Valley of Dry Bones

August 30, 2010
Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal needs all her intelligence to quell the sacred and profane troubles that arise in Royal's rewarding seventh medieval mystery (after 2009's Chambers of Death). Complications begin when a party of courtiers arrives at the priory to scout stopping places for an upcoming pilgrimage by the queen. A worldly priest, a baron hoping to trade land for salvation, and a sinister manservant, among others, add their own conflicts to tensions already simmering at the priory. When the baron is found murdered, suspicion spreads from his fellow travelers to Tyndal's inhabitants and friends. While the initial introduction of characters and backstory drags, Royal brings her usual clarity, insight, and power to the rest of the novel. Accurate both to its 13th-century period and to the unchanging nature of the human soul, this series deserves both its loyal followers and its new fans.

October 15, 2010

Prioress Eleanor investigates murder within her own priory walls in the latest installment of this long-running series (Chambers of Death, 2009, etc.).

Eleanor, prioress of Tyndal, is ambivalent about the queen's impending visit. The honor of Her Majesty's presence might well prove costly. Her fears are not allayed by the royal advance party: greedy Baron Otes, creepy Father Eliduc and ailing Lady Avelina, along with her unrelentingly cruel son Simon and her faithful serving man Kenard. The party is headed by Sir Fulke, elder brother of the local crowner Ralf. Baron Otes is found with his throat slit, but instead of closing ranks to investigate, the two brothers bicker constantly, to the detriment of their legal duties. The only witness is a terrified orphan boy. Brother Thomas, Eleanor's usual partner in crime-stopping, is doing penance for his lust as a hermit. So Eleanor is left to seek out the murderer alone, as she also prepares for the queen's visit. During the dress rehearsal of a liturgical play for royal entertainment, Kenard drops dead outside the chapel door. Is there one killer on the loose, or two?

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August 1, 2010

In the summer of 1274, Tyndal Priory is a proposed stop for King Edward's queen as she makes a pilgrimage through England. Her emissaries arrive to make sure Tyndal has suitable accommodations, but it is not long before one of them, Baron Otes, is murdered. There are many at the priory who have reason to want him harmed. VERDICT Royal gets better with each book. Her seventh series title (after Chambers of Death) has Prioress Eleanor honing her skills and her knowledge of political maneuvering. This is a series not to be missed by readers who yearn for one more medieval mysteries from Ellis Peters.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2010
It wouldnt be a religious pilgrimage without a murderat least not in one of Royals authentically wrought medieval mysteries. Tensions simmer within and without the walls of Tyndal Priory as Prioress Eleanor and her assistants await the arrival of the royal scouting party designated to approve the convents accommodations in advance of the arrival of the queen and her esteemed companions. When Baron Otes, a crafty extortionist with a store of personal secrets he has every intention of cashing in on, is murdered, suspects abound. It is up to Prioress Eleanor, Brother Thomas, and Crowner Ralf to sift through the evidence in order to unravel a crime of passion before more violence is wrought. What makes this seriesthis is the seventh entrytick are the recurring subplots involving Eleanor, Thomas, and Ralf that run through all the narratives, binding the characters and their intimate stories together into an intriguing subtext.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)