Master of Souls: A Mystery of Ancient Ireland

I have read all the books in this series, and this one was not a disappointment. The author's knowledge of the time period supports and enhances his ability to create a believable mystery for Sister Fidelma to solve. I recommend them to anyone who likes mysteries, especially the historial genre.

Two years ago, I was introduced to Peter Tremayne and his heroine, Sister Fidelma. Fortunately there were quite a number of books in this series for me to read. Master of Souls came out just as I finished my last Sister Fidelma book. I'm sad to say, that now I'll have to wait along with everyone else for Sister Fidelma's next adventure. To Mr. Tremayne: Please Hurry!

As usual, Peter Tremayne pulls you into the far past and the gripping world of Sister Fidelma for another fast paced mystery. I love his work.

If you're already a Sister Fidelma fan, I only need to tell you that this is another good one. If the good sister-lawyer-noblewoman is new to you, ask yourself this: Could you be tempted by a superbly written medieval mystery that painlessly lays out the advanced culture of the Ireland of the 7th century while presenting a magnificent page-turner? I have to admit that I love fiction written by genuine historical experts who enjoy making their period come alive by fictionalizing it. The Sister Fidelma books are a great example of that. The most recent volume is a treasure.

The Ui Fidgente and the Eoghanacht of Cashel have been at war for centuries until the battle at Cnoc Aine when the Ui Fidgente leader was killed. He was replaced by Donennach who pledged fealty to the King of Muman because he wanted peace for his people. In the territory of the Ui Fidgente, a member of the abbey Ard Fhearta was bludgeoned; at almost the same time, six religious from the abbey along with Abbess Faife are making a pilgrimage when they meet a battered sick man. He tells them that he was the victim of wreckers who deliberately destroyed his ship on the rocks during a storm and killed his men and stole his cargo. They give him the clothes of a religious to wear and while he is changing, brigands kill the abbess and takes the religious hostage. Ui Fidgente warlord Conri asks Sister Fidelma to help figure out the mystery while her brother orders her to do so in order to cement relations with their former enemies. Fidelma is accompanied by Brother Eodulf, who wanted to stay at Cashel with their son and get ready for their binding wedding but knows that he must help her in her inquiries. When they come close to getting some answers, Sister Fidelma's life is in jeopardy. Peter Tremayne writes some of the best historical mysteries due in part to his heroine, a woman living in an enlightened country when the rest of Europe is going through the dark ages. Her abilities as a dalaigh, an officer of the law courts, and her role as the sister of a king makes her a very powerful woman. The mystery is impossible to figure out as is the link between the death of the Venerable Cinaed and the disappearance of the six religious. Even the heroine claims this is the hardest case she ever worked on. MASTER OF SOULS is another brilliant Sister Fidelma who done it. Harriet Klausner