June 24, 2019
Set in 672 C.E., Tremayne’s gripping 30th whodunit featuring Irish investigative magistrate Fidelma (after 2018’s Bloodmoon) explores the religious and social tensions of its time when, as an author’s note indicates, “New concepts of Christianity being brought in from Rome resulted in conflicts and confusion as ideas on issues such as property ownership and inheritance began to be influenced.” Amid growing threats to the status quo, Fidelma and her husband, Eadulf, arrive just in time to prevent the angry villagers of Cloichín from hanging Celgaire, an itinerant worker they believed killed Adnan, a farmer who refused to hire Celgaire, and Adnan’s family. Brother Gadra, a priest who stirred up the villagers, doesn’t recognize the authority of what he terms Fidelma’s “pagan law.” Finding the evidence against Celgaire thin, she investigates and soon discovers that Adnan, his wife, and their two sons weren’t all murdered with the same weapon—and that others had better reason to wish Adnan dead. Tremayne carefully builds the suspense. Series fans won’t be disappointed. Agent: Euan Thorneycroft, A.M. Heath (U.K.).
July 1, 2019
Paradise is truly lost in Tremayne's superb thirtieth tale about Sister Fidelma when the seemingly idyllic hamlet of Cloich�n is rocked to its core by the vicious slaughter of a local family. The passions of the formerly complacent citizens of a village renowned for peace, prosperity, and a profound sense of community are inflamed by a new priest, who insists they must lynch the stranger in their midst, despite the lack of evidence against him. After saving the man's life from an angry mob, Fidelma, bringing her considerable powers and knowledge as a judicial advocate to bear, insists that he be given a fair trial, but the bloodshed continues as greed and ambition prove to be powerful motives for murder. As always, Tremayne does a masterful job of integrating the religious and political history of medieval Ireland into a superior whodunit. Though set in the seventh century, this cautionary tale of fear and revenge will resonate with readers grappling with contemporary versions of paranoia and xenophobia.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)