Chambers of Death: A Medieval Mystery

Priscilla Royal
Poisoned Pen Press (2009)
ISBN 9781590586402
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/09)

When a traveling companion falls ill, Prioress Eleanor finds herself seeking aid at a manor full of interesting and eccentric characters.  Nothing quite seems to be as it should.  Eleanor’s interest is perked when she discovers that the master of the manor’s wife is having an affair with a groomsman. When the groomsman is murdered Eleanor and her other traveling companion, a priest named Thomas find themselves involved in discovering who the guilty party is.  Then intrigue deepens as more bodies start to pile up.

Being a woman of the cloth earns Eleanor some respect; however, being that it is still medieval times, it is still not enough.  She has to do her sleuthing privately. With Thomas’ assistance they are able to uncover a great deal of evidence.  This evidence goes against what others want to believe.  As the story unfolds and truths are revealed, the situation is much more complicated than initially suspected.

“Chambers of Death” is a great murder mystery. I enjoyed Priscilla Royal’s writing style.  With her vivid descriptions and attention to detail, she takes you right into medieval times.  The characters are well developed and extremely interesting.  Each person has to deal with their humanness and their weaknesses. Eleanor herself has her own temptations to deal with in her unrequited desire for another. Fortunately, unlike most of the other characters, she is able to control her impulses.  However, I do have to say that it is the weaknesses of the others and their willingness to succumb to temptations, both in the past and present that makes the storyline so delicious.
           
I highly recommend “Chambers of Death” by Priscilla Royal. It is sixth in a medieval mystery series.  It was the first one that I read and I had no problem catching on with the main characters.  However, I am now very interested in reading the earlier books in the series.

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