It’s harvest time on the Burren, and the people are enjoying a beautiful, sunny October. The
only sad thing to mar this rural idyll appears to be the funeral of the much-loved Father David,
but after the service a corpse is found lying on the church steps. It is unpopular Sorley Skerrett,
wealthy silver mine owner, moneylender and merchant, and he has been stung to death by bees. The
skeps belonging to the local beekeeper were nearby, and Sorley was allergic to their stings.
Somebody knew this and stirred up the bees—but there are so many people who hated the dead
man that Brehon Mara will need all her legal skills to discover the murderer.
How I do enjoy a whodunit with a proper mystery to unravel, complete
with hordes of suspects, dark secrets to uncover and a fishmongers'
full of red herrings. As for the historical side I confess to ignorance
about life in early 16th century Ireland, and the only knowledge
I have of their laws mainly comes from the Peter Tremayne’s books
and the first two novels in this series. Reading these books is
like stepping into a warm bath, and fans of cozy crime novels will
love such a relaxing, gentle story replete with plot and (mainly)
loveable characters. At times it all seems a bit too idyllic, especially
considering what we know about life in England at that time but
I don’t really know enough to comment. If you don’t either then
settle back and enjoy a jolly good story because whatever else you
can say about this book, it certainly contains one of those. Agatha
Christie in 16th century Ireland is a good description.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
My
Lady Judge #1
Michaelmas
Tribute #2
The
Sting of Justice #9
Verdict
of the Court #11
Condemned
to Death #12
A
Fatal Inheritance #13