Tyrant of the Mind

November 15, 2004
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.

November 1, 2004
In this sequel to Wine of Violence, Sister Eleanor, Prioress of Tyndal, and Brother Thomas visit her father's Wynethorpe Castle on the Welsh border in 1271 in order to care for her brother's sick, illegitimate son. Her father, meanwhile, arranges a marriage for her other brother, Robert, with an old friend's daughter. Unfortunately, the friend seems to be saddled with a deceitful wife, a disobedient daughter, and a cuckolding son. When events lead to murder, Robert gets the blame, and Eleanor sets out to uncover the real culprit. Hidden personal traumas reveal themselves against the grim backdrop of a border castle in unstable times. This realistic medieval fare will appeal to devotees of Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael series. Royal lives in Northern California. [See Mystery Prepub, LJ 8/04.]

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