This is the eleventh book in Priscilla Royal’s medieval mystery series featuring Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas. It’s intriguing to watch how a writer keeps a long running series fresh and fully engaging. In Satan’s Lullaby Royal manages to knock Eleanor and Thomas to the sidelines where they can only indirectly advise their friends how to unravel the mystery. New players must step to the forefront. Royal has also raised the stakes—both Eleanor and Thomas stand to lose all in this book. One of my favorite of Royal’s themes crops up also: the lack of compassion that the religiously fanatical display in the name of their supposed goodness.
Royal introduced a new character in her last book and she continues to develop Gracia, the orphan who becomes Eleanor’s maid, with a resonating personality and set of talents. Gracia is clever at uncovering people’s secrets and observing the small, telling details. But she’s also determined and not always willing to do as she has been told for her own safety—such a good mixture for exciting problems.
The sources of villainy in this book will surprise you and, as is frequently the case in these nuanced, intelligent books, the “bad” guys come with complicated motives that sometimes make the bad and the good difficult to distinguish. I highly recommend the latest in Priscilla Royal’s excellent series.
Thank you so much, Judith, for your wonderful review! It made my day.
I had a great time reading Satan’s Lullaby–not just in the ordinary way of readers but as a writer, I enjoy watching your craft in action. I always learn something new.
Comments are closed.