Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Proud Sinner
    Unavailable
    The Proud Sinner
    Unavailable
    The Proud Sinner
    Ebook268 pages3 hours

    The Proud Sinner

    By Priscilla Royal

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    2018 Lefty Award nominee for Best Historical Mystery Novel

    In the winter of 1282, snow and ice ravage East Anglia while Prioress Eleanor awaits the decision of her young maid, Gracia, found starving on the streets some years ago, whether to take vows or to leave Tyndal Priory to make her way in the world.

    But a far greater problem arrives at the priory gate. Seven abbots are riding to meet a papal legate in Norfolk. This is not a pilgrimage—each abbot hopes to make a case for being raised to a bishopric at the next vacancy. One abbot grows so ill the party has detoured to Tyndal. And despite the limited care Sister Anne can offer, Abbot Ilbert dies a horrible death, cause unknown. As his fellows prepare to resume their journey the next day, Abbot Tristram doubles over in great distress. By now the heavy snows have choked all the roads and the priory and village are marooned. Tristram dies. And then another abbot sickens while Sister Anne struggles to determine what killed these men—which question soon becomes not just what, but who did it?

    One suspect is the gluttonous Odo, the ambitious Abbot of Caldwell and younger brother of Crowner Ralf. Since everyone despises Odo, is he simply a red herring? Prioress Eleanor is determined to stop the carnage that has shattered the tranquility in her priory while the Crowner must enforce the king's justice. Brother Thomas and Sister Anne form part of the investigation which plumbs the priory's kitchens and management as well as its medical facilities.

    The Proud Sinner, 13th in the Medieval Mysteries by Priscilla Royal, illustrates medieval matters medical and culinary as well as vocations for the religious life in a framework that crosses Chaucer's Canterbury Tales with Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateFeb 7, 2017
    ISBN9781464207280
    Unavailable
    The Proud Sinner
    Author

    Priscilla Royal

    Priscilla Royal was born in Seattle, grew up in British Columbia and now lives in Northern California. She has a degree in world literature from San Francisco State University and is the author of nine books in the Medieval Mysteries series.

    Read more from Priscilla Royal

    Related to The Proud Sinner

    Related ebooks

    Amateur Sleuths For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Richard III Struggled Against His Two Brothers For The Crown

      Dec 1, 2020

      English history recounts many tales of bloody battles, but the infighting among “The Brothers York” was legendary for its ferocity.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Dawn Of A dynasty

      Aug 11, 2023

      Dawn Of A dynasty
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Real Witch-hunter

      Sep 9, 2022

      Young Matthew Hopkins was lowered into an unmarked grave. He had breathed his last, rasping, tubercular breath in his mid 20s on 12 August 1647, 375 years ago. Unremarkable in death but terrifying in life, Matthew Hopkins grew up in a God-fearing hou

      5 min read

    • Article

      'In The Hurricane's Eye' Puts Revolutionary War Conflict The Battle Of The Chesapeake Back In Its Deserved Spotlight

      Oct 17, 2018

      'Hurricane' is the newest book from bestselling author of 'In the Heart of the Sea' and 'Valiant Ambition' Nathaniel Philbrick.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Highland FLING

      Nov 19, 2020

      Highland FLING
      7 min read

    • Article

      Andrew Caldecott

      Jul 17, 2019

      Andrew Caldecott
      3 min read

    • Article

      Rebecca

      Aug 18, 2021

      Rebecca
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Coming Out

      May 11, 2020

      The Coming Out
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson

      Jul 29, 2021

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson
      4 min read

    • Article

      …the Maid Of Norway

      Jun 13, 2020

      …the Maid Of Norway
      2 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2022

      It was an unusual birthday. Colorful banners blanketed the backyard. Kids chased each other through the grass. Adults talked. It all went downhill from there. My little sister was turning five. On her birthday cake, painted in frosting, was a fat, pi

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Lady In WHITE

      Oct 18, 2023

      The Lady In WHITE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Cast Out

      Jul 10, 2021

      Verity pushed back the quilts, rolled off her straw mattress onto the floor, felt for the poker, and stirred the ashes. The embers glowed. She wouldn’t have to go fire-borrowing again. Her chilled hands were clumsy. One glowing bit of wood rolled fro

      21 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      Signs Of Life

      Oct 5, 2020

      Breathe. Imogen grips the railing, her knuckles white. Below the bridge, the water froths and flows and she isn’t sure if the roaring in her ears is because of the river or the giddiness. Breathe. Under her feet, the pavement shifts and tilts. Br

      5 min read

    • Article

      To Save Arrhinsal

      Sep 1, 2021

      TOLIN CRAWLED FORWARD, staying alert. All around, the dense, wiry thickets of the hedge were strangely silent. That usually meant danger, when the green tangle of thorns should be cheery with the songs of finches, the dusky clucking of hedge hens. On

      8 min read

    • Article

      Angels In Bloom

      Feb 25, 2023

      Angels In Bloom
      4 min read

    • Article

      A New Beginning

      Mar 25, 2022

      A New Beginning
      5 min read

    • Article

      Milla’s Dandelion

      Sep 10, 2022

      The sun blinded Alchemilla as she entered the meadow. It was hidden deep in the forest, too deep for anyone to venture in without a reason. She didn’t mind the isolation, and if anything, it made her work easier. After her eyes adjusted, she took off

      12 min read

    • Article

      Moving On

      Dec 22, 2019

      Moving On
      4 min read

    • Article

      Stay and Fight

      Jul 9, 2019

      Stay and Fight
      16 min read

    • Article

      Helen’s Rescue

      Nov 25, 2022

      Helen’s Rescue
      3 min read

    • Article

      Red Kite Grey Shadow

      Nov 3, 2022

      Red Kite Grey Shadow
      6 min read

    • Article

      Braving the STORM

      Aug 17, 2021

      Braving the STORM
      6 min read

    • Article

      Shula And The Sun

      Oct 13, 2017

      Shula And The Sun
      8 min read

    Reviews for The Proud Sinner

    3.5/5

    11 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I've been a fan of Royal's for years and this is the first time I find myself disappointed with one of her books. I've always loved how well-drawn her characters are, but here the returning characters seemed oddly flat and to just be going through the same old routine. The group of abbots around whom the mystery revolves were barely developed as individuals, which is a great pity as they seemed to be ripe for a (slightly anachronistic) Chaucerian skewering.Despite my disappointment with this volume, I will continue to seek out Royal's books with the hope that the next one will return to her usual standard. Received via NetGalley.
    • 3/5
      The novel was sent to me by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press. Than you.The latest medieval mystery set in Tyndal Priory presents Prioress Eleanor and her associates with a neat “isolation” mystery. Abbots from seven diverse monasteries are traveling to Norwich when one of them because seriously ill and the priests are forced to stop at Tyndal so their fellow traveler can get help. Soon, because of an on-going snowstorm they are stranded. At least, the priory can offer them the newly opened guest house. In fact, they are the first guests.When the sick abbot dies a horrible death and is soon joined by two of his brethren, Prioress Eleanor and her infirmarian Sister Anne realize that the men were poisoned. A fourth abbot, the brother of Crowner Ralf, narrowly escapes the same fate. It is also obvious that the murderer has to be one of the remaining abbots or a member of their entourage. Why would a priest in such an exalted position take the chance to murder his fellows? That is the interesting puzzle.The novel furthers the life stories of many characters from Royal’s previous novels. It is time for Gracia, Prioress Eleanor’s rescued maid, to decide whether she will choose a religious vocation or return to the secular world. Crowner Ralf meets his despised brother Abbot Odo. Brother Thomas bargains with God over his sexual orientation.As usual, Royal has done her research and, in this novel, stresses medieval foods. Her lengthy author’s notes also quote her sources for behavior that the modern reader might find puzzling or disturbing. She includes a nice bibliography(I did guess the murderer early on, but only because I knew the seven deadly sins. It made the reveal even more enjoyable).