Land of Shadows, Priscilla Royal
Land of Shadows, Priscilla Royal
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Land of Shadows
A Medieval Mystery

Author: Priscilla Royal

Narrator: Wanda McCaddon

Unabridged: 6 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/02/2016


Synopsis

A royal birth, a nobleman’s death, and a scarlet woman’s murderIn March 1279 Edward I takes a break from hammering the Welsh and bearing down on England’s Jews to vacation in Gloucestershire. The royal party breaks the journey at Woodstock Manor. There, one life begins as the queen gives birth to a daughter and one draws to an end as apoplexy fells Baron Adam Wynethorpe.Hastening to the baron’s deathbed is his eldest son, Hugh, a veteran of Edward’s Crusades who can’t shake off the battle horrors he has witnessed. The baron’s daughter, Prioress Eleanor, has already arrived to tend to her father, bringing along her subinfirmarian, Sister Anne, and the monk Brother Thomas. Awaiting Hugh is his illegitimate son, Richard, a youth filled with rebellion—and a secret.The royal manor is packed with troubling guests, including a sinister priest, an elderly Jewish mother mourning a son hanged for the treason of coin-clipping, contentious and greedy courtiers, and a lusty wife engaged with more than one lover. Quite soon, the wife is found hanged. Prioress Eleanor and Sister Anne persuade the high sheriff of Berkshire that Mistress Hawis’ death was not a suicide. In fact, many at the manor had reason to wish Hawis dead. And one of the suspects is Richard.In her twelfth novel, Royal once again “amplifies and deepens her series characters in the service of a clever plot that elevates her work to the top rank of historical mystery writers,” as Publishers Weekly said in a starred review of Satan’s Lullaby, the eleventh in a series recommended by Sharon Kay Penman and favorably compared to Ellis Peters’ Cadfael books.

About Priscilla Royal

Priscilla Royal grew up in British Columbia, earned a degree in world literature from San Francisco State University, and worked for the federal government in various positions. She is the author of the Medieval Mystery series featuring Eleanor, prioress of Tyndal, and she is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, California Writers Club, and Sisters in Crime.

About Wanda McCaddon

Wanda McCaddon began recording books for the fledgling audiobook industry in the early 1980s and has since narrated well over six hundred titles for major audio publishers, as well as abridging, narrating, and coproducing classic titles for her own company, Big Ben. Audiobook listeners may be familiar with her voice under one of her two "nom de mikes," Donada Peters and Nadia May. The recipient of an Audie Award and more than twenty-five Earphones Awards, AudioFile magazine has named her one of recording's Golden Voices. Wanda also appears regularly on the professional stage in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Christy on January 27, 2016

An enjoyable medieval mystery set in the 13th century, at the time of Edward I and his Queen, Eleanor. Queen Eleanor is giving birth again, something she did rather often, so royalty and nobility have gathered. Baron Wynethorpe, suffering from a stroke, is also at the manor and his passing explains......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on August 29, 2017

I found this at my library and finally caught up with the series, though reading this one out of sync. I have to say I did not enjoy this one at the same level as all the other books. Sister Eleanor and Brother Thomas are attending Baron Wynethorpe, Eleanor's father, during his waning days. Eleanor'......more


Quotes

“Wanda McCaddon rises to the challenge of voicing an extensive range of characters, allowing subtle characterizations to help differentiate the key protagonists. This is particularly important for listeners joining the series now, in its twelfth installment. McCaddon’s well-paced narration allows the plot, with its twists and turns, to unfold, drawing the listener deeply into life in the thirteenth century. This intriguing story combines mystery and fascinating insights into life at the time, with the high-quality narration bringing it all together.” AudioFile

“Royal’s thoughtful twelfth medieval mystery takes Prioress Eleanor and Sister Anne, a skilled ‘sub-infirmarian’ who nurses the sick, from Tyndal Priory to Woodstock Manor, where the prioress’ father, Baron Adam of Wynethorpe, has been struck by apoplexy during a royal visit…Royal matches a clever story line with intelligent characterizations, while providing a disturbing look at anti-Semitism in thirteenth-century England.” Publishers Weekly

“A marvelous tale of intrigue…This twelfth in the series will appeal to fans of Ellis Peters and Peter Tremayne.” Booklist