Product Description

In the sixteenth century, as it is now, the Burren, on the western seaboard of Ireland, was a land of grey stone forts, fields of rich green grass and swirling mountain terraces. It was also home to an independent kingdom that lived peacefully by the ancient Brehon laws of their forebears.

On the first eve of May, 1509, hundreds of people from the Burren climbed the gouged out limestone terraces of Mullaghmore Mountain to celebrate the great May Day festival, lighting a bonfire and singing and dancing through the night, then returning through the grey dawn to the safety of their homes.

But one man did not come back down the steeply spiralling path. His body lay exposed to the ravens and wolves on the bare, lonely mountain for two nights . . . and no one spoke of him, or told what they had seen. And when Mara, a woman appointed by King Turlough Don O'Brien to be judge and lawgiver to the stony kingdom, came to investigate, she was met with a wall of silence . . .

'An excellent historical novel with a most original leading character...A true Celtic feast.' P. C. Doherty

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16331 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Review

'A lovely, balanced blend of historical detail and good story telling. This book is appealing in every way' Brenda Rickman Vantrease

‘An excellent historical novel with a most original leading character Cora Harrison has wonderfully recreated the Celtic culture of Ireland in its mysterious twilight at the end of the Middle Ages. A true Celtic feast' P. C. Doherty

'Sister Fidelma would be delighted with her sleuthing `descendant’. Well researched and written' Peter Tremayne

'The character of Mara, the Brehon judge, is beautifully drawn . . . She will make so many friends, all of whom will look forward to each new mystery with keen anticipation’ Alys Clare

'She mixes faction and narrative to good effect' Dorset Echo

‘A fine mix of history and mystery’ Choice magazine

‘This charming book could be the start of a million-selling series’ Evening Herald

'This is a terrific debut of a historical series that promises something completely different. If the test of a good historical is a solid plot with an intricate setting, My Lady Judge is the real thing . . . definitely a series to watch' Globe and Mail

About the Author

Cora Harrison worked as a headteacher before she decided to write her first novel. She has since published 25 children’s historical novels. My Lady Judge is her first in a series for adults that introduces Mara, Brehon of the Burren. Cora lives on a farm near the Burren in the west of Ireland. Visit her website at www.coraharrison.com

Customer Reviews

Looking forward to the next one!
I'm such a fan of historical mysteries and have been searching for a good series to read for ages. I was thrilled to find this book and even more excited to know that there are more to come.
Set in Tudor Ireland the book revolves around the people of the Burren and Mara a Brehon judge. The snippets of Brehon law make for fascinating reading (I especially liked the fact that a woman could divorce her husband if he was too fat) and the landscape and culture of 16th century Ireland are brought to life in vivid detail.
Mara is a wonderfully warm character who is so contemporary in feel that she wouldn't be out of place in a crime investigation in the present day.
Being such an avid crime reader it's rare for a book to leave me guessing who the killer is right up to the denouement - but this did! I had such fun with this book - it was pure comfort reading - and I can't wait to see the next Mara mystery.

remarkable, pacy, feel-good novel
My Lady Judge is a remarkable book. I enjoyed the Brother Cadfael mysteries and I thought this would be similar. It was in a way. It had the same sense of time and place and the same sort of range of attractive characters forming a community.

However I think My Lady Judge is better in many ways, and will reach a wider readership than Brother Cadfael. For one thing it is faster moving and is written in a more modern style. Cora Harrison certainly has a marvellous descriptive style, quite unique.

Secondly the heroine is an attractive women rather than an elderly monk so there are opportunities for romance and the love interest in the book is an intreging character in his own right.

As a whodunnit My Lady Judge is also very good - I never guessed and I reckon nobody else would. Overall, I think it is a very good read especially for people who like historical novels but prefer them to be peopled with believable characters not vehicles for descriptions of revolting tortures. Pacey but ultimately a feel-good novel.

A Latter Day Sister Fidelma
I found this an excellent read - once I started, I could not put it down.

As a whodunit, it was very good. It had many false leads and it was not until the end that the villain became known. Sister Fidelma has found a wothy successor some nine hundred years later as Brehon.