Valley of Dry Bones (Medieval Mystery, #7) by Priscilla Royal

Valley of Dry Bones (Medieval Mystery, #7) Reviews

• 
  iasa

  3.5* actually. I found this novel easy enough to read and I enjoyed the medieval setting. However there was a little to much exposition and the solution to the mystery was so much discovered but rather given to the MC.
• 
  Brianna Parr

  Great religious read, comforting in that sense, but a bit slow sometimes.
• 
  Susan in NC

  One of the things that draws me back to this historical mystery series and other series set in medieval times is reading about a time and place so different from our modern world. Royal generally provides a historically accurate and fascinating look into the slower-paced lives of her recurring characters, almost all religious serving at Tyndal Priory (some of the supporting characters, like Ralf the Crowner and Signy the innkeeper, are "civilians" from the nearby village). I especially admire Prioress Eleanor, whose youthful, slight appearance belies a sharp, logical mind and strong character. The plot in this entry, unlike the previous book in the series, "Chambers of Death", dragged to the point of almost causing me to doze off. I found myself losing patience with the plodding dialogue and multiple melodramas between Crowner Ralf and his brother Fulke; Eliduc, a creepy, rather oily visiting cleric and Prioress Eleanor, and the increasingly whiny, tortured, temporary hermit Brother Thomas and pretty much anyone he comes in contact with, that I finally started skimming toward the end.
  
  Along with the snail's pace of the plotting, my second point of contention with this book was the clunky, awkward dialogue. As I said above I enjoy several medieval mystery series that are well-researched and well-written: Ellis Peters' classic Brother Cadfael, Margaret Frazer's Dame Frevisse and Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVandeur. All of these authors manage to entertain and inform with intriguing mysteries and favorite recurring characters, as Royal does, but they seem to do a better job writing authentic-sounding yet realistic dialogue. I've noticed it in past entries in this series, but it hasn't became a distraction for me until this book. I hope this author gets back on track in future and will look for the next book at the library, but will not automatically buy as I have in the past.
• 
  stormhawk

  Murder is the most terrible of crimes, even when the victim is a man universally disliked and feared by his contemporaries.
  
  Echoing Eco's
  The Name of the Rose and
  Mistress of the Art of Death, Valley of the Dry Bones is a murder mystery set in a medieval monastery. I am not enough of a medievalist to know if her characters act in ways that would be consistent with courtiers and religious of the time, but within the context of the novel, they do not seem out of place. I like books of detecting that do not rely on the flashy DNA and fingerprints science of today, making the solution of the crime an exercise of logic.
  
  I was grateful that I read this book on my Kindle, because I frequently found recourse in the automatic dictionary ... Old English terms abound, but most can be understood through context, although a glossary might have helped.
  
  The author's afterword provided some interesting historical details that rounded out the story.
• 
  Vicki Cline

  A group of courtiers comes to Tyndal Priory to see if it will be suitable as a stop on a pilgrimage the queen is planning to make. Included in the group is Sheriff Fulke, crowner Ralf's older brother - they are not on the best of terms. One of the company (with a lot of enemies) is found dead near Brother Thomas' hermitage in the woods. I was glad to be back at the priory with familiar characters.
• 
  Sarah Hearn

  While I appreciate the good writing and the correct history, I found the progress of this story slow. And this, despite it only being 226 pages. I think it was b cause I just couldn’t get into the story. I believe I have read one earlier story about Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas but can’t remember which. Clearly it didn’t appel much either.
• 
  Beth (Bepi)

  I was a little skeptical on a Medival set mystery, but I couldn't be more wrong. It was fun, I didn't expect the ending and there were many characters. The story moved a bit slow for me, but perhaps it would be better for others.
• 
  Eileen Lynx

  Good series. The characters seem real and behave like people would have behaved in the year 1274.
• 
  NuNu

  My least favorite of the series to date. Slow moving and lacking substance.
• 
  Vi

  My least favorite so far -hard to get into it.
  The characters were not very interesting
• 
  Karin Jenkins

  I continue to enjoy this series. This time we are introduced to some visitors from court. It’s fairly obvious who the victim is going to be but the unraveling is nevertheless interesting.
• 
  Anna

  When it comes to murder mysteries, I come to it with certain expectations. One of these expectations is that the book will include a murder. When I'd read 70 pages without coming across a dead body or any whiff of blood, I was starting to wonder if this was the right book. Eventually the body did show up, but when the "murder" and "mystery" part of a "murder mystery" doesn't show up until page 74 in a 247 page book, well, you'll have to forgive me for finding the start slow enough I found myself setting it down a few times.
  
  So what exactly was happening in that first 1/3 of the book? Well, there was the plot setup, and an introduction to all the major players. There are a lot of characters in Valley of Dry Bones, which is both good and bad. It does mean there are a number of suspects, making the mystery more difficult for the reader to solve. On the other hand, I often had trouble keeping the characters straight. A number of scenes were an exercise in "wait, who's that guy again?" Then again, this is the seventh book in the series, a fact I didn't realize until after I'd read the thing, and I imagine if I'd read the other books I'd have a much stronger grasp on who's who.
  
  The details of the mystery are subtle and piece together slowly, which means I didn't have it worked out by the end of chapter three. After the slow start, the tension ramps up when suspicions start flying, and I was pleased when the author managed to keep me guessing until shortly before the answer was revealed. Then I was much less pleased, because the answer was revealed. Rather than letting the characters figure it out, there's a full confession, an abrupt conversation where all the crime details are explained, robbing the story of a natural denouement. After such a slow buildup, it felt rushed and unsatisfying, like the author suddenly realized her deadline had come up and she had to end this thing now or suffer the wrath of Cthulhu himself.
  
  For all that, Royal did create a rich and convincing world, full of characters who were honestly interesting (when I could keep them straight). I'm especially intrigued by the inclusion of a gay priest who struggles with his sexual desires; he's aware the church he serves sees his desires as sinful, although he can't understand how love can be a sin. The politics of the world are complex and often subtle, and the relationships between the characters feel real and familiar. If you're in the mood for a complex medieval murder mystery, Priscilla Royal is a name to remember, although I'd recommend saving yourself some confusion and starting at the beginning of the series.
• 
  Jodi

  Overall I will give this book 3 stars - more like 3.5stars but not high enough to warrant putting 4 on the rating.
  
  Basic Plot: A medieval monastery is given the opportunity to host the queens party, before the queen goes on a pilgrimage there at Christmas Time. This monastery is an order dedicated to the Virgin Mary, so the most powerful person is the Prioress Eleanor. However the book did not really have a clear protagonist. Eleanor, Brother Tom, Brother Eliddel, and Krauner (excuse me if the names are spelt incorrectly, I audiobooked it.) all seem to have equally important roles.
  
  Good Points:
  1) Quite a good historical novel, the power struggles between the secular and the religious were quite interesting
  2) All the aforementioned characters were well developed and had a good chemistry be that intimate, friendly or loathing.
  3) I did not realise that it was a 7th book in a series before reading but this really did not matter.
  4) Minor characters were also developed in a way that isn't usually the case (I got the feeling that many were discussed in more detail In previous novels- such as the inkeeperess.)
  
  Bad Points:
  1) The murder was quite boring
  2) Nobody actually worked out who killed the Baron, it just came out in the last few chapters in a really unsatisfactory way - this really was why it got 3 starts and not more, it is a murder mystery and I feel like that mystery part was ripped away.
  3) The queen was not actually in it.
  4) The priory was extremely small but still would have been a significant part of village life, I felt like the village was almost completely hidden except for the inn.
  
  
  So all in all I liked the concept of the book, but I think it failed as a murder mystery because the actual murder was never really solved as such and it was a really boring conclusion and murder.
• 
  Elli

  Believe it or not, this was inspired by the author's learning of the medieval liturgical dramas, church attitudes, and the artistic enjoyment available from this form of drama. The book is short, under 200 pages and is a very effective 13th century mystery taking place in a remote priory dedicated as a hospital and semi-contemplative community. The effects of the Simon de Montfort rebellion still has not totally calmed down. Many hurts are still not too far under the surface and this visit is connected to a pilgrimage with this type of healing in mind. Little I could put in here without adding a spoiler, and this, I do not wish to do. It's a well written book by an author of medieval mysteries. And the drama is there. The dialogue is good. I give it 3 stars rather than 4 only because personally for my own reaction there was a bit too much implied romance including with the prioress' secret feelings...just not my taste in the characterizations. But others likely might like this better.
• 
  Cissa

  This is the seventh in the series, which I am not reading in order. This series, though- while I'm sure it's richer if read in order!- does not really require that...although for this volume, some familiarity with the basic set-up is helpful.
  
  While I loved the atmosphere, and learning more about the ongoing characters, this was not as satisfactory as a mystery as the others I have read in this series. The overall plot seemed arbitrary, and Simon was utterly revolting; I expect he will feature in subsequent novels. Most of the characters we are following just get a brief look-in; I think that's a major part of what made it less satisfying for me.
  
  Still, the medieval atmosphere is skillfully drawn, and the details of medieval church drama were fascinating.
  
  Mildly recommended.
• 
  Warren

  A pilgrimage stays at Tyndal Priory. They are making sure it is fit for the new queen. Baron Otes, who is a disagreeable sort and not a very scrupulous man, is accompanying the pilgrimage. A murder takes place in the night and the body if found near a hermitage. The prioress, the sheriff, and the king's crowner are on the case. The dialog is somewhat old English with lots of old vocabulary. I found the book to be predictable and not very engaging. I did want to see what happened but it was not one of my favorites.
• 
  Gordon

  This book is solidly written and a mystery, not just a procedural. The clues unfold until you must know who has done the deed. If you are truly slow, as with Christie, the clues increase until you are hit over the head with the guilty. The characters are fun. The central character is Eleanor, a prioress in a small abbey, no place in particular. The surrounding characters are intelligent and interesting. The details of medieval life are also carefully rendered without making that the job of the book. I'll read more of her books.
• 
  Jen

  I liked this one better than Chamber's of Death, but still wonder if by the 7th book, my interest in the characters is waning. Maybe it is time for Ralf to have a story entirely to himself. Or Sister Ann. Or for the plots to have less to do with Eleanor's troubling attraction to Thomas.
  
  I still love the history included in the books, especially Royal's Author's Notes and Bibliographic source material.
  
  Purchased. Poisoned Pen Press
  
  Medieval Mystery. 2011. Print length: 245 pages.
• 
  Kathleen

  3.5 Stars. Priscilla Royal is favorite of mine but I like the more recent ones better. Time has given more depth to the characters, perhaps they have gotten to know each other better. Additionally I enjoy the supporting characters the best of all.
  
  A fine interpretation of the political era that was in existence at that time. Prioress Eleanor in succeeding books is more enmeshed with the Queen which works quite well.
  
  Recommended for Medieval mystery fans.
  
  
• 
  Cece

  I have read all the books in this series, and was disappointed in this one. It was flatter and more predictable than the others, the solution was given to the 'detectives' on a platter, and even the expected tension of the return visit of the Man in Black was tepid at best. This book was a long time coming-I hope it doesn't herald a decline in what was a strong series.
• 
  Jasmyn

  A religious, medieval mystery, I was excited to start reading it because I love the time period. I wasn't overly thrilled with much of this story. There were so many false clues and speculations dropped that it was hard to tell where the plot was actually going at times. The characters were hard to open to, with the exception of the hermit, which I loved.
  
  2/5
• 
  Susan McDuffie

  Very nice to reconnect with this series; I had read the first two or so but have missed quite a few. Now I'll have to go catch up--there are some very interesting relationships amongst the main characters and I'm curious to see how they've fared. Very enjoyable medieval mystery, with characters true to their times, but relevant to ours.