My Lady Judge: A Mystery of Medieval Ireland [Hardcover]

Cora Harrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2007

In the sixteenth century, as it is now, the Burren, on the western seaboard of Ireland, was a land of gray stone forts, fields of rich green grass, and swirling mountain terraces. It was also home to an independent kingdom that lived peacefully by the ancient Brehon laws of their forebears.

On the first eve of May, 1509, hundreds of people from the Burren climbed the gouged-out limestone terraces of Mullaghmore Mountain to celebrate the great May Day festival, lighting a bonfire and singing and dancing through the night, then returning through the gray dawn to the safety of their homes. But one man did not come back down the steeply spiralling path. His body lay exposed to the ravens and wolves on the bare, lonely mountain for two nights . . . and no one spoke of him, or told what they had seen.

And when Mara, a woman appointed by King Turlough Don O’Brien to be judge and lawgiver to the stony kingdom, came to investigate, she was met with a wall of silence . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Sister Fidelma would be delighted with her sleuthing  ‘descendant’---a new female Brehon named Mara. Mara solves her cases under the ancient Irish laws in sixteenth-century Munster, nine centuries after Fidelma held legal sway there. Well researched and written.” ---Peter Tremayne, author of The Sister Fidelma Mysteries

 

“An excellent historical novel with a most original leading character. Cora Harrison has wonderfully recreated the Celtic culture of Ireland in its mysterious twilight at the end of the Middle Ages. A true Celtic feast with a most sympathetic and believable leading character, Mara, a judge, who enters the mysterious world of her country to bring a just solution to a compelling mystery.” ---P. C. Doherty, author of The Assassin of Isis

 

“A lovely, balanced blend of historical detail and good storytelling. This book is appealing in every way: a likeable protagonist, a clever mystery, and a richly textured rendering of sixteenth-century Ireland with its fascinating legal system.”  ---Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of The Mercy Seller

About the Author

Cora Harrison taught primary-school children for twenty-five years before moving to Kilfenora, County Clare, to live on a small farm where there used to be an Iron Age fort.  She has published twenty-five children’s historical novels. This is her first novel for adults. Please visit her Web site at www.coraharrison.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312368364
• ISBN-13: 978-0312368364
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,668,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, refreshing story, June 2, 2009

By 

Sophia (the Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Lady Judge: A Mystery of Medieval Ireland (Paperback)

In "My Lady Judge," Cora Harrison introduces Mara O'Davoren, Brehon of the Kingdom of the Burren, in sixteenth-century Ireland. In addition to her usual duties as judge, Mara runs a law school on her premises, and, as the story opens, one of her students is murdered.

This story is fairly slow-paced and meanders a bit, so readers who prefer a fast-moving plot might not find it enjoyable. World-building is one of the high points of Harrison's writing. I found the insights into the history and culture of Ireland fascinating, even to small details of clothes, houses and food. Mara is a fun heroine, very smart, a touch vain, a bit arrogant, but with the ability to recognize her faults and laugh at herself. The supporting characters are also strong, believable and interesting.

I look forward to reading additional items in this series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basically light and basically fun, June 8, 2009

By 

David Levine (Kilshanny, Co Clare, Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Lady Judge: A Mystery of Medieval Ireland (Hardcover)

I liked this book a lot and plan to read the two that follow. But it is not great literature. The writing is so simple that the book reads like a young adult novel - not surprising since Cora Harrison has written many books for young adults. But it is worth reading as an adult novel if only for the unique historical perspective. Harrison has a firm grasp and a deep understanding of life in the northwest of County Clare five hundred years ago. While it is very melodramatic and the the characters are too stylized -- totally good or totally evil, lacking self knowledge or very wise -- to be totally believable the book is still worth reading because of Harrison's sensitivity to the culture. It is a quick read so the time investment isn't heavy. I would recommend it as an enjoyable light novel with some remarkable cultural depth and some interesting plot twists. I would rate it as 3 1/2 if I could.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome new addition to historical mysteries set in medieval Ireland, April 8, 2010

By 

Cathy G. Cole (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Lady Judge: A Mystery of Medieval Ireland (Paperback)

Book Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: It was then, as it is now, a land of grey stone.

Thirty-six-year-old Mara is the Brehon (judge) of the kingdom of the Burren in western Ireland, and also in charge of the law school. When everyone in the area troops up Mullaghmore Mountain to celebrate a feast day, Mara's assistant, Colman, does not return. Two days later his body is found up on the mountain in close proximity to where the celebration occurred. Although Colman has never been popular, Mara has to wonder how he could die so close to revelry... and no one sees a thing. As judge, it is her business to bring the murderer to justice.

Each chapter of My Lady Judge begins with a bit of medieval Irish law, which I found to be very interesting. Sometimes I even found those ancient laws to be better than current ones, such as this judgment concerning someone we would call developmentally disabled today:

"The Court finds that Feirdin MacNamera is to be classified as fer lethcuinn, a half-sane man. This means that he has the protection of the court and the community. Anyone who incites him to commit a crime must himself pay the penalty, anyone who mocks him will be fined five sets, two and a half ounces of silver, or three milch cows. This is the law of the king."



Once Mara discovers the main reason why Colman was so unpopular, she has more suspects than she knows what to do with, so she proceeds to investigate as quickly as she can. Most of Mara's investigative skills could be chalked up to plain old common sense, and although I enjoyed the mystery and the glimpse into another time and place, I didn't appreciate the solution to the murder being told to me at the end of the book. Take me along during the entire process. Don't lock me up in my room until it's over, then sit me down in front of the fire to tell me a story.

Occasionally the bits of Irish law, customs, clothing and language got to be a bit too much, momentarily dragging me out of the story, but I jumped back in with little trouble because I enjoyed the setting and the character of Mara so much. I look forward to reading other books in this series.