Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5345 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-07
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Synopsis
Sister Fidelma must investigate the murder of the High King himself and by doing so risk civil war, in Peter Tremayne's brilliant new novel in the popular series. When Sechnussach, High King of Ireland, is found dead in his bedchamber with his throat cut, all clues seem to suggest an all-too-obvious prime suspect. Dubh Duin, the chieftain of the clan Cinel Cairpre, was found with the murder weapon in his hand when the High King's guards entered the royal chamber, before taking his own life. The Chief Brehon of Ireland asks Sister Fidelma to investigate and find out what possible motives could have driven Dubh Duin to assassinate the High King. Her investigations reveals an intricate web of conspiracy and deception that threatens to unbalance the five kingdoms and send them spiralling into a violent and bloody civil war and religious conflict...

Customer Reviews

Sister Fidelma at Her Very Best

Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of a well-known authority on the ancient Celts, who has utilised his knowledge of the Brehon law system and 7th-Century Irish society to create a new concept in detective fiction.

The Sister Fidelma novels are taking on almost cult proportions and are becoming ever more popular with each offering from the author, whose obvious knowledge of the times and subjects he writes about shines out like a beacon on the shore. I am not sure whether this is number seventeen or eighteen in the series, but I have found great enjoyment in all of the books and this one was no different. In fact I could hardly wait for it to be published.

The Irish, unlike the English have always shown great respect and admiration for their womenfolk and this is why, even in an age when most countries treated women with little or no regard, other than for breeding an heir, that Sister Fidelma has risen to the position that she now holds. Although she is the sister of a king, this has little or no bearing on her ability to command respect.

When Sechnussach, High king of all Ireland is found dead in his own bed with his throat slashed, there is an all-too-obvious suspect. The chieftain of the clan Cinel Cairpre, was found with the murder weapon in his hand when the High King's guards entered the royal chamber. But they could not stop him taking his own life.

Sister Fidelma has the task of investigating the murder and she knows that, depending on what she finds she could be the catalyst to incite civil war across the whole of the country. She must tread carefully, but she must also reveal the truth of her findings . . .