Eleanor of Wynethorpe who is also the prioress of Tyndal has been summoned by her father Baron Adam to come and attend to her nephew during the winter of 1271. His life is in danger due to fever. Eleanor is accompanied on the trip by a skilled healer who is also a nun and Brother Thomas, an unwilling monk who is also a member of her community. While her nephew recovers, Eleanor finds herself investigating a number of strange deaths that leave her brother in a rather precarious position especially since he was found crouched over the still-warm body of Henry of Lavenham, smeared in blood and clutching a bloody dagger. Added to her problems is her attraction to Brother Thomas. Unlike Wine of Violence, the first novel in the series, this latest novel is not set in Tyndal but in the family seat on the borders of Wales.
This is the second in the series featuring the Prioress of Tyndal and the medieval world that the author Priscilla Royal has created. It is a world that encompasses all the stress and conduct that one would have come to expect from a contemporary novel but set in the past. Eleanor is a charming and practical heroine who is in turns tactful and forceful depending on the situation, Brother Thomas is also a stalwart character that has depth and strength when needed. What is good about this novel is the richness of the characters and her ability to show all sides of life.
Whilst I am a great fan of historical crime fiction and I accept that some
latitude is given when it comes to historical accuracy I have to admit to being
disappointed with Tyrant of the Mind. I am sure that no monk would have used
the language that introduces Brother Thomas to readers in this second novel
in the series. Was that word actually in use at that time? Surely not! Furthermore,
unlike such well established authors such as Peter Tremayne and Sharan Newman,
Priscilla Royal does not use the period as well as they do. In her hands, it
is more of an accoutrement for the story than anything else. This for me was
a disappointment and will be seen as such for those readers who enjoy a certain
amount of historical accuracy in their novels. Nevertheless, if you are not
too fussy then reading Tyrant of the Mind will be a pleasant way to spend a
couple of hours.
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Ayo Onatade