engrossing Irish Middle Ages mystery!

A Fatal Inheritance: A Celtic historical mystery set in 16th century Ireland (A Burren Mystery #13) by Cora Harrison 

 

The building of tension coupled with the eeriness of the murder itself, the inclusion of the haunts of the old gods, all held my attention completely. The centre piece is the stone God, the Far Breige, to which the murder victim was Bound in a macabre lovers knot, the scene all hidden by the secretive mists, until the clarity of the sun cuts through, exposing all.

As Mara, Brehon of the Burren, goes persistently and quietly about her business as the Brehon we are also treated to her canny observations about the people around her, her scholars and those she must interview to get to the truth.

And that truth is in danger of being lost amongst the community's legends and beliefs in relation to the old gods.

Mara is indeed a woman to be admired. Her mind is swift. She is reflective and powerful in her understandings, yet always lovingly heeding the situations of the people involved. Her teaching of her students is outstanding. She sees to their hearts and leads them into the art of asking the right questions and viewing each step of the investigation from a multifaceted perspective. She encourages their opinions and listens to their input.

Another engrossing novel set in the late Middle Ages in Ireland, reflecting a rich heritage of law and Justice attuned to the peoples of the land, a sophisticated and often compassionate system to be admired, more communal than adversarial.

A NetGalley ARC

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