A Good Mystery

Do you remember when the Ellis Peters' mysteries were on PBS with Derek Jacobi as the main character, Cadfael?  That may have been when I fell in love with medieval mysteries.  It shouldn't have surprised me for I enjoyed reading historical fiction set in early to medieval England, and the slight shift to mysteries was a natural progression.

Anyway, there are many wonderful mysteries and talented authors out there, but I just enjoyed one new to me.  It's Priscilla Royal whom I met in 2006 or 2007 at a conference for writers of historical fiction (I went because Diana Gabaldon was there and like many other readers I love her books).   I remember Ms. Royal as a warm person who chatted a bit as she autographed her book for me, and that's about all I remember.  Her book was set aside for a later date when I would have more time to enjoy it.  Lucky for me, I found it on my shelf Saturday, and I had the time.

Wine of Violence is the book and here is a brief summary from Publishers Weekly: 

In the year 1270 on the remote East Anglican coast, the new prioress of Tyndal priory (a small "double house" where the monks and nuns run a hospital), the young Eleanor of Wynethorpe, is prepared to face some resentment but not the dire consequences of several deadly sins, including lust, in Royal's stellar debut. Eleanor's political appointment, a reward to her parents for their loyalty to King Henry III, has embittered some of the Tyndal nuns and monks, particularly Sister Ruth, who was assuming the job would be hers. Eleanor knows that gaining the trust of the sisters and brothers she's to lead is vital, but when a beloved monk is found murdered in the cloister gardens, Eleanor has a brutal killer to deal with as well. The arrival of a young priest, Brother Thomas, struggling with the demons created by a crime he committed compounds her problems. As the violence continues, Eleanor, Thomas and the local coroner join forces to investigate. With its intriguing plot, chilling conclusion and characters who exhibit universal and timeless feelings, this fresh first has all the potential to evolve into a series as enduring as Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael books.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Here are some of the things that I liked about the book.  First, Ms Royal has done her homework and the historical content is accurate and well handled; you don't feel that you've mistakenly opened a text book because the facts are an integral part of the story.  I learned things I hadn't known while enjoying a decent mystery.  The main characters are realistically drawn, and they certainly have their flaws (Brother Thomas especially).  There is a tension between the town and the priory (Saxon vs Norman), an intriguing tension between the Prioress and the Priest (and not what one might expect), as well as tensions that are what one might expect between people in as closed community as a priory.  Minor characters add their colors to the tapestry of the story and make the picture whole.  One or two work their way from minor to more significant subtly which I liked as well as I liked their secrets. 

However, I am not saying this is a book without flaws, but I found them to be minor (they didn't distract me from my pleasure in the reading).  Ms Royal will possibly take care of some of these weaknesses as she gains experience.  For example, I knew who the murderer would be early on in the book, and I'm not one who really tries to figure that out (I like to be "mystified" and let an author have her fun with me).  The villain is a little too black and unlikable and his semi-accomplice is drawn with the same pen.  The prioress is not as fully developed a character as Brother Thomas.  She has only one clear character flaw instead of the several that plague the priest.  Since the village does not play a major part in the mystery there little description of it, and I would have liked more as well as more of the priory itself (I'm a real fan of maps in mysteries like this).

All that said, I didn't want to put the book down and found enough time to read it in one day.  I look forward to reading the second (Tyrant of the Mind which I understand does not take place in the priory) and the third and hope there will be still more. 

If you've read this book or others by Priscilla Royal, please tell me what you think about her books.