Chambers of Death (Medieval Mystery, #6) by Priscilla Royal


Chambers of Death (Medieval Mystery, #6)
Title : Chambers of Death (Medieval Mystery, #6)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1590586409
ISBN-10 : 9781590586402
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 250
Publication : First published January 1, 2009

When one of her company falls ill on a return journey to Tyndal, Prioress Eleanor accepts lodging at a nearby manor. The hospitality may be warm but the underlying passions among the steward's family are scorching. Master Stevyn's wife is having an affair with the groom while a local widow acts more like the lady of the manor than the lady herself. Stevyn's eldest son and spouse are obsessed with sin and heaven, while his youngest son, bound for the Church, unexpectedly returns with more interest in lute playing than the priesthood. It is no surprise when someone's throat is cut. But the sheriff does all he can to avoid offending the family rather than seek the real killer. When he arrests a servant, she herself is stabbed before she can either prove innocence or be taken off for hanging. As strangers in this place, Eleanor and Thomas know nothing about motives or past history, yet God's justice demands that they do what they can before another convenient innocent is condemned. Will they discover the dark secrets that have led to this string of killings before the murderer strikes again?

Chambers of Death (Medieval Mystery, #6) Reviews

  • Vicki Cline

    Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas stop at a manor on their way home because of awful weather which has caused a young novice traveling with them to fall ill. The lord of the manor has a young wife who's been fooling around with one of the grooms. The groom is found with his throat cut soon after their arrival. Other deaths ensue, as usual. I prefer the stories which take place at the priory because of the number of familiar characters, but if all the books took place there, pretty soon everyone would leave because of the huge number of murders.

  • Jen

    Murder, of course, can be expected. The problem is that I didn't much care for this sixth book in the series. Any series can vary in quality, but I'm not sure if that was the reason I didn't like it as much or if I'm growing a bit tired of the tension between Eleanor and her favorite monk.

    Purchased. Poisoned Pen Press

    Medieval Mystery. 2009, 2011. Print length: 261 pages.

  • Karin Jenkins

    I think the author must have had other reviews like mine of the previous book saying that we were too far ahead of the sleuths! This was a very complex mystery of tangled family relationships and sex (or the lack of it).

  • Vi

    Quick read -always fun and mysterious

  • Diana Herrera

    Thank goodness this one was good again after the last weak one.

  • Susan in NC

    I find this series interesting for it's seemingly accurate portrayal of medieval views on women, sexuality, illness, and the belief that evil stalked the earth in several very real forms - the Devil, Prince of Darkness, Satan, imps, incubi, succubi, etc. I also enjoy the interchanges between Prioress Eleanor and "her" monk Thomas - she struggles with the lust she feels for him, and he struggles with melancholy over his homosexual urges. It's interesting but also a bit depressing, when you realize the Catholic Church hasn't progressed a great deal in some of their views (and I say this as a cradle, albeit lazy, Catholic)! Accuracy aside, I still find the characters rather one-dimensional compared to those in the Dame Frevisse books (Margaret Frazer) and the Brother Cadfael series (Ellis Peters); often the characters come off as cardboard cut-outs of saintly goodness, ignorance, brutish ambition, etc., as opposed to real, multi-dimensional people. I bought the first two books in the series, but have checked the others out of the library and will probably continue to do so.

  • Ken Kugler

    Priscell Royal has a great group of central characters and they are gettting more and more complex.
    In Chambers of Death, the main characters, the Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas have to stop in a small fortress due to a storm and the illness of one of their novices, a young woman Mariota who is rning up with fever. Henry de Lacy, the Earl of Lincoln has offered them a place to stay but the village and fortress is steeped in mysteries, hate and mistrust. What a surprise in a Mystery Series.
    The ongoing series is also spurred on by Prioress Eleanor and her uncomfortable attraction to Brother Thomas and also his trying to hide his past attraction to a male friend.
    The family of the Earl are a complex group who range from religious to an extreme, with a holier than thou additude and those who are more secular. There is also unexpected kindness and caring from members of the family.
    A fine addition and I look forward to the next book in the series.

  • Cece

    This was weaker than other books of the series-the characters were more stock and the mystery was not so mysterious. I was a little disappointed.

  • Helen

    Cadfael meets Crowner John!

  • Melody

    A new series to me. Very interesting characters and an interesting plot. Very good representation of medieval thinking. I shall look for other books in this series.

  • Ama-louise

    Thoroughly enjoyable. A righteous stroll through a houseful packed with enough deceit, lust (both open and concealed) to kindle into the flames of a hellish crime.

  • Celeste

    Love every book in this series. Priscilla Royal never disappoints me.

  • Bernadette

    finished 2018-04-02