Customer Reviews

Badger's Moon: A Mystery of Ancient Ireland (Sister Fidelma Mysteries)

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Fast paced and suspenseful, this latest Sister Fidelma mystery novel was a real page turner and is, so far, one of the best reads of the year.

All is not well at Cinel na Aeda: some mad person has been violently killing the young girls of the village. So far there have been three such deaths, each has been brutally cut up, and each was murdered when the moon was full. The chieftain of the village, Becc, is at his wit's end as to how to proceed -- his chief brehon is dead, and three strangers (all religious) who are currently staying at the Abbey of Finbarr are suspected by the villagers of having committed the murders -- and because he is a cousin of Colgu (the King of Murman and Fidelma's brother) Becc decides to go to ask Colgu for help. Or specifically to ask that Fidelma, a well known advocate of the courts and crime solver, come to Cinel na Aeda to investigate and help apprehend the murderer. A new mother, Fidelma is finding motherhood not all that it is cracked up to be and is almost relieved to be asked to solve this latest puzzle, much to her companion, Brother Eadulf's chagrin. But he agrees to go along with her to the village and to help her investigate. And Fidelma will need Eadulf's help for the case is very perplexing indeed and things at the village are very tense: the three girls were well liked and the villagers are scared and angry and ready for revenge. Confronted with prejudice against the mysterious strangers, closed mouth villagers and a lack of evidence, Fidelma will need to use every bit of her reasoning faculties in order to sort out this puzzle and so catch a seemingly insane killer...

Rich in historical and cultural detail and complete with a mystery subplot that actually invites the reader to reason along with Fidelma, "Badger's Moon" was a treat to read from beginning to end. The book was fast paced, and the suspense and tension was evenly maintained throughout. And not only were there enough red herring suspects and plot twists to keep any mystery addict happily preoccupied, the author also added a psychological element into the mix by juxtaposing a crisis that Fidelma was personally facing at the latest twist her life has taken (motherhood) and her not so nice (but completely understandable) feelings she had about it all. So that all in all readers are in for a very intriguing and compelling read, especially since they will be able to solve the mystery along with Fidelma -- though I'm not so sure about the cliffhanger at the end, even if it does make for some very slick marketing.

Sister Fidelma of Cashel, an advocate of the law courts in Ireland in mid-seventh century Ireland, married her beloved Brother Eadulf of Seaxmund's Ham from the land of the South Folk and has a month old son. Fidelma is not contented to rest in luxury in the home of her brother King Colgu of Muman. She yearns to apply the law so that she can win justice for whoever needs her help.

Her cousin Becc, chieftain of the Cinel na Aeda asks Colgu for an advocate to find the killer of three young girls who were murdered in the past three months on the night of the full moon. When she and Eadulf go to Becc's territory, she finds frightened and angry villagers. Many believe that the three monks that are taking sanctuary in the church who come from Africa are the killers because the murders started soon after this arrived. A distraught person related to one of the victims blames the man who married his ex-wife after she divorced him or the man's son who was courting his daughter. Fidelma must cut through layers of lies and deceptions if she is to find out who the killer really is.

Even in an enlightened country such as mid-seventh century Ireland, the three black African monks are feared and mistrusted because of their skin color. The protagonist is at her very best as she interrogates people, sifts through misleading clues and works with her beloved companion Eadulf, following a trail that will lead them to a much greater mess than either anticipated. BADGER MOON has a shocking cliff hanger that will have readers breathless waiting for the next installment in this fantastic historical mystery series.

Harriet Klausner

Note to Amazon review editors: Since my reviews of Badger's Moon and Whispers of the Moon would be so similar, and since I have read the entire Sister Fidelma mystery series, I have chosen to provide an overall review of these mysteries. I hope this is satisfactory. CMB

Having read all of Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidlema mystery series, it would seem to be more appropriate to review the entire set of these mysteries rather than one of the mysteries in isolation. Peter Tremayne is well known for his expertise in Celtic history, and it is this knowledge imparted in his Sister Fidelma mysteries which kept me reading all of these stories. In each of his Sister Fidelma mysteries, he provides an introduction describing seventh century Ireland, the background of the Irish-Roman Catholic dispute of this period, and an explanation of the source for his current mystery. Most of these mysteries include an introduction to Gaelic pronunciation and the cast of characters in the mystery to help readers keep track of who they are and their role in the story. A map of seventh century Ireland also allows readers to identify where the story mystery occurs.
Tremayne's writing style provides clear descriptions of the time and settings and allow his readers to draw their own mental pictures of each character and his/her personality. Each mystery is fast paced and entices the reader to continue to read until the mystery has been solved. Vocabulary is clear, colorful, varied yet does not require a dictionary for understanding. A good sense of humor and unexpected twists and turns in events and character roles challenge the readers of Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mysteries as they attempt to discover the solutions before she does.
Although each of Tremayne's plots is unique, all are written to be read individually or as part of a sequential series. To provide background for individual characters or events, Tremayne unfortunately uses the same phrases and descriptions over and over, causing the reader to become bored or to laugh at the "here he goes again" repetitions. Since these repetitions in the Sister Fidelma short stories can become tedious, and since general plot development tends to follow similar development, some readers may not read the entire series.
For the individual who enjoys a reading a rapid paced mystery full of interesting historical tidbits for fun and relaxation, Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mysteries will be delightful reading.

Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of a well-known authority on the ancient Celts, who has utilised his knowledge of the Brehon law system and 7th-Century Irish society to create a new concept in detective fiction.

The Sister Fidelma novels are taking on almost cult proportions and are becoming ever more popular with each offering from the author, whose obvious knowledge of the times and subjects he writes about shines out like a beacon on the shore.

When a series of horrific murders are committed in the Kingdom of Muman Sister Fidelma and brother Eadulf are called to restore order and find the killer. The victims are all young girls who have been killed with unspeakable violence on three consecutive full moons. The local people believe that three dark strangers from the distant land of Ethiopia, who are staying as guest of the Abbey at Finbarr must be the culprits and an angry mob attacks the abbey leaving the inmates in fear of their lives . . .

Purchased this book last year from England; not yet available in this country, although I have one available. Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf are superb, in my opinion, as they solve yet again a mystifying series of murders. The author develops his story with a sound knowledge of ancient Celtic life.

In my opinion, this Sister Fidelma mystery was just plain scary. The reader begins the mystery in the mind of the murderer who is ready to kill and does so. It kept me guessing who the murderer was throughout the story. What I liked best was that the couple of Fidelma and Eadulf really worked together in an almost equal partnership this time, which was a breath of fresh air.

Young single women are being brutally killed during the full moon and after the third murder, the villagers demand the three strangers at the abbey be turned over to them for justice. The clan leader Becc stops the riot and sends word to Colgú for assistance. Sister Fidelma is sent to investigate and see that the law is served and the killer brought to justice. Fidelma finds that there seems to be many intertwining threads of hate, bigotry, and greed some of which may impact the case making the solution more difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, Sister Fidelma uses all her senses and logic to view the evidence and piece together facts to find the killer.

Badger's Moon is the thirteenth of the Sister Fidelma mysteries. Luckily for me in this case thirteen is not an unlucky number for I enjoyed this Irish mystery and look forward to many more visits with Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf and in fact this book ends on a cliffhanger for the next book. You don't need to have read the previous books to enjoy this one, as there is a historical note that explains many of the cultural and religious mores of Ireland in the 7th century.

In fact, I read the historical notes first and then the pronunciation guide before starting the book. The writing was straightforward and descriptions and historical and political digressions were smoothly entered into the narrative so that you hardly notice that you are also getting a bit of an education in Irish history as you read. This historical background is helpful in that gives you enough of the historical climate to not get dragged out of the book when something happens that just seems way too modern for the time period. I found myself constantly muttering to myself about how much freedom and control over themselves that women lost between the 7th century and when we got the vote in the 1900s.

One of the reasons that I read books is to learn. Tremayne's writing is clear and concise and while his background is in Celtic history, he never lets the background of the story intrude on the narrative plot line. However, the background is so rich and clear that you find yourself learning about history without realizing you are doing it. Since Celtic history has been an area that I've wanted to learn more about this series is going to be a perfect vehicle to learn more of an era, culture, and people that has interested me -- and with tight plots and suspenseful mysteries thrown in how could I miss.