The Sister Fidelma Mysteries

Super sleuth Sister Fidelma returns in a brand-new historical mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of Atonement of Blood, The Seventh Trumpet and many more. Ireland, AD 671. When a curious deputation of religieux arrive in Cashel, death follows close behind. Sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, seem unable to stem the bloodshed. Is one of the deputation responsible? What was the Venerable Verax, the scholar from Rome, hiding? Was there an evil secret behind the austere Bishop Arwald? Indeed, what was the real reason behind Eadulf's brother Egric's unexpected appearance at Cashel - could he be the culprit? Victims and suspects combine to make a tangled skein of mystery more complex and bloody than Fidelma and Eadulf have ever faced.

In A.D. 664, King Oswy of Northumbria has convened a synod at Whitby to hear debate between the Roman and Celtic Christian churches and decide which shall be granted primacy in his kingdom. At stake is much more than a few disputed points of ritual; Oswy's decision could affect the survival of either church in the Saxon kingdoms. When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic church, is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the Roman faction. In order to diffuse the tensions that threaten to erupt into civil war, Oswy turns to Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church (Irish and an advocate for the Brehon Court) and Brother Eadulf of the Roman church (from east Anglia and of a family of hereditary magistrates) to find the killer. But as further murders occur and a treasonous plot against Oswy matures, Fidelma and Eadulf soon find themselves running out of time.

In A.D. 670, an Irish merchant ship is attacked by a pirate vessel off the southern coast of the Breton peninsula. Merchad, the ship's captain, and Bressal, a prince from the Irish kingdom of Muman, are killed in cold blood after they have surrendered. Among the other passengers who manage to escape the slaughter are Fidelma of Cashel and her faithful companion, Brother Eadulf. Once safely ashore, Fidelma—sister to the King of Muman and an advocate of the Brehon law courts—is determined to bring the killers to justice, not only because her training demands it but also because one of the victims was her cousin. The only clue to the killer's identity is the symbol of the dove on the attacking ship's sails, a clue that leads her on a dangerous quest to confront the man known as The Dove of Death.

Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the King of Muman, a religieuse of the Celtic Church and an advocate of the Brehon courts - returns in this new collection of fifteen tales. These stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery are not merely spellbinders but also provide insight into the ways and mores of the complex, fascinating society of seventh century Ireland as well as heretofore unrevealed background details of Fidelma herself.

This is a collection of new essays on Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma novels, which feature Sister Fidelma's attempts to solve a wide range of crimes, often murders that occur under especially mysterious conditions. The novels, set mainly in 7th century Ireland, also include a great deal of history, which is not surprising given that the author is actually Peter Berresford Ellis, a noted Celtic historian. Some of the essays analyze aspects of the novels, focusing especially on the protagonist and her partner in detection and, ultimately, husband, Brother Eadulf. Other essays place Fidelma and the novels within the tradition of detective fiction. Still others explore the historical, intellectual, spiritual and geographical contexts for her labors. Also included are accounts of the author's career, the International Sister Fidelma Society, and the biennial Sister Fidelma conferences held in Cashel, Ireland.

Sister Fidelma returns in another spellbinding story of murder and intrigue in seventh-century Ireland--when the murder of a high cleric threatens to result in a bloody war between two of Ireland's kingdoms. In A.D. 644, the Venerable Dacan, a respected scholar of the Celtic Church, is murdered while on a visit to the Abbey of Ros Ailithir in the Irish Kingdom of Muman. Dacan, unfortunately, was the close confidant of the hot-headed young king of the neighboring kingdom of Fearna, who is using Dacan's murder as an excuse to provoke war. Sister Fidelma, an advocate of the Brehon courts, is summoned by the dying King of Muman to solve the brutal killing and also to prevent the incipient war between the two kingdoms. But, at the remote abbey, Fidelma soon discovers that there are far more sinister forces than mere political intrigue at work behind the mystery of Dacan's death. She must quickly unravel a most complicated mystery if she is to prevent the coming war--and preserve her own life as well. With a mix of historical detail and deft characterization, Peter Tremayne once again brings ancient Ireland to full, vivid life.

When a murdered corpse of an unknown young noble is discovered, Fidelma of Cashel is brought in to investigate, in Peter Tremayne's The Seventh Trumpet Ireland, AD 670. When the body of a murdered young noble is discovered not far from Cashel, the King calls upon his sister, Fidelma, and her companion Eadulf to investigate. Fidelma, in addition to being the sister of the king, is a dailaigh—an advocate of the Brehon Law Courts—and has a particular talent for resolving the thorniest of mysteries. But this time, Fidelma and Eadulf have very little to work with—the only clue to the noble's identity is an emblem originating from the nearby kingdom of Laign. Could the murder be somehow related to the wave of violence erupting in the western lands of the kingdom? The turmoil there is being stirred up by an unknown fanatical figure who claims to have been summoned by "the seventh angel" to remove the "impure of faith." Fidelma and Eadulf, once again grappling with a tangled skein of murder and intrigue, must somehow learn what connects the dead noble, a murdered alcoholic priest, and an abbot who has turned his monastery into a military fortress. When it appears that things cannot get more complex, Fidelma herself is abducted, and Eadulf must rescue her before the mystery can be solved.

In seventh-century Ireland, then the light of reason in a darkening world, Fidelma - a religious, advocate of the Brehon courts, and sister to the King of Muman - is an increasingly notable figure often called upon for her wisdom, legal knowledge, and devotion to the truth. While journeying with companion Eadulf to visit the new Archbishop of Canterbury, their ship is blown badly off course and the pair find themselves on the coast of modern Wales in the kingdom of Dyfed. There, hosted by the king himself, Fidelma is presented with her knottiest problem yet - an entire monastic community from the nearby countryside has disappeared without a trace. While investigating this seeming impossibility, Fidelma and Eadulf are confronted with the apparently unrelated and shocking murder of a local girl - a death marked by more tragedy and consequence than anyone could have imagined. Peter Tremayne's novels featuring Fidelma of Cashel have won critical praise from around the world and have enjoyed an ever-increasing readership. Smoke in the Wind is a richly imagined, wonderfully written entry in what is understandably one of the most popular historical series today.