Customer Reviews

Absolution By Murder (Sister Fidelma Mysteries 01)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I stumbled across the first "Sister Fidelma-mystery" quite by accident; and I have never before had a more lucky discovery! Sister Fidelma is Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Father Brown all rolled into one as well as being the female equivalent to the role played by Sean Connery in "name of the rose". Tremayne writes in a style, which can only be compared to that of Agatha Christie, - with one MAJOR difference though: Where Agatha Christie often let her victims die a hoffifying death by poisoning; Tremayne displays a taste for variation: The first victim in this particular book thus meets her untimely death by throatcutting, another one is drowned in wine, and a third is hanged. I very much like the way Tremayne entertains as well as teaches at the same time. While I read this book, I learned more about the Irish legalsystem in 7th century Ireland, than I ever did at university... I have now read all but one "Sister Fidelma-mystery", and I hope that I will not be reading the last but merely the latest!

In the first Sister Fidelma mystery, writer Peter Ellis - writing under the pen name of Peter Tremayne - takes us on a fantastic and memorable journey to the time of the rivalries between the ancient Celt and Saxon tribes of England. The mystery is set against the historical background of the debate between the Celtic and Roman Church factions at Whitby back in AD 664. Oswy, the current King of Northumbria, has called this big assembly at Streoneshalh Abbey, a place directed by his cousin, the Abbess Hilda. Important representatives and religieuses from all over Ireland, Britain and Rome are arriving at the Abbey with the purpose of determining once and for all which Church the Kingdom of Northumbria will follow. Sister Fidelma, an advocate of the courts of Ireland, is also in attendance. When she arrives, she meets with her long time friend, Abbess Étain of Kildare. Known for her culture and eloquence, she is to be the opener speaker for the Celtic faction. However, when the debate opens, Abbess Étain's seat is empty. A few moments later, she is found dead in her cubiculum, her throat slashed. It is immediately suspected that the opposition would be the culprit, but is it? And more importantly, how to prove it?

The King of Northumbria, on learning about Fidelma's position as a dálaigh of the Irish Courts, urges her to bring the murderer to justice. Since rumours are already starting to circulate, no time is to be lost. The country is on the brink of Civil War. Fidelma agrees, and in so doing she accepts the condition imposed by the King of having the crime investigated in conjunction with a representative of the Roman faction, a Saxon by the name of Brother Eadulf. Thus forms one of the most famous partnerships in history for the purpose of solving crimes. Fidelma and Eadulf, even though at first they resent each other, grow attached to one another in the end. They feel a great affinity and are a perfect match. As the Manchester Evening News put it, Sister Fidelma is "quite a girl." Eadulf is delighted in his task of a companion who offers support, but is clearly Fidelma who decides on the best course of action. The pair work smoothly together and, in the end, they both realize how much one supported the other.

The historical setting, the descriptions of the Abbey and the customs of the period deserve a mention of their own. Ellis is a scholar of the period, having written numerous volumes about the ancient Celts, the Druids and other early tribes; and one can tell he knows his task as if he had actually lived in the period. I found fascinating the fact that in the ancient Irish Church celibacy was not contemplated, or that women in ancient Ireland had as many possibilities to hold a Public Office rank as men. Also unlike nowadays, a Public position was based on merit, not heredity.

This is a most promising series that I would like to see made into a mini-series of some sort in the future, such as Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael. There's a lot of detail and material to cover, and I cannot wait for the second installment, where, as per the end of this one, Sister Fidelma finds herself fortuitously on her road to Rome... accompanying Brother Eadulf's party.

I picked up Absolution by Murder in a used bookstore, thinking it would be a good airplane read. I soon found out that my level of ignorance pertaining to medieval Ireland was only going to make this mystery an irksome chore on an airplane!

Setting it aside to give it the time it deserves was a much better idea! Although initially slow and somewhat bogged down in the finer historical detail, I was soon swept into Sister Fidelma's world where nuns are NOT silent, men of the cloth are not always good, and politics are NEVER petty.

The characters are vivid, but Tremayne never gives away too much so that the "villians" aren't who they appear to be. He tempts the romantic with the introduction of Brother Eadulf but never succumbs to cheap romance or idle folly. The mysterious cultivation of friendship between Fidelma and Eadulf gives the most personal view of the protagonist(s).

The multiple murders keep you guessing to the end. The story picks up speed in the last half and is indeed VERY HARD TO PUT DOWN!

Peter Tremayne is the pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, author of "The Druids" and other historical Celtic works. This mystery was a good story in the vein of the Brother Cadfael mysteries, but I found his description of the Synod of Whitby, when England rejected the Celtic Church in favor of the Roman, to be very interesting. Tremayne/Ellis indicated King Oswy's decision to follow Rome was based more on political considerations than on a superstition that St. Peter might keep him out of heaven if he chose the church of St. Columba. His presentation of Sister Fidelma as a "liberated" woman of Irish faith caused me to imagine what might have happened if Oswy had made a different choice. Those interested in Celtic Christianity will find this a fun book that gives a different slant on the historical decision of Oswy. I'll be interested in comparing it with historical sources to find how much is fiction and how much is fact. The story was fun, and the history was intriguing.

Much like the means of transportation in this novel's 7th century setting, Peter Tremayne's Murder by Absolution moves slowly. It is predictable and densely-written. Tremayne's characters are largely bland and uninteresting. Notable in this respect is Brother Eodulf, whose sole purpose in the novel seems to be a straight man who provides all the obvious--and obviously wrong--solutions to the mystery. The only compelling element in this novel is its protagonist, Sister Fidelma. She is a surprisingly strong female character, especially given the 7th century setting. However, the author's stereotyping of her as a fiery Irish woman diminishes an otherwise interesting character. Perhaps worst of all, Murder by Absolution commits the sin of being a predictable mystery. I knew halfway through the book who had commited the murders. If you like historic settings for your mysteries, you're better off going elsewhere. My suggestion would be Sharon McCrumb's If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him or her equally intriguing She Walks These Hills.

The historical setting of this book with the conflict between Celtic and Roman Christianity was intriguing and realistic. You get a genuine sense for the time and place. The downfall, and it is quite a fall, is the wooden prose. I have never seen so many characters grimace. Tremayne uses the word "grimace" frequently, conspicously, and awkwardly. In addition, Sister Fidelma's character is one-dimensional. She isn't a medieval feminist from an enlightened society; she is just a grouch. If she isn't angry, she's irritated, impatient, insulted, or otherwsie bothered. Once in a while she is pleasant, but then she grimaces and your back to square one. The plot is crafted well enough, though the murderer wasn't hard to guess. In sum, this might be worth a single read, but I wouldn't search for the hard cover version.

I just finished reading this book, it was rather short, but I found that I enjoyed it quite a bit. The historical aspects were interesting and unique. I've read other reviews that criticized the characterization of Fidelma. The major complaints seemed to be that a) she was not religious enough for a nun and b) he tried to turn her into a proto-feminist too much.

Firstly, a). People pointed out that Fidelma does not pray enough for a nun. She is never seen doing a rosary or Hail-Marys. Which, as a friend of mine pointed out, would seem like an oversight were it not for the fact that Brother Eadulf DOES do these things. If he does, and she does not, then that suggests that the absence is intentional. Tremayne was obviously thinking about the religious rituals, so therefore must have chosen to not have Fidelma perform them. To me this suggests that while she had to be a nun first and then a lawyer, her heart is in the law, being a nun was simply a necessary step. If anything, her lack of fervor adds to her sense of clarity.

And B), the charge that she's a proto-feminist. Or rather, the charge that Tremayne injected his 20th century view onto her ancient self and created a character that simply would not have been. Are we so unwilling to believe that women could have been equals in cultures so long ago that our only explanation is to say that the character is disingenuous? It's entirely possible that we did not invent equality for women. Nor are we the only culture to have Difficult Women. Fidelma went through a lot of schooling and was considered in the same social class as a King. Seems to me that she has something to be proud about, and her unwillingness to give over authority seems about right. Her difficulty is part of what makes her good at her job, and it seems silly to fault her for it.

Fidelma's bristling anger and difficult personality amused me, made me a little proud. And the fact that everyone else felt that she was worth having to deal with that personality simply bolstered my opinion of her.

The book works as a mystery, works as a gender study, and works as a historical exploration. If you have a few nights free, I think it's worth picking up.

Absolution by Murder is the (nonsensical) title of the first Sister Fidelma historical mystery by Peter Tremayne, the pseudonym of an academic expert on early medieval Britain, but a pretty capable writer nonetheless. Set in the early post-Roman (or "Arthurian") era of the "Dark Ages," Sister Fidelma is a member of the Irish-Celtic "Columba" Christian sect, and a trained, perceptive, and objective judge-advocate (an idealized "feminist," in fact). I was most fascinated by the historical background skillfully woven into the slow story. One realizes the diversity, richness, and rationales of early Christian religious groups (later dubbed "heresies") that was lost to the totalitarian impulses of the Roman sect vying with Columba and Eastern Orthodox faiths, and gaining ascendancy in the seventh century A.D. of this story. Most surprising is learning that the extraordinary Western repression of women only began at this time, as can also be seen in other recent historical novels on this early medieval period (like the gritty, ongoing Arthur Saga by Jack Whyte). Part and parcel, one observes here early conflicts over suppression of married clergy by the Roman sect, celibacy deriving from pagan Rome and Paul rather than the Biblical Peter. These historical concerns sharpen the conflict between heroine and her straight man (the Roman Brother with the infelicitous name Eadulf), and fuel numerous regal and ritual sub-plots (although a chance was missed to present a coherent account of the issues discussed at the Whitby Synod central to the plot). I was disappointed to figure out the true suspects and prosaic motivations before the actual murder announced in the title even took place (fault of a neophyte author? but it was fun to watch how an author worked to obscure the trail). The world of Sister Fidelma is less claustrophobic than the late Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael's, although neither is given to the potential obscurantism of the truly alien ways of speech and magical thought that would be historically more accurate, least of all Sister Fidelma's "modern" clear-headedness. We seem to have lost a thousand years of religious toleration and progress when her Columba faith, with equal rights for women, was supressed.

I purchased this book via "used" selection. I am an Anglo junkie including reading history of early Brits, i.e. Celts. If you enjoy the history of this period (7th Century, after Arthur -- Anglo-Saxons in charge) and also like a little mystery, you might like ABSOLUTION BY MURDER. The plot hangs together well, although the identity of the perpetrator was obvious to me from the gitgo. The characters, including Fidelma, are not well developed, but perhaps the reader will learn more as she goes along. I did not find Sister Fidelma nearly as interesting as Cadfael, let alone Miss Marple.

I found this story comparable to those by Candace Robb who writes the Owen Archer series, although the APOTHECARY ROSE was much better. If you like Archer, you will probably like Fidelma.

If you haven't met Sister Fidelna, Brehon, yet - then you've been missing out. I love a good murder mystery and I love a good historical novel and I get them both in Fidelma. This is the first novel in the excellent series from the noted Celtic scholar and once you've read the first you will be addicted.

Fidelma herself is a delight and the facinating glimpses into seventh-century Ireland make me eager for more. Don't miss out any longer