Customer Reviews

The Dove of Death: A Mystery of Ancient Ireland (Mysteries of Ancient Ireland)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 670, married couple Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf sails home aboard the Irish merchant ship the Barnacle Goose after attending the deadly Council of the Cursed. Off the Breton Peninsular, pirates with a dove on their sail attack. In the pursuing melee, the masked apparent brigand leader known as the Dove of Death stabs and kills the captain Murchad and Fidelma's royal cousin Bressal, who was the envoy of King Colgu of Muman. Fidelma and Eadulf leap from the vessel, but are fortunate when a monk at sea rescues them. He takes the pair to Hoedig Island.

On Hoedig, Fidelma vows to unmask the Dove of death so she as a law advocate can bring this murderer to justice. As she makes inquiries, other homicides occur and she soon fears her investigation has placed her and her husband in peril as the clues seem to tie the Dove and his killers to the local aristocratic host.

Once again, Peter Tremayne brings to life ancient times with his latest exciting Sister Fidelma mystery. The story line focuses on Fidelma's investigation, but the audience also observes the problems the Irish religious orders have with the new Rule of Benedict that demanded rigid sexual abstinence; as that dictum went against several centuries of tradition. Fast-paced and loaded with action, fans of ancient mysteries will want to sail along side of Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf as they are detoured on their way home.

Harriet Klausner

I am a big Sister Fidelma fan. I read this book on Kindle & was a bit disappointed. The setting for this book is the European continent (as opposed to the Irish island)in the 7th century AD. I found it very frustrating that I couldn't place the location in my mind because I wasn't sufficiently versed in the ancient place names for the area & whether the location was Brittany or Burgundy. I don't know if the paper edition included a map, but a map would have been very enlightening. Actually, an actual map of the setting & a fictitious map of the relation of the fictional locations to each other would have been ideal.

The events of the book occur as Fidelma & Aedulf are returning from the Conference at Atun in Burgandy, France which is the setting of the book immediately preceding this one The Council of the Cursed (The Sister Fidelma of Cashel). The pair are onboard a ship when they are attacked by pirates & end up marooned on a small island where they are assisted by a monk. They make their way back to the mainland where they attempt to identify and apprehend the pirates.

While I am aware that the rift between the Celtic Church & Rome was a major component of the time period in which Fidelma lives, the constant encounter of nasty, oppositional clerics over the course of a number of books is beginning to wear on me. Conversely, I felt the differences between the 7th century Irish culture & the culture of Brittany, which is alluded to in the book, could have been further elucidated.

The characters were well drawn, as one would expect from Mr. Tremayne, but the sheer number of new characters was daunting. The plotting was excellent and kept me riveted until the final page. I feel a mystery should keep you guessing until the end, but leave you looking back & saying, "Of course! I should have seen that." The author doesn't disappoint in this regard at all.

If you are a fan, you won't want to miss this, but it is not the best of the series nor one to start with if you are a newcomer to Sister Fidelma's world.

In the mood for a leisurely cruise? Don't book your passage on the Barnacle Goose, the tragic ship in Peter Tremayne's "The Dove of Death." When overtaken by pirates in 670 A.D., the ship is taken captive, along with the people on board, with the exception of those killed and the two who escape--Sister Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf. Saved by a local monk, they find themselves stranded in a small Breton fishing village.

Eadulf is relieved to have been rescued, while Fidelma, a king's sister and a legal advisor, thirsts for justice for the dead. Aided by their rescuer, Brother Metellus, they start the dangerous and arduous search for the pirate ship in the countless coves surrounding the island.

As a latecomer to Tremayne's ancient Ireland series, I still managed to enjoy the book overall. Tremayne seems to find the word "said" to be a four-letter word to be used sparingly. Instead he often has characters smiling or shrugging their dialogue, a contrivance I found annoying. There were also too many characters whose names began with the letter "B," making the story confusing at times.

Those quibbles aside, I enjoyed learning about the lifestyles and the weaponry of the time, as well as striving to figure out who was the mysterious pirate leader. I recommend Tremayne for those who like their mystery travels in olden times, rather than set in the faster-paced Internet world.

Reviewed by Kari Wainwright for Suspense Magazine

I buy this series for my 84-year-old Mom so I asked her to give the rating. The reason for only 3 stars is that there were too many characters and too much bloodshed. Further, Mom says Fidelma should spend more time with her child. On the more positive side she enjoys the history, the customs of the times and the treatment of women's rights.

I am reading this book now. I love historical fiction so I am enjoying this book. I have read all the Fidelma books and I have learned alot. There are times though that I think Fidelma gets a little pedantic.

This is a good story but not the best of the series. I always enjoy the Sister Fidelma stories. This volume does not have as much historical background information as most of the series do, some just not as much, and I very much like the historical detail. It is not set in Ireland, but in Brittany.

Also, this story is very formula. The author is cranking one out to meet the publisher's deadline, too easy to guess "who done it" and why. For that reason, I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

Sister Fidelma makes Ancient Ireland come alive and the reader often wishes our courts were similar to those of the past.

Jan Cooper