Shapeshifter's Lair
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Sister Fidelma returns in the thirty-first Celtic mystery by Peter Tremayne.
Ireland. AD 672. The body of a dead man has been found on a lonely mountain road and taken to the isolated abbey of Gleann Da Loch for a proper burial. The abbot quickly identifies him as Brehon Brocc, who had been travelling to the abbey on a secret mission with Princess Gelgeis and her steward. When news reaches Colgu, King of Muman, that his betrothed, Princess Gelgeis, has disappeared, Fidelma with her trusted companions, Eadulf and Enda, enter the hostile Kingdom of Laigin in search of the truth.
But one death is quickly followed by another and warnings of demonic shapeshifters and evil lurking in the mountains must be taken seriously. Are there really brigands stealing gold and silver from the ancient mines? And are rumours of a war between the Kingdoms of Laigin and Muman to be believed? As Fidelma searches for answers, she must do everything in her power to avoid danger and death in a land where no one is to be trusted . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tremayne returns to top form in his atmospheric 31st whodunit set in seventh-century Ireland (after 2019's Blood in Eden). Law court advocate Sister Fidelma, who's the sister of King Colg of Muman, is frustrated. After an unsuccessful effort to become Chief Brehon, or legal arbiter, for her brother's regional kingdom, she's been reduced to serving as the monarch's legal adviser, relegated to studying new decisions from an appellate court. A fraught murder mystery relieves her boredom. A colleague, Brehon Brocc, who was travelling with Princess Gelg is, Colg 's fianc e, was found lying on a mountain track in an area rumored to be haunted by shape-shifting beings. Someone first shot Brocc with an arrow before slitting his throat, and the discovery of his corpse coincides with the disappearance of the princess, who was instrumental in foiling a plot to dethrone Colg , and the princess's steward. Fidelma investigates, only to find that a key witness, the peddler who came across Brocc's body, has been killed. Tremayne expertly incorporates historical and legal details of the time into the suspenseful plot. This impressive volume bodes well for future series entries.
