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Wine of Violence

The Medieval Mysteries, Book 1

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About this listen

Late summer, 1270. Although the Simon de Montfort rebellion is over, the smell of death still hangs over the land. In the small priory of Tyndal, the monks and nuns of the Order of Fontevraud long for a return to routine. Their hopes are dashed, however, when the young and inexperienced Eleanor of Wynethorpe is appointed their new prioress. Only a day after her arrival, a brutally murdered monk is found in the cloister gardens, and Brother Thomas, a young priest with a troubled past, arrives to bring her a more personal grief. Now Eleanor must not only struggle to gain the respect of her terrified and resentful flock but also cope with violence, lust, and greed.

©2003 Priscilla Royal (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction
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Sympathetic characters lead this story of pride, ambition and murder. The murderer is not a great shock but that’s not a problem. This more a meditation on good and bad than a straight whodunnit.

Enjoyable mediaeval mystery

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an ok'ish medieval yarn, like so many others......a quick and easy read. not to demanding.

lightweight yarn

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I really enjoyed this book, it's a bit of a 'feel good' story even tho it's a murder mystery.

enjoyed it very much

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I have to repeat the opinion of another reviewer, in that while the story echoed with historic detail and some characters were alive and 3 dimensional, most others were left flat and without enough detail.

Mostly though, the author's habit of telling us in long prose about conversations that had happened,rather than driving the experience of the story through the conversations themselves, became tiring and repetitious by the end. It interfered with the connection to the characters, and I shan't pay to hear more long reporting of past events in the next books.

Also, the strange focus on sex rather unbalanced it all, and felt discordant, rather than enhancing understanding of the characters.
Shame really, had great potential as a series of stories.

Interesting but poorly told

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Wanda McCaddon is great as the narrator and the storyline bowls along at a nice pace. Not hugely challenging but very easy on the ear and interesting .. looking forward to the rest of the series!

Unexpected little gem

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