meets a violent end, and Robert is found holding the bloody dagger, forcing Eleanor to bring her investigative talents to bear. Aided by the handsome and mysterious Brother Thomas, Eleanor sets her logical mind to solving the puzzle while grappling with the complicated emotional ties between Henry's family and her own, now snowbound together behind the icy walls of Wynthorpe. Royal combines an intriguing "country house" mystery with an cast of engaging characters whose realistically complex motives and personal issues lend the story depth. With a deft and subtle flair rivaling that of Brother Cadfael, Prioress Eleanor sets her world to rights and leaves us wanting more. Jennifer Baker
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590581350
• ISBN-13: 978-1590581353
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Washington State, Priscilla Royal grew up in New Westminster, BC. She graduated with a BA in world literature from San Francisco State University. In 2000, she retired from the federal civil service and now writes medieval mysteries full time. Medieval literature and history have fascinated her for almost half a century, and she delights in finding details that aren't usually mentioned in most fiction. As one example, her main characters belong to the very real Order of Fontevraud, a double house of monks and nuns, run by a woman in an era when conventional wisdom said that women were weak, illogical and should never rule men. The characters remain true to their time but exhibit universal characteristics. Although a fan of theater, modern mysteries, and fiction of lesser violence, she was inspired to write about medieval crime and punishment by the works of both Ellis Peters and Sharon Kay Penman.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating medieval mystery, October 31, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tyrant of the Mind (Hardcover)

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

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Voice in my Favorite Genre, January 30, 2005

By 

Medieval History Buff (Way Out West) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tyrant of the Mind (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery and Medieval mayhem, October 29, 2006

By 

Catscradle (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tyrant of the Mind (Medieval Mystery Book 2) (Paperback)

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.