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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780451192998
ISBN number: 0451192990
Label: Signet
Manufacturer: Signet
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: September 01, 1997
Publishing house: Signet
Sale Popularity Level: 196685
Studio: Signet
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In a new entry in a mystery series set in medieval England, a whodunit set in seventh-century Ireland finds young Sister Fidelma of Kildare searching for the killer of a renowned Celtic abbess at a Church convocation. Reprint. PW. '
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Rated by buyers 
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The author is a scholar of some renown, who is also a very good writer of murder mysteries that usually occur in ancient Ireland. This very first book takes place at an important abbey in Northumberland, where the principal characters get together in an endeavor to reach a meeting of the minds between the Irish Church and the Church of Rome. Unfortunately one of the most powerful speakers for the Church of Ireland winds up dead before the council can convene, and Sister Fidelma, our heroine, is asked to get to the bottom of the murder.
All throughout the story, the reader gets much information on the inner workings of the various factions of the early Christian Church, and just how little these factions agreed with each other on presenting Christianity to the people, or indeed in what way the ancient Church leaders thought things should have been be run from the inside. An extremely interesting historial account of how the modern-day Church got started; what teachings and rules were once surpressed and which were emphasized. All this, and a fascinating and absorbing crime novel as well are contained in this volume. Enjoy!
Rated by buyers 
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"Absolution by Murder" will probably be enjoyable to anyone interested in ancient Ireland & "England" (Picts, Celts, Saxons, ect.)The mystery was so obvious & not all that interesting. However, there is much information on the early Church that I found interesting. Above all, this series is the only one I have found that is set in ancient Ireland & England. I would give the mystery 3 stars & the history 5.
Rated by buyers 
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I must agree with the one-star reviews of this book. The prose is wooden and embarrassing. Dialog in the very first several pages is devoted to the most clunky exposition I have witnessed on a published page.
I tried to read this book 5 times in different circumstances, and each time I grew more irritated with the pretentious and adverb-filled prose! It seems that Tremayne had entered a contest to see who could write the most dialog without using the words "said" and "asked." When I got to this sentence at the top of page 60, "Sister Gwid grimaced negatively.", my brain screamed, "Do you mean NO?"
There are no absolute Tom Swifties, but good God, everyone smiles softly, nods sourly, replies mournfully, examines sharply, demands curtly, and--finally, when I found the word "said," it was "said quickly."
Do not waste your time--there are plenty of well-written mysteries out there!
Rated by buyers -
Absolution by Murder introduced me to a very fascinating character, Sister Fidelma of Kildare. Fidelma, who lives in the seventh century A.D., is a very talented and accomplished woman. Sister has a graduate education where she earned the degree of anruth, similar to a masters degree today. Fidelma works as a dalaigh, an advocate in the courts. As an advocate she investigates problems and crimes and advises both church and civil authorities. A dalaigh may prosecute, defend, or even serve as judge in a criminal proceeding.
In this novel I was inaugurated to Irish customs, laws, and society of ancient times. Seventh century Ireland was a very advanced society.
In the culture, women were accepted as equal to men.
Women were encouraged to become whatever they wished. Females functioned as lawyers, physicians, professors, managers and owners of businesses, warriors and chieftains. In the Christian church women were nuns, priests and bishops. This advanced society was codified in the Brehon laws. Under this legal system all people were protected from abuse.
The customs seemed so advanced I decided to check history texts and found a great reference that I recommend In Search of Ancient Ireland: The Origins of the Irish from Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English
The story in this novel concerns a murder that occurs during a meeting of senior church officials. The conclave is a conference of religious and lay leaders gathered to determine whether the church should continue following the beliefs and procedures of the Irish (rule of Colmcille, or Iona) or adopt new rules to become consistent with the Roman church. Sister Fidelma is asked by Oswy, the High King of Northumbria, to investigate the murder of Etain, the Abbess of Kildare. Etain was the primary advocate for the Irish system.
Oswy, concerned about the political effects of the murder of Etain, commissions Fidelma and Endulf, a brother from the Roman side, to investigate and decide who murdered Etain and who is responsible for the chain of events. By appointing co-investigators, one from each side, the king hopes to appear unbiased.
The investigation is eventful and suspenseful. The resolution manages to satisfy both sides in the struggle. Although the mystery is fun to follow, my main attraction is the detailed descriptions of the customs and laws of seventh century Ireland.
The novel gives us a peek into a great ancient convent with views into the dormitories and cubicles. We witness the politics within the Church, each side of the struggle thinking they have the real truth. We experience the tension between Fidelma and Endulf. Since Endulf is from a different culture, he has difficulty accepting Fidelma as his equal and acknowledging that a female can be in charge of such an important matter.
I enjoyed the reactions of the characters when Fidelma interviews them. Most of them are not from her culture, so they struggle with emotions, especially pride and resentment of submitting to an Irish woman. Many only submit because she acts with the authority of the High King.
This is a good novel. If you like historical settings, if you enjoy examining other cultures, or if you like a good detective tale, get this book.
Rated by buyers -
Alas, if the author of this book is an medieval 'expert' then I despair for the discipline. Apart from two-dimensional main characters with little or no interior life and hideously plodding prose, The Synod at Whitby, and Saint Hild, deserve a far better treatment than they get here.
For example, the author seems to have confused his time periods, creating a monastery that was not in existence until after Abbess Hild's death. Born in 614,Hild was a Saxon noble woman who entered the religious life at age 33. In 655 King Oswy granted her land at Streoneshalh (Whitby) on which to establish a double monastery. At the time she presided over a small community of nuns at Heorteu (Hartlepool), which was doubtless a very humble structure of fibre and thatch. The Synod at Whitby was held in 664 and although a thriving community and center of great learning, it was not an imposing stone structure, as the author describes it. In fact, it was not rebuilt of stone until after her death in 680. No amount of Latin scattered through a badly written book can persuade anyone who knows anything of the time period that it is well researched or credible. Of course, certain license can be taken by fiction writers in the creation of a setting, but honestly, why not use the historically accurate setting, when 1) it naturally lends itself to so much drama, and 2) you claim historical expertise?
I could go on at equal length about the problems of narrative and character (including the fact that the killer is so stereotypical that s/he is quite evident from the moment s/he steps on to the page), but really, why bother? Life is too short for bad books.
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