A Mystery of Medieval Ireland - Christmas, 1509. Mara, the investigating judge of the Burren, has accepted the offer of marriage made by King Turlough. But on the eve of the marriage festivities, a man kneeling in prayer in the abbey church is violently murdered. Who could have planned to kill the king? Cut off from the outside world by heavy snow, Mara must act quickly to catch the assassin before a second death occurs.
Writ in Stone (A Mara, The Brehon Mystery)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At the outset of Harrison's outstanding fourth 16th-century historical to feature Mara—brehon (a kind of magistrate) of the Burren, a kingdom on the west coast of Ireland (after The Sting of Justice, Oct. 19)—King Turlough O'Brien decides at the last minute to skip an overnight church vigil before an ancestor's tomb. As a result, an assassin instead bludgeons to death the man who takes his place, the king's cousin Mahon O'Brien. Mara, the king's fiancée, isn't entirely sure that her husband-to-be was the intended victim and focuses her investigation on those who would have benefited from the death of Turlough or his cousin, including Mahon's widows and the king's potential heirs. Harrison provides a textbook example of how to do a historical right by artfully combining an insightful and sympathetic detective with a fair-play puzzle and a plausible depiction of the period. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Mara, Brehon of the Burren, must determine the culprit and allocate punishment when a man is violently murdered as he kneels before the altar of the Cistercian Abbey sanctuary two days before Christmas, while leaders of the O’Brien clan gather to honor the memory of a revered ancestor and celebrate Mara’s impending marriage to Turlough, their king. But was the dead man the intended victim, or did the assassin confuse him with Turlough, scheduled to take the first vigil? Romantic and political intrigues abound in Harrison’s evocative and very accessible Irish historical mystery, fourth in the Burren series, set in 1509, which offers an intimate glimpse of this pivotal time when conflicts between Ireland’s rule by law and Rome’s attempts to broaden its power base were exacerbated by King Henry VIII’s forays into the area to annex its many small independent kingdoms. Readers new to the author and the setting will find this installment a good introduction. --Lynne Welch
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Murder in the 1500s,
By
This review is from: Writ in Stone (A Mara, The Brehon Mystery) (Hardcover)
First Sentence: The Burren, on the west coast of Ireland, is a land of white stone and dark gree-blue sea, encircled by swirling terraced mountains of gleaming limestone, soft fertile grass and hard rock; tiny jewel-bright flowers and wind-torn asymmetrical trees; great pagan stone monuments and small ruined Christian churches and abbeys.
Mara, responsible for justice in Burren, Ireland, is set to marry King Turlock, ruler of three kingdoms in Northwest Ireland. He announced he would hold a solitary vigil in the abbey church by the tomb of his ancestor at dawn. When Brehon is awakened to an uproar of voices proclaiming the King has been murdered, she knows it is not true as he was with her. The victim is the King's brother. But who was the intended victim? I was trying to figure out what about this series appeals to me as much as it does. One answer is the author's descriptive abilities. Harrison is a very evocative writer, not only of era and location, but of people as well. I can "see" what I'm being told and that adds a real richness to the story. It allows the story to become real in my head. Another answer is the history. Learning about a time, place and, particularly, a system of law only known to me because of this series, is something I value. It also adds a background layer of suspense as you sense the time coming when English law will outlaw Brehon law in the 1600s. When an author can educate, as well as entertain, they gain my respect. The characters are very well drawn; I felt their personalities. Mara is a very intelligent, strong and capable woman, holds a position of high authority and respect. She also has a bit of Holmes' powers of observations and Miss Marple's ability to appear guileless, who Harrison has very smartly balanced that with Turlock; a king who has been a warrior all his life and tends to react first. While not romantic suspense, by any means, the relationship between Mara and Turlock is nicely done. Surrounding them are multitude of diverse characters and personalities adding layers to the story. I did appreciate that, in this book, Mara's law students had a much less substantial role in solving the crime. The story is well plotted providing lots of possible suspects and motives along the way. It also raises the issue of canon law versus secular law. I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it to all those who enjoy historical mysteries. WRIT IN STONE (Hist Mys-Mara, Brehon of the Burren- Ireland-1509/Middle Ages - VG Harrison, Cora - 4th in series Severn House, 2009, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 9780727868121
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Book in the Irish Historical Series!!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Writ in Stone (A Mara, The Brehon Mystery) (Hardcover)
I find this series fascinating. Did not know much about Irish history and this series is set at the time of the young Henry VIII, so there is some comparison of English vs Irish life, law and commerce. The main character is Mara, a young female judge who trains young lawyers at her family compound and is the primary figure of law in her area. She divorced her first husband and is now involved in an ongoing romance with the King of Ireland. I particularly like the references to Irish law at the start of each chapter. I think Cora Harrison has created a very interesting and well-written mystery series and highly recommend it. Just so you know, this is the 4th book in the series.
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent writer,
By gina b "mystery madam" (salem oregon) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Writ in Stone (A Mara, The Brehon Mystery) (Hardcover)
this is a very good series, would equate her writing to Tremayne and several other writers of this genre.
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