Absolution by Murder (A Sister Fidelma Mystery) (Mystery of Ancient Ireland)

Solving a crime with Sr. Fidelma, who is not only a "religieuse" but also a dalaigh, a high ranking Irish judge, is like taking a brief time-travel vacation to 7th century Ireland or--in the case of this novel--England. Sr. Fidelma and her sidekick/paramour Brother Eadulf were familiar figures from other novels I had read. This, however, is the first of Peter Tremayne's series, so it was especially delightful to finally learn how Fidelma and Eadulf had become acquainted. At a conference called by the King of Northumbria to decide whether his kingdom would follow the Roman or the Celtic rules of Christianity, Fidelma and Eadulf are thrown together and asked to unravel the circumstances behind the death of the Abbess Etain, Sr. Fidelma's friend, who was to present the Celtic side of the argument. The author of this entertaining novel, Peter Tremayne, pseudonym for Peter Berresford Ellis, a respected authority on Celtic culture, provides the benefit of his vast knowledge of ancient societies within the context of an easy-to-read, captivating mystery.