In the fourth book in this acclaimed Irish medieval mystery series, Sister Fidelma investigates a murder at a remote abbey, only to encounter the strange disappearance of a ship and its entire crew... "The literary successor to Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael." --Southern Star (Ireland)"One of the most intriguing new characters in detective fiction."--Book & Magazine Collector"A heroine whom many readers will willingly follow."--Kirkus ReviewsSister Fidelma is "brilliant and beguiling." --Publishers WeeklyThis is the fourth book in the acclaimed Irish medieval mystery seriesThe popular Sister Fidelma has been featured in stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Mammoth Book of Historical Mysteries, and Great Irish Detective StoriesAmazon.com ReviewSeventh century Ireland provides the background in Peter Tremayne's newest murder mystery which begins gruesomely as two nuns pull a decapitated corpse from their drinking well. Sister Fidelma is called upon to determine who the body is and how she met her untimely end. Fidelma, as an advocate of the courts, is the appropriate person to collect evidence and determine if there is a case to be answered. Although Tremayne makes clear in his introduction that women under Irish law in the period aspired to and performed most professions on a similar footing with men, he does not neglect the opportunity to place Fidelma in situations where both her youth and gender raise the question of her suitability for her official capacity. Still, her enjoyment in convincing her doubters of her abilities and her ultimate success indicate, as Tremayne evidently intends, that this particular period, at least as Ireland as concerned, should not be characterized as a dark one. En route to the scene of the crime that opens the story, Sister Fidelma encounters a second curiosity, a ship foundering in the waves without a person on board. What Fidelma does discover are hints that an old and trusted friend was aboard and seems to have met the same mysterious fate as the rest of the crew and cargo, whatever that might have been. The novel proceeds as Fidelma sets out to determine the cause of each of her mysteries, and what if any is the connection between them. Tremayne is a careful and engaging storyteller; his characters are thoughtfully drawn, and he uses the central mystery for them to discuss and reflect upon the differences between the native Irish church and that of Rome (which is becoming the more powerful--and whose ultimate success will keep women like Fidelma out of the halls of power which she has confidently and capably strode.) The ecclesiastical period setting may remind readers of the work of Ellis Peters, but the 7th century is distinct from the 12th and Ireland distinct from England. Tremayne relishes those differences, creating a tale that has much to enlighten and intrigue his readers and make them anxious for the next time Sister Fidelma is called to perform her duties. From BooklistSeventh-century sleuth Sister Fidelma employs her considerable powers of reasoning and deduction to solve another perplexing homicide steeped in avarice and intrigue. When the decapitated body of a young woman is found in the well of the Abbey of the Salmon of the Three Wells, Sister Fidelma travels to western Ireland in her capacity as an advocate of the Brehon law courts. En route to the Irish kingdom of Muman, she encounters a drifting merchant ship whose crew and cargo have evidently disappeared. Tying these seemingly unrelated incidents together, Sister Fidelma unravels a tangled mystery rooted in the legend and lore of ancient Ireland. A treat for history buffs who devoured Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization and historical mystery fans who appreciate strong and highly intelligent female protagonists, such as Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur and Kathy Lynn Emerson's Lady Susanna Appleton. Margaret Flanagan

SUMMARY:Journeying to visit the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sister Fidelma and her companion Eadulf's ship is blown badly off course and the pair find themselves on the coast of the Welsh kingdom of Dyfe. Hosted by the king himself, Fidelma is presented with a mystery-an entire monastic community nearby has disappeared without a trace.

A perplexing case of murder and conspiracy in the pagan wilds of Northern ItalyIn 664 A.D., just after the events detailed in Shroud for the Archbishop, Fidelma of Cashel takes a unexpected detour on her trip home from Rome. While in the port at Genua (modern day Genoa), Fidelma--sister of one Ireland's kings and an advocate in her country's law courts--receives word that one of her old teachers, Brother Ruadan, is reaching the end of his days. Determined to see her old mentor one last time, Fidelma takes the treacherous journey to a remote abbey in the countryside--a place where the old pagan religion still has a hold and where even the Christians are often in bloody conflict with each other. But after she hears her dying teacher's last words, Fidelma's most dangerous adventure has just begun. With one murder after the next and a vicious war in the offing, it is up to Fidelma, alone and on her own, to unravel an extraordinary conspiracy before it is too...

Wighard, Archbishop designate of Canterbury, has been found dead, garrotted in his chambers in Rome's Lateran Palace in the autumn of A.D. 664. His murderer seems apparent to all, since an Irish religieux was arrested by the palace guards as he fled Wighard's chamber, but the monk denies responsibility for the crime, and the treasures missing from Wighard's chambers are nowhere to be found.The bishop in charge of affairs at the Lateran Palace suspects a political motive and is wary of charging someone without independent evidence. So he asks Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church to look into Wighard's death. Fidelma (an advocate of the Brehon Court), working with Brother Eadulf of the Roman Church, quickly finds herself with very few clues, too many motives, a trail strewn with bodies—and very little time before the killer strikes again.

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.Review"Sister Fidelma fans-and they have their own international society ...-will welcome Peter Tremayne's Whispers of the Dead."--Publishers WeeklyAbout the AuthorPeter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym for Peter Berresford Ellis, a prominent authority on the ancient Celts and author of numerous works of history and scholarship. As Tremayne, he is the author of eleven books featuring Sister Fidelma, including Our Lady of Darkness. He lives in London.

From Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - May 1998 The tales of Sister Fidelma (such as this one), set in 7th century Iréland, nave, in one respect, a curiously contemporary feel. As Publishers Weekly said in its review or the first Fidelma novel, "in Tremayne's rendering (the period) is a golden age of total equality tor women." The series thus appeals to many besides history huffs. See The Subtle Serpent (St. Martin's/July '98).

The fifth book in the Irish medieval mystery series finds Sister Fidelma investigating a murder in a seemingly tranquil town, only to uncover a web of secrets that everyone wants to keep hidden. And now she must race to discover the truth before she becomes the next victim...."[Sister Fidelma is] a brilliant and beguiling heroine."-Publishers Weekly "The literary successor to Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael."-Southern Star (Ireland)"A treat for history buffs who devoured Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization."-BooklistFrom Publishers WeeklyRich with Irish lore, Tremayne's fifth entry in his Sister Fidelma series (following The Subtle Serpent) introduces readers to further Celtic law, religion and mores in a multilayered search for a cold-blooded killer. In A.D. 668, Fidelma, an advocate in the law courts of Ireland, is sent by her brother, the king of Muman, to investigate the murder of a Celtic chieftain. Though a blind, deaf mute named M?en was found holding a bloody knife near the chieftain's corpse, Fidelma and her Saxon friend Eadulf are not convinced that the man is guilty. For one thing, M?en is also supposed to have killed the chieftain's sister, who raised M?en since he was a babe, and Fidelma finds it hard to believe that in one night the blind deaf-mute would slay the two people in his compound who had befriended him. As Fidelma and Eadulf scrutinize the evidence, they cast about for other suspects among the chieftain's family and subjects. They find a daughter who hated her father and quickly took power after his death, a wife who scorned her husband, a cleric whose religion leans toward Roman practices and a wealthy cousin who assumed that he was the chieftain's heir. Despite several threats to their lives, the sleuthing sister and her sidekick persist and finally ferret out the culprit. In painstaking detail, Tremayne follows Fidelma's careful analysis of the facts while spicing the narrative with asides on the battle between Roman Catholic and Celtic views of theology and law. Though the secondary characters lack complexity, Fidelma's own is strong enough to carry the story, albeit slowly, to its finale. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistWhile most of seventh-century Europe was shrouded in intellectual darkness, Ireland enjoyed a period of unprecedented enlightenment. During this era, Irish universities flourished and women were accorded the same rights, protections, and professional responsibilities as men. As an advocate of the seventh-century Brehon courts, Tremayne's Sister Fedelma, a legal scholar and expert in both criminal and civil codes, is once again charged with the task of gathering and assessing the evidence in a perplexing murder case. When Eber, chieftain of the rural outpost of Araglin, is brutally stabbed to death, Fedelma's brother, the king of Muman, requests that she undertake an investigation and see that justice is dispensed. Though most of Eber's clansmen are eager to implicate a defenseless deaf-mute in the homicide, Fedelma exposes an array of suspects and motives. As she delves deeper into the past, she uncovers a shocking family secret and a tangled web of hatred, deceit, and greed. Margaret Flanagan