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Rating: 
Summary: a fantastically suspenseful read
Review: "Our Lady of Darkness" takes place on the heels of the previous Sister Fidelma mystery novel, "Act of Mercy." "Our Lady of Darkness" opens with Fidelma's breath-neck journey to the kingdom of Laigin, in order to meet with King Fianamail (the boorish young King of Laigin) in order to get him to allow her to investigate the charges against her good and close friend, Brother Eadulf. For those of you not yet familiar with this series, Sister Fidelma is not just any religieuse -- she also happens to be the younger sister of the King of Cashel, as well as an advocate of the courts (a dalaigh). And in spite of the somewhat hostile relationship that seems to flourish between Cashel and Laigin, Fidelma is fairly confident that she can clear up the mess Eadulf seems to have gotten himself into fairly quickly. So that she is both shocked and angry to discover that 1) Eadulf has been accused of raping and murdering a twelve year old novice from the Abbey at Fearna (the Abbey of the Blessed Maedoc); and that 2) the usual (and proper) Irish laws of investigation and passing judegement were not observed, and that Eadulf was judged according to the Roman Rule of Penitentials -- laws that are not yet accepted or observed by the Irish courts. (Not only that, but the Brehon also seems to have conducted a very shoddy investigation and to have bent many laws in order to convict Eadulf of the crime).Using her legal expertise, Fidelma is able to persuade Fianamail to give her 24 hours to investigate things. With time decidedly against her, Fidelma makes for the Abbey; where she finds that not only does the uneasy relationship between Cashel and Laigin work against her, but also the clash between the Roman Rule of the Penitentials (which the Abbess stringently champions) and the Irish Rule of Colmcille. Add to that the fact that the Brehon of Ferna, Bishop Fossbach, happens to be an old adversary of Fidelma's, who would dearly love to see her fall from grace, and who seems to be completely in the thrall of the Abbess. But Fidelma is nothing if not determined. And in spite of the fact that there happens to be a witness to Eadulf's guilt, Fidelma is determined to get to the bottom of everything, and to clear Eadulf of all charges. Obviously, Eadulf was set up. But by whom, and why? As her investigation progresses, Fidelma comes across a great deal of evidence to support her suspicion that the case against Eadulf was very meticulously arranged, and that there is something truly evil and unwholesome at work at the Abbey. As the hours pass, so too does Fidelma's determination grow to both vindicate Eadulf and to root out the evil at the Abbey. This is one of Peter Tremayne's more suspenseful efforts. The entire novel unfolded at a swift and brisk pace, though I will admit that things did bog down a little somewhere in the middle of the book. Other than that, I can safely report that this is a rather clever and intriguing plot, complete with a good number of red herring suspects and unexpected plot twists. And the final scene, where Fidelma, like Christie's Hercule Poirot, gathers all the suspects and untangles the mystery for all to see, was a real gem. "Our Lady of Darkness" turned out to be a truly fantastic read.
Rating:
Summary: strong Sister Fidelma mystery
Review: Ireland in the middle of the seventh century is a beacon of light in a world of darkness. Scholars from all over the world go there to study and women are considered the equals of men. Sister Fidelma of Cashel, the sister to the king of Muman, a religiouse and a dalaigh wields considerable power, which she doesn't hesitate to use when her friends are in trouble. When she learns that her friend Brother Eadulf, is going to be hung for the rape and murder of a twelve year old girl, she cuts short her pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James in Iberia and rushes to defend him. It will be one of the most difficult jobs Fidelma has ever undertaken because there is an eyewitness account and plenty of circumstantial evidence. The Sister Fidelma mysteries are always a treat to read and OUR LADY OF DARKNESS is no exception. Readers really empathize with the strong-willed heroine who fears for her very dear friend. The who-done it is very complex and enthralling with a cast of believable suspects that are all guilty of something. The audience will get a good feel for the culture of Ireland in the seventh century and feel as if they are in twenty-first century America. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: strong Sister Fidelma mystery
Review: Ireland in the middle of the seventh century is a beacon of light in a world of darkness. Scholars from all over the world go there to study and women are considered the equals of men. Sister Fidelma of Cashel, the sister to the king of Muman, a religiouse and a dalaigh wields considerable power, which she doesn't hesitate to use when her friends are in trouble. When she learns that her friend Brother Eadulf, is going to be hung for the rape and murder of a twelve year old girl, she cuts short her pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James in Iberia and rushes to defend him. It will be one of the most difficult jobs Fidelma has ever undertaken because there is an eyewitness account and plenty of circumstantial evidence. The Sister Fidelma mysteries are always a treat to read and OUR LADY OF DARKNESS is no exception. Readers really empathize with the strong-willed heroine who fears for her very dear friend. The who-done it is very complex and enthralling with a cast of believable suspects that are all guilty of something. The audience will get a good feel for the culture of Ireland in the seventh century and feel as if they are in twenty-first century America. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Probably the Darkest Book So Far!
Review: This book is probably the darkest book I've read in this series. As usual the book is well-written and engaging. Sister Fidelma is asked to cut short her pilgrimage so that she can return home to Ireland to save her friend Eadulf who has been accused of the rape and murder of a very young novitiate at the abbey in the kingdom of Laigin. Not only that but she finds out that Eadulf has received a sentence of death for his supposed involvement with this crime. It becomes a real race against time and we wait with bated breath to see whethe or not she can make it in time to save him. The question of capital punishment becomes the cornerstone of this book. The plus and minus issues on this all important topis are all issues that we still deal with today. Fidelma hurries there as fast as she can with three warriors that her brother has assigned to help keep her safe. And these warriors are indeed necessary. When Fidelma arrives she finds a sinister and dark abbey where she finds unspeakable crimes have been committed in the name of lust and of greed. The characters in this book from Laigin are wondefrully depicted. They all seem sinister and menacing. Fidelma's search for the truth becomes desperate and a race against time in a land where she can find no allies. An excellent book!
Rating:
Summary: Probably the Darkest Book So Far!
Review: This book is probably the darkest book I've read in this series. As usual the book is well-written and engaging. Sister Fidelma is asked to cut short her pilgrimage so that she can return home to Ireland to save her friend Eadulf who has been accused of the rape and murder of a very young novitiate at the abbey in the kingdom of Laigin. Not only that but she finds out that Eadulf has received a sentence of death for his supposed involvement with this crime. It becomes a real race against time and we wait with bated breath to see whethe or not she can make it in time to save him. The question of capital punishment becomes the cornerstone of this book. The plus and minus issues on this all important topis are all issues that we still deal with today. Fidelma hurries there as fast as she can with three warriors that her brother has assigned to help keep her safe. And these warriors are indeed necessary. When Fidelma arrives she finds a sinister and dark abbey where she finds unspeakable crimes have been committed in the name of lust and of greed. The characters in this book from Laigin are wondefrully depicted. They all seem sinister and menacing. Fidelma's search for the truth becomes desperate and a race against time in a land where she can find no allies. An excellent book!
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: This series started out promising (if a bit wooden), but they have not gotten better. The author seems to have a set formula to make the same points about the Irish judicial system in each book (interesting, but phrased like a law school lecture). Instead of developing his characters he spends lots of time and words describing how they snub each other, jockeying for social status. The plots are less and less believable with each new book - this book's plot is as contorted as an advanced yoga position. And despite the female / feminist protagonist, the plots themselves are misogynist; of course there are and were female evildoers, but as the main villain in each book? In this one he ignores the greater social evils he's spent alot of time developing to settle in the end for a sensational baddie out of a _National Enquirer_ "news" story. ...
Rating:
Summary: Interesting historically, long-winded mysterically...
Review: This was my introduction to Tremayne's books. I am going to leave the jury out until I read a couple more of them. I think maybe this was not his best book for introducing to his series, and I don't like to make judgements about series with just one book (unless it is absolutely atrocious...and I've been wrong before!). I have to admit the history of Ireland and the legal standing of women at this time period is absolutely fascinating. I'd never read anything concerning the history of Ireland this far back (into the early period of Christianity in Ireland). They certainly seemed to treat women with more respect back then prior to the changing of the legal system to coincide with the legal system of Rome and the Catholic Church. The story got slow in some parts. Not boring, just slow. Seemed to take a bit of time to get to the point, and many times I made the connection in the murders and the involvement of a variety of religious personages...I am not real crazy about being right concerning who did what so early in the book. However, I will read some other books from Tremayne. I do have to say for those who like mysteries without the accompanying bad language, violence, overwhelming sexual information that comes with more modern mystery series, these books are very safe that way. The history is absolutely well researched and that I admire. Part of the reason I will continue to read some of Tremayne's books is just to get that historical information. It's fascinating. Karen SAdler
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