Badger's Moon: A Mystery of Ancient Ireland

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. When a series of horrific murders are committed in the Kingdom of Muman Sister Fidelma and brother Eadulf are called to restore order and find the killer. The victims are all young girls who have been killed with unspeakable violence on three consecutive full moons. The local people believe that three dark strangers from the distant land of Ethiopia, who are staying as guest of the Abbey at Finbarr must be the culprits and an angry mob attacks the abbey leaving the inmates in fear of their lives . . .

Fast paced and suspenseful, this latest Sister Fidelma mystery novel was a real page turner and is, so far, one of the best reads of the year. All is not well at Cinel na Aeda: some mad person has been violently killing the young girls of the village. So far there have been three such deaths, each has been brutally cut up, and each was murdered when the moon was full. The chieftain of the village, Becc, is at his wit's end as to how to proceed -- his chief brehon is dead, and three strangers (all religious) who are currently staying at the Abbey of Finbarr are suspected by the villagers of having committed the murders -- and because he is a cousin of Colgu (the King of Murman and Fidelma's brother) Becc decides to go to ask Colgu for help. Or specifically to ask that Fidelma, a well known advocate of the courts and crime solver, come to Cinel na Aeda to investigate and help apprehend the murderer. A new mother, Fidelma is finding motherhood not all that it is cracked up to be and is almost relieved to be asked to solve this latest puzzle, much to her companion, Brother Eadulf's chagrin. But he agrees to go along with her to the village and to help her investigate. And Fidelma will need Eadulf's help for the case is very perplexing indeed and things at the village are very tense: the three girls were well liked and the villagers are scared and angry and ready for revenge. Confronted with prejudice against the mysterious strangers, closed mouth villagers and a lack of evidence, Fidelma will need to use every bit of her reasoning faculties in order to sort out this puzzle and so catch a seemingly insane killer... Rich in historical and cultural detail and complete with a mystery subplot that actually invites the reader to reason along with Fidelma, "Badger's Moon" was a treat to read from beginning to end. The book was fast paced, and the suspense and tension was evenly maintained throughout. And not only were there enough red herring suspects and plot twists to keep any mystery addict happily preoccupied, the author also added a psychological element into the mix by juxtaposing a crisis that Fidelma was personally facing at the latest twist her life has taken (motherhood) and her not so nice (but completely understandable) feelings she had about it all. So that all in all readers are in for a very intriguing and compelling read, especially since they will be able to solve the mystery along with Fidelma -- though I'm not so sure about the cliffhanger at the end, even if it does make for some very slick marketing.

Sister Fidelma of Cashel, an advocate of the law courts in Ireland in mid-seventh century Ireland, married her beloved Brother Eadulf of Seaxmund's Ham from the land of the South Folk and has a month old son. Fidelma is not contented to rest in luxury in the home of her brother King Colgu of Muman. She yearns to apply the law so that she can win justice for whoever needs her help. Her cousin Becc, chieftain of the Cinel na Aeda asks Colgu for an advocate to find the killer of three young girls who were murdered in the past three months on the night of the full moon. When she and Eadulf go to Becc's territory, she finds frightened and angry villagers. Many believe that the three monks that are taking sanctuary in the church who come from Africa are the killers because the murders started soon after this arrived. A distraught person related to one of the victims blames the man who married his ex-wife after she divorced him or the man's son who was courting his daughter. Fidelma must cut through layers of lies and deceptions if she is to find out who the killer really is. Even in an enlightened country such as mid-seventh century Ireland, the three black African monks are feared and mistrusted because of their skin color. The protagonist is at her very best as she interrogates people, sifts through misleading clues and works with her beloved companion Eadulf, following a trail that will lead them to a much greater mess than either anticipated. BADGER MOON has a shocking cliff hanger that will have readers breathless waiting for the next installment in this fantastic historical mystery series. Harriet Klausner

Purchased this book last year from England; not yet available in this country, although I have one available. Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf are superb, in my opinion, as they solve yet again a mystifying series of murders. The author develops his story with a sound knowledge of ancient Celtic life.