Forsaken Soul
A
Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal Mystery
Priscilla
Royal
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-521-6 (1590585216)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-521-4 (9781590585214)
Publication Date: August 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): The summer of 1273 is peaceful for most of
England—except in the village of Tyndal where Martin the
cooper has been poisoned at the local inn.
Could the murderer be his usual whore who is about to be tossed aside
for another woman? Or the innkeeper’s niece with secret
reasons for fearing him? Perhaps the blacksmith did it, a man whose
temper might have exploded when he was mocked once too often. Martin
had enough enemies. The killer could be anyone.
This crime has naught to do with the priory, but Prioress Eleanor
grieves for her friend—the newly bereaved Crowner
Ralf—and offers what help she and former apothecary Sister
Anne can.
When her own problems multiply, Eleanor has good reason to regret her
kindness. Her new anchoress terrifies her servants and welcomes
visitors to her window at night. One of those visitors has been Brother
Thomas, a man the prioress secretly loves and whose loyalty to her as
head of Tyndal Priory is now suspect.
Bodies multiply. Suspects disappear. No one likes the direction the
evidence points, but God’s justice must be
rendered—even for the forsaken soul.
Review:
Prioress Eleanor, administrator of the Tyndal Priory on the East
Anglican coast of England, investigates the gruesome murder of a local
cooper in Forsaken Soul,
the 5th mystery in this series by Priscilla Royal.
In the summer of 1273, Prioress Eleanor is training a new Prioress,
Sister Ruth, and a new anchoress, Sister Juliana. An anchoress lives in
a single, small room and listens to visitors who need counsel. Her only
duty is to listen and give advice during daylight hours. Sister
Juliana, however, insists on only night-time visitors -- for reasons
known only to her. This causes dissention inside the Priory, especially
for Sister Ruth. The Priory serves both the spiritual and worldly needs
of the village. Between her duties at the Priory, her work with the
monks and the police, Prioress Eleanor is kept busy trying to keep
peace and bring the unbelievers to God.
It is during one of her outside visits to the village when she learns
that Martin, the cooper, has been found poisoned to death. His murder
isn't all that unexpected as he was a crude, nasty man. Suspicion,
however, immediately falls upon his pregnant whore, Ivetta. But when
she's poisoned, Eleanor, together with Thomas the monk, is forced to
look elsewhere. Thomas believes it highly improbable that two people,
so well known to each other, died by the same method within such a
short period of time. Before any solution to the crimes can be found,
Will, the blacksmith is poisoned. Is this the act of one person? If so,
why, kill a cooper, his whore, and a blacksmith? What is the common
thread?
Forsaken Soul
is a fascinating story both in the historical sense and for its
fictional plot. With generous attention to detail, readers may readily
imagine the dingy bar with the foul odors and dingy tables, and the
upstairs room where Martin took Ivetta, mostly for himself but
sometimes with the other men who visited. The dark, windy streets teem with
evil shady men and women. Nefarious schemes abound. One doesn't need to
be a fan of historical mysteries to enjoy this wonderfully atmospheric
medieval tale of murder.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Forsaken Soul and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Wine of Violence
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), December 2003
ISBN-10: 1-59058-088-5 (1590580885)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-088-2 (9781590580882)
Tyrant of the
Mind
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), December 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-135-0 (1590581350)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-135-3 (9781590581353)
Sorrow Without
End
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2006
ISBN-10: 1-59058-214-4 (1590582144)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-214-5 (9781590582145)
Justice
for the Damned
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), June 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-330-2 (1590583302)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-330-2 (9781590583302)
Forsaken
Soul
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59058-521-6 (1590585216)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-521-4 (9781590585214)
Omnimystery keywords for Forsaken Soul ...
Location(s) referenced: Amesbury, England.
