The Subtle Serpent: A Celtic Mystery (Sister Fidelma Mysteries) - Hardcover

Tremayne, Peter

4.12

2,193 ratings by Goodreads

9780312186708: The Subtle Serpent: A Celtic Mystery (Sister Fidelma Mysteries)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312186703 ISBN 13: 9780312186708

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 1998

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Sent to investigate a brutal murder in which a victim was found clutching both a cross and a pagan death symbol, the intrepid nun also hears of a missing cargo ship and must link the two events before the Irish peace is lost.

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Review:

Seventh century Ireland provides the background in Peter Tremayne's newest murder mystery which begins gruesomely as two nuns pull a decapitated corpse from their drinking well. Sister Fidelma is called upon to determine who the body is and how she met her untimely end. Fidelma, as an advocate of the courts, is the appropriate person to collect evidence and determine if there is a case to be answered. Although Tremayne makes clear in his introduction that women under Irish law in the period aspired to and performed most professions on a similar footing with men, he does not neglect the opportunity to place Fidelma in situations where both her youth and gender raise the question of her suitability for her official capacity. Still, her enjoyment in convincing her doubters of her abilities and her ultimate success indicate, as Tremayne evidently intends, that this particular period, at least as Ireland as concerned, should not be characterized as a dark one.

En route to the scene of the crime that opens the story, Sister Fidelma encounters a second curiosity, a ship foundering in the waves without a person on board. What Fidelma does discover are hints that an old and trusted friend was aboard and seems to have met the same mysterious fate as the rest of the crew and cargo, whatever that might have been. The novel proceeds as Fidelma sets out to determine the cause of each of her mysteries, and what if any is the connection between them. Tremayne is a careful and engaging storyteller; his characters are thoughtfully drawn, and he uses the central mystery for them to discuss and reflect upon the differences between the native Irish church and that of Rome (which is becoming the more powerful--and whose ultimate success will keep women like Fidelma out of the halls of power which she has confidently and capably strode.)

The ecclesiastical period setting may remind readers of the work of Ellis Peters, but the 7th century is distinct from the 12th and Ireland distinct from England. Tremayne relishes those differences, creating a tale that has much to enlighten and intrigue his readers and make them anxious for the next time Sister Fidelma is called to perform her duties.

About the Author:

Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a renowed scholar of the ancient Celts. As Tremayne, he is best known for his fiction featuring seventh-century Irish religieuse, Fidelma of Cashel. He lives in London.

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