Justice for the Damned

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Praise for Justice for the Damned "The author subtly treats the erotic charge surrounding Eleanor and Thomas while shedding light on 13th-century understandings of sexuality." -Publishers Weekly starred review It is May of 1272, and Prioress Eleanor of Tyndale, recovering from a near-fatal winter fever, journeys to Amesbury Priory to visit her aunt in time for the Feast of Saint Melor. Although Eleanor hopes to regain her strength in the midst of pleasant childhood memories, Death reveals a most troublesome fondness for her company. A ghost now haunts Amesbury. And when a man is decapitated near the river where the grim figure walks, Sister Beatrice, Eleanor's aunt and acting prioress of Amesbury, shows an uncharacteristic hesitancy about taking charge of any investigation. As others apparently fall victim to the vengeful ghost, Eleanor struggles to put a human face on the restless spirit, and Brother Thomas, pursuing a secret mission for the Church connected with the Priory's famous Psaltery, finds that his own demons have unexpectedly taken on a very human form.... Priscilla Royal grew up in British Columbia and holds a degree in world literature from San Francisco State University. She now lives and writes in Northern California. Justice for the Damned is the fourth novel in her medieval mystery series. www.priscillaroyal.com

Priscilla Royal is the author of the medieval mysteries Tyrant of the Mind and Wine of Violence. She was born in Seattle, grew up in British Columbia, and now resides in Northern California. She is a member of the California Writers Club and Sisters in Crime.

""An age-old story of lust, passion, greed and murder. Prioress Eleanor is visiting her aunt at her old home, Amesbury Priory, when a series of murders threaten to set back her recovery from a near-fatal illness. She's accompanied by Brother Thomas, a monk who carries out secret missions for the Church, who's trying to protect a valuable manuscript sent to Amesbury for repair. Both the villagers and some members of the religious community are living in fear of a ghost they say haunts the riverbank. Some claim it's Queen Elfrida, founder of the Priory, others a local woman ruled a suicide and buried in unhallowed ground. When Wulfstan is found decapitated near the Avon's banks, his son Sayer, a wild youth who'd threatened to kill his father, is a likely suspect, along with the malevolent ghost. Eleanor becomes involved in the affairs of Sayer's cousin Alys, whose mother Jhone wants her to marry Herbert, a wealthy vintner whose wife was the suicide, but who's in love with a glover of modest means. Meanwhile, Thomas drinks at the local tavern hoping to discover who might be plotting to steal the manuscript. When another murder brings his concerns together with Eleanor's, both must battle their inner demons before the truth is revealed. Royal's continuing saga of historical sleuths Eleanor and Thomas (Sorrow Without End, 2006, etc.) and their struggle to contain their inappropriate lust is a rousing tale."" --Kirkus Reviews