A ship has run aground, an abbess has been killed, the nuns traveling with her disappeared and an elderly scholar has been killed. Although at peace, some members of the Ui Figente seem to be rebellious, several scholarly text are missing and destroyed. It is up to Fidelma, with Aedulf's help, to understand these mysteries and weave them into a single tapestry.

This is book 16 in the Sister Fidela mysteries. ( )

Een abdis wordt vermoord en een aantal nonnen ontvoerd, een schip slaat op de klippen te pletter, een geleerde wordt in de kapel van de abdij vermoord. Het blijkt allemaal met elkaar te maken te hebben. Fidelma en Eadulf ontrafelen het raadsel en voorkomen daarmee de strijd om de rechtmatigheid van de troon van Cashel.

As always excellent insights into life in 7th century Eire. Interesting story with a good mystery to be resolved. Fidelma is a force within the surprising rule of laws that existed in this era. ( )

Une intrigue dans la pure tradition des enquêtes de soeur Fidelma, bien construite, bien dosée.. Juste un peu dommage que l'histoire de fond devienne un peu répétitive, guerre de clan et de pouvoir, et donc un peu prévisible. L'épisode manque sans doutes un peu d'originalité et n'appprte pas beaucoup d'éléments neufs dans l'histoire de Fidelma et de son moine Saxon. ( )

#16 in the Sister Fidelma historical mystery series set in 7th century Ireland. Fidelma and Eadulf have traveled to a small Abbey on the coast to investigate the brutal murder of the Abbess who was stabbed while on pilgrimage with some other nuns. The abbess’s body was left where it was, but the nuns have disappeared. Fidelma was summoned by the leader of the local Ui Fidgente clan, former enemies now at peace with Muman, the kingdom of which Fidelma’s brother is king. Upon arriving at the Abbey, they learn of another death, as one of the elderly venerable scholars who resides at the abbey was bludgeoned to death on the altar.

Is there a connection between the two deaths? Of course there is! The struggle is to find it, and that’s no easy task when most of the people questioned by Fidelma and Eadulf are lying or at least not telling the whole truth. When they set out the follow the trail that the Abbess would have taken for the pilgrimage in hopes of finding the missing nuns as well as some clues, their lives are put into mortal danger as they unravel a complicated political plot that plays on old clan rivalries and demands a knowledge of the ancient Irish laws of succession and ancestry. Very enjoyable visit to ancient Ireland as usual—it’s been over a year since my last visit so I always cherish these books. I do have the next in series here—we’ll see how long I’ll be able to resist it. ( )