Satan’s Lullaby
In the 11th installment in Priscilla Royal’s Medieval Mysteries series, Father Etienne Davoir, brother to the abbess in charge of Prioress Eleanor’s order, arrives at Tyndal Priory to conduct an investigation into anonymous charges that something is terribly wrong with the way the priory is being managed. As he begins to question nuns, monks, and lay persons alike, his favorite clerk takes sick and dies from a healing potion supposedly sent from Tyndale’s sub-infirmarian. Davoir immediately suspects the nun and has her imprisoned. But when another clerk is attacked Davoir is finally convinced his own life may be in danger and submits to a plan to find the culprit.
While visiting with Prioress Eleanor, Brother Thomas, and the other staple characters populating Tyndal Priory will make Satan’s Lullaby enjoyable for Royal’s loyal fans, I found the writing uninspiring and the plot weaker than in some of her earlier books. As always, however, the setting is well drawn and the research impeccable. For readers who like a tame mystery with lots of rich historical details, but not much action, this will be an enjoyable read.
