Travel back in time with the first ever case from super-sleuth, Sister Fidelma, in this gripping Celtic mini mystery. The perfect introduction to Peter Tremayne's highly-acclaimed historical crime series. Ireland, AD 659. Sister Fidelma is in her final year of study at Brehon Morann's law school, and en route to visit an old friend, Lúach, in her family home. But things take a sinister turn when Fidelma arrives to discover that Lúach has been missing for five days. Has someone driven her from the enclave of her home, or are there darker forces at work? The deeper Fidelma digs, the more questions she unearths. It's clear that there is far more to Lúach's disappearance than those closest to her are letting on, and only Fidelma has the conviction to pursue the case. Can she untangle the truth in time to save her?

ABSOLUTION BY MURDER is the brilliant and evocative first novel in Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma series, bringing 7th-century Ireland vividly to life. As the leading churchmen and women gather at the Synod of Whitby in 664AD to debate the rival merits of the Celtic and Roman Churches, tempers begin to fray. Conspirators plot an assassination, while mysterious, violent death stalks the shadowy cloisters of the Abbey of St Hilda. When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic Church, is found murdered suspicion inevitably rests on the Roman faction. Attending the Synod is Fidelma, of the community of St Brigid of Kildare. As an advocate of the Brehon Court, she is called on to investigate the murder with Brother Eadulf, of the Roman faction. However, the two are so unlike that their partnership is described as that of a wolf and a fox - but which is which? More gruesome deaths follow and the friction among the clerics could end in civil war. Can the solution to the mysteries avert such a conflict?

Wighard, Archbishop designate of Canterbury, has been found dead, garrotted in his chambers in Rome's Lateran Palace in the autumn of A.D. 664. His murderer seems apparent to all, since an Irish religieux was arrested by the palace guards as he fled Wighard's chamber, but the monk denies responsibility for the crime, and the treasures missing from Wighard's chambers are nowhere to be found. The bishop in charge of affairs at the Lateran Palace suspects a political motive and is wary of charging someone without independent evidence. So he asks Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church to look into Wighard's death. Fidelma (an advocate of the Brehon Court), working with Brother Eadulf of the Roman Church, quickly finds herself with very few clues, too many motives, a trail strewn with bodies—and very little time before the killer strikes again.

In A.D. 644, a respected scholar of the Celtic Church is murdered during a visit to the Irish Kingdom of Muman. The kingdom's ruler summons Sister Fidelma to solve the brutal murder, but her time is limited. The victim, as it turns out, was a comrade of the arrogant King of Fearna, who threatens war over the suspicious death of his friend But during her inquiries, Sister Fidelma comes to realize that there is more at hand than what appears, and finds her own life caught in the balance!

In the fourth book in this acclaimed Irish medieval mystery series, Sister Fidelma investigates a murder at a remote abbey, only to encounter the strange disappearance of a ship and its entire crew.

Irish super-sleuth Sister Fidelma is faced with a challenging and disturbing case to investigate in THE SPIDER'S WEB, Peter Tremayne's fifth unputdownable Celtic mystery. PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FIDELMA SERIES: 'The background detail is brilliantly defined . . . wonderfully evocative' The Times, 'A brilliant and beguiling heroine. Immensely appealing' Publishers Weekly Ebert is not a man to make enemies. He is a chieftain with a reputation for kindliness and generosity. Yet, one night, his household is aroused by a scream from his chamber. The servants burst in to find Móen, a young man to whom Eber had extended his protection, crouched over the bloody body of the chieftain. Móen's clothes are drenched in Eber's blood and he is clutching a bloodstained knife in his hand. There seems no doubt of culpability, but why did Móen kill the gentle and courteous Eber? The problem is exacerbated by the fact that Móen himself cannot tell them - for he is deaf, dumb and blind... Sister Fidelma, advocate of the ancient Irish law courts, is compelled to begin an investigation of the killing in order to present an argument on Móen's behalf before he is condemned. Assisted by Brother Eadulf, Fidelma finds that the path to truth twists and turns with the sinister forces of primitive passions and subtle ambitions - and leads inexorably to a final, stunning denouement. What readers are saying about THE SPIDER'S WEB: 'Another great read, full of interesting insight into the times, the prejudices and superstitions, whilst playing out the complex details of the plot'

Sister Fidelma must entreat the chieftain of a Druid clan to allow the construction of a Christian church and school in the region. On their way, she and Brother Eadulf find the slaughtered bodies of 33 young men—arranged ritualistically. It quickly becomes obvious that there's more intrigue than she was lead to expect.

In September of 666 A.D., an aged monk and a set of relics disappear during the night from the Abbey of Imleach. The missing monk is a matter of great concern for the abbey. But the relics are a disaster of a much higher order. They are the priceless holy relics of St. Ailbe, the man who, in the fifth century, brought Christianity to the Irish kingdom of Muman, converted and baptized its king, and founded the abbey. The relics themselves are the political symbol of the entire kingdom and their disappearance threatens to disrupt its continued peace and stability. On a visit to the Abbey of Imleach, Sister Fidelma, sister to Colgu, the current King of Muman, and an advocate of the Brehon Courts, is asked to investigate. With the help of her friend and traveling companion, the Saxon monk Brother Eadulf, Fidelma begins to slowly unravel the mystery behind the twin disappearances. But there are dark forces at work, which will stop at nothing - even murder - to achieve their aims.

During a pilgrimage from Ireland to the Shrine of St. James in Spain, a pilgrim disappears overboard, leaving a blood-stained robe behind, and Fidelma of Cashel sets out to uncover the truth before the ship reaches the shrine and the killer can vanish forever. Reprint.

Sister Fidelma-an Eognacht princess and sister to the king of Cashel, a religieuse of the Celtic Church and an advocate of the Brehornn court-is one of the most interesting and compelling figures in contemporary mystery fiction. In this collection of short mysteries, Tremayne fills in many of the background details of Fidelma and seventh-century Ireland not found in the novels, and weaves his always-beguiling mix of history and mystery.

Sister Fidelma must race against time to prove the innocence of her companion Brother Eadulf when he is found guilty of murdering a young girl and sentenced to be executed in twenty-four hours, plunging Fidelma into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the monarchy. Original.

Blown off course on her journey to Canterbury, Sister Fidelma of seventh-century Ireland finds herself in Wales, where the king challenges her to discover the whereabouts of a missing monastic community and to solve the death of a local girl. Reprint.

When Fidelma of Cashel and her companion, Brother Eadulf, arrive at an abbey in East Anglia at the invitation of one of Eadulf's childhood friends, they discover the friend dead and the abbey haunted by the ghost of a young woman who closely resembles the abbot's dead wife. Reprint.

Following the brutal murders of three young girls during three subsequent full moons in the seventh-century kingdom of Muman, the king's sister Fidelma of Cashel and her companion, Brother Eadulf, must restore order to their panicked village and to discover the killer before the moon's next cycle. Reprint.

In November of 667 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel has returned home to her brother's castle to discover that a servant, her son's nurse, has been found brutally murdered in the woods near town, and her son is missing, presumed kidnapped or worse.

Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the King of Muman, a religieuse of the Celtic Church and an advocate of the Brehon courts - returns in this new collection of fifteen tales. These stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery are not merely spellbinders but also provide insight into the ways and mores of the complex, fascinating society of seventh century Ireland as well as heretofore unrevealed background details of Fidelma herself.

In January of 668 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the king of Muman, an advocate of the Brehon law courts and a religieuse in the Celtic Church - is called to investigate the brutal murder of Abbess Faife and the mysterious disappearance of six young female religieuse accompanying her on a short pilgrimage away from her abbey. When Sister Fidelma and her husband, Brother Eadulf, arrive they find that there has been another death under mysterious circumstances, one of the senior scholars of the abbey has been bludgeoned to death. These two seemingly unrelated deaths - and the further mysteries of the trade ship lured to its doom on the rocky western shore of Ireland and the rumored figure of "The Master of Souls" wrecking havoc and raising rebellion - combine to create on the the most perplexing mysteries ever faced by the redoubtable Fidelma.

In February of 668 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel and her companion Eadulf are about to get permanently married. As the sister to the King of Muman, Fidelma's marriage ceremony is a major event; the High King of Ireland, as well as other kings and major figures, are going to be in attendance. On the eve of the ceremony, the fanatical and much disliked Abbot Ultan is found murdered in his chamber and one of the distinguished guests, the King of Connacht, is accused of the crime. Her wedding delayed, the high born guests restless, and the murder and its aftermath threatening chaos, it's up to Fidelma to uncover the murderer - and the truth behind the murder itself - if the often tenuous peace of the land is to be maintained.

Sister Fidelma must investigate the murder of the High King himself and by doing so risk civil war, in Peter Tremayne's brilliant new novel in the popular series. When Sechnussach, High King of Ireland, is found dead in his bedchamber with his throat cut, all clues seem to suggest an all-too-obvious prime suspect. Dubh Duin, the chieftain of the clan Cinel Cairpre, was found with the murder weapon in his hand when the High King's guards entered the royal chamber, before taking his own life. The Chief Brehon of Ireland asks Sister Fidelma to investigate and find out what possible motives could have driven Dubh Duin to assassinate the High King. Her investigations reveals an intricate web of conspiracy and deception that threatens to unbalance the five kingdoms and send them spiralling into a violent and bloody civil war and religious conflict...

In AD 670 Fidelma of Cashel is asked to act as an advisor to the Irish delegation to a church council hostile to the Celtic Church. In an abbey in Burgundy, Bishop Leodegar of Autun has assembled church leaders from all over Western Europe—an assembly that soon descends into chaos. That night one of the delegates is found murdered, his skull crushed, and Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf, are suddenly in the midst of a murder investigation involving some of the most power religious leaders. Between the autocratic Bishop Leodegar and the malignant abbess Mother Audofleda, a web of sinister intrigue soon spreads. The theft of a priceless reliquary box, the disappearance of women and children, and rumors of a slave trade make this one of the most sinister and deadly puzzles Fidelma and Eadulf have ever faced.

In A.D. 670, an Irish merchant ship is attacked by a pirate vessel off the southern coast of the Breton peninsula. Merchad, the ship?s captain, and Bressal, a prince from the Irish kingdom of Muman, are killed in cold blood after they have surrendered. Among the other passengers who manage to escape the slaughter are Fidelma of Cashel and her faithful companion, Brother Eadulf. Once safely ashore, Fidelma?sister to the King of Muman and an advocate of the Brehon law courts?is determined to bring the killers to justice, not only because her training demands it but also because one of the victims was her cousin. The only clue to the killer?s identity is the symbol of the dove on the attacking ship?s sails, a clue that leads her on a dangerous quest to confront the man known as The Dove of Death.

The brilliant new novel in the internationally renowned Sister Fidelma crime series by Peter Tremayne. Ireland AD 670. When an eminent scholar is found murdered in his cell in the abbey of Lios M�r, fear spreads among his brethren; his door was secured from the inside, with no other means of exit. How did the murderer escape? And what was the content of the manuscripts apparently stolen from the scholar's room? Abbot Iarnla insists on sending for Sister Fidelma and her companion Brother Eadulf to investigate the killing. But even before they reach the abbey walls, there is an attempt on their lives. As the mystery deepens, Fidelma and Eadulf must also wrestle with problems of their own, which threaten to separate them for ever...

The brilliant new novel by the internationally bestselling author of the Sister Fidelma mystery series. AD 664: Sister Fidelma finds herself in the seaport of Genua, en route from Rome back to her native Cashel. Her old teacher, Brother Ruad�n, lies dying in the abbey of Bobium - an isolated abbey in a disturbed country where even the Christians are in bloody conflict with one another and the worship of the pagan gods often prevails. Fidelma is determined to see Brother Ruad�n before he dies. But from the moment she enters the beautiful valley of the Trebbia, there is danger on every side. Her dying teacher's last words send her off on her most dangerous adventure where murder follows murder and a vicious civil war threatens before an extraordinary conspiracy is revealed. And from the start, Fidelma is on her own...

670 AD. The body of an unknown young noble is found murdered not far from Cashel. The only clue to his identity is the emblem he was wearing – the emblem of the ruling house of the neighbouring kingdom of Laigen. When King Colgú of Cashel sends his sister, Fidelma, and her companion, Eadulf, to investigate, they are propelled into one of their most dangerous and perplexing mysteries. They find themselves struggling with a tangled skein of murder and intrigue; a bewildering conspiracy and, moreover, physical jeopardy. Is the eruption of violence that has broken out in the west of the kingdom connected? Who is the fanatical figure who leads the violence, claiming to have been summoned by "the seventh angel" to drive the "impure of faith" from the land? What is the mystery that connects the dead noble, a murdered alcoholic priest, and a menacing abbot who has built his abbey into a military fortress rather than a religious community? What evil stirs out of the shadowy Gleann na nGeilt, the Glen of Lunatics? Fidelma herself becomes the victim of abduction and it is up to Eadulf to find and save her from imminent death. Should he beware of the attractive Princess of the Éile or her neighbours, the Osraige, a border people with a reputation for being untrustworthy? Who is the handsome young poet who seems to be a key to bringing together the strands of a complex plot to overthrow the Eóghanacht ruling house of Muman of which Fidelma’s brother is the head? This is one of Fidelma’s most baffling investigations yet.

Winter, 670 AD. King Colgú has invited the leading nobles and chieftains of his kingdom to a feast day. The gathering is interrupted by a religieux claiming that he has an important message for the king. Suddenly, the man, shouting 'Remember Liamuin!', stabs King Colgú. The assassin is slain, but Colgú is on the verge of death. Who is Liamuin? Is it a female name? Who is behind the assassination attempt? Colgú's lawyer sister, Fidelma of Cashel, and her husband, Brother Eadulf, are charged with solving the mystery. They must journey into the territory of their arch-enemies, the Uí Fidgente, uncover the evil secrets in the dark, brooding Abbey of Mungairit and venture into the threatening mountain fastness ruled by a godless tyrant. Danger and violence are their constant companions until the final devastating revelation...

Super sleuth Sister Fidelma returns in a brand-new historical mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of Atonement of Blood, The Seventh Trumpet and many more. Ireland, AD 671. When a curious deputation of religieux arrive in Cashel, death follows close behind. Sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, seem unable to stem the bloodshed. Is one of the deputation responsible? What was the Venerable Verax, the scholar from Rome, hiding? Was there an evil secret behind the austere Bishop Arwald? Indeed, what was the real reason behind Eadulf's brother Egric's unexpected appearance at Cashel - could he be the culprit? Victims and suspects combine to make a tangled skein of mystery more complex and bloody than Fidelma and Eadulf have ever faced.

From Peter Tremayne, highly acclaimed author of THE DEVIL'S SEAL and THE SECOND DEATH, comes a digital short story featuring much-loved Irish super-sleuth Sister Fidelma. PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FIDELMA 'The Sister Fidelma books give the readers a rattling good yarn. But more than that, they bring vividly and viscerally to life the fascinating lost world of the Celtic Irish' Ronan Bennett When Sister Fidelma arrives at the great Abbey of Durrow on a visit to her old mentor Abbot Laisran, she finds the community reeling from an act of murder. One of their membership, Brother Sioda, has been discovered in his cell with multiple stab wounds to the heart. Everyone is certain that the eccentric Sister Scathach, who foretold the event through whisperings from the Otherworld, is responsible. But Sister Fidelma could never accept such an explanation. For sometimes it is the simplest solutions that hide the most unexpected truths . . . \Contains an extract from THE SECOND DEATH, Peter Tremayne's 26th mystery featuring Sister Fidelma\ What readers are saying about THE SPITEFUL ' Contains all the elements expected of a Sister Fidelma mystery . Sharp and to the point . Excellent ' 'I never tire of reading about Sister Fidelma's adventures ' ' Gripping from beginning to end '

Peter Tremayne, highly acclaimed author of The Devil's Seal and Atonement of Blood, returns with The Second Death, his new Celtic mystery featuring super-sleuth Sister Fidelma. Ireland, AD 671. The Great Fair of Bealtain is almost upon the fortress of Cashel, and a line of painted wagons carries entertainers to mark the occasion. But preparations take a deathly turn when one of the carriages is set alight, and two corpses are found, lying poisoned, within. As Sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, investigate, they are quickly plunged into the menacing marshlands of Osraige - where the bloody origin of the Abbey of Cainnech is wreaking his revenge. What is the symbolism of the Golden Stone, and who are the mysterious members of the Fellowship of the Raven? Fidelma and Eadulf must face untold mortal danger before they can untangle the evil that strikes at the very heart of the kingdom.

Sister Fidelma returns in this brand-new 7th-century Irish mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of THE DEVIL'S SEAL and THE SECOND DEATH. If you love Ellis Peters you will be gripped by this novel. When news comes to Cashel that Chief Bishop and advisor to King Colgú of Muman has been murdered within the fortress of the Uí Fidgente, it is a shock for all concerned. The Uí Fidgente are the long-time enemies of King Colgú's family, and terrible conflict is threatened when the King learns that the culprit will be executed under new ecclesiastical rules. As Colgú dispatches his sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, to investigate, it seems there there is no uncertainty about the person who killed the abbot. But the man facing death is Gormán, commander of the King's élite bodyguard and son of Fidelma's closest friend. Now Fidelma and Eadulf must face old enemies as they struggle to find an alternative to the apparent fact of Gormán's guilt. And with the threat of war looming, time is running out to the allotted moment of Gormán's execution...

Ireland, AD 671. On the eve of the pagan feast of Samhain, Brother Edulf and the warrior, Aidan, discover a man murdered in an unlit pyre in the heart of Cashel. He has been dressed in the robes of a religieux and killed by the ritualistic 'three deaths'. When a strange woman known as Branche� appears in a raven-feather cloak foretelling of ancient gods returning to exact revenge upon the mortal world, she is quickly branded a suspect. But in their search for the killer, Sister Fidelma and Eadulf will soon discover a darker shadow looming over the fortress. For their investigation is linked to a book stolen from the Papal Secret Archives which could destroy the New Faith in the Five Kingdoms...and Fidelma herself will come up against mortal danger before the case is unravelled.

Ireland. AD 671. Sister Fidelma has a mission, and she is sworn by oath to reveal her purpose to no other. The secret investigation leads Fidelma and her companions to the abbey of Finnbarr to question the abbot. But before they have a chance to speak to him, the abbot is found murdered - and the young girl suspected of the crime has fled the scene. Despite their protests, Fidelma's cohorts agree to accompany her in pursuit of the girl for answers. But as vicious rumours spread, accusing Fidelma's family, the Eóghanacht Kings of Cashel, of conspiring to assassinate the High King and abduct his wife, Sister Fidelma's life is placed in mortal danger. Unable to tell the truth of her quest to anyone, including her husband Eadulf, Fidelma's time is running out - and now she has no choice but to face the challenge, and her enemies, alone.

An outsider's life hangs in the balance when Sister Fidelma decides she must intervene to expose the real culprit behind the horrific slaughter of a local family. Ireland, AD 671. The hamlet of Cloich�n is said to be a veritable Eden, with its prosperous farms and close-knit, friendly community. But after a local farmer, his wife and two sons are murdered, a fanatical new priest orders the villagers to lynch the man accused of the crime. The only evidence they hold against him is the fact that he is a stranger to their land. Searching for accommodation on their journey home to Cashel, Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf arrive at Cloich�n just in time to save the man's life. Fidelma is determined that the villagers must give the newcomer a fair trial. But there is to be more bloodshed in Eden and more lives will be lost. Danger and mayhem disrupt this once sleepy and trusting hamlet. In this vivid portrayal of a medieval time, the webs of intrigue begin to unravel, friends become enemies, and no one knows who to trust....

Ireland. AD 672. The body of a dead man has been found on a lonely mountain road and taken to the isolated abbey of Gleann Da Loch for a proper burial. The abbot quickly identifies him as Brehon Brocc, who had been travelling to the abbey on a secret mission with Princess Gelgeis and her steward. When news reaches Colgu, King of Muman, that his betrothed, Princess Gelgeis, has disappeared, Fidelma with her trusted companions, Eadulf and Enda, enter the hostile Kingdom of Laigin in search of the truth. But one death is quickly followed by another and warnings of demonic shapeshifters and evil lurking in the mountains must be taken seriously. Are there really brigands stealing gold and silver from the ancient mines? And are rumours of a war between the Kingdoms of Laigin and Muman to be believed? As Fidelma searches for answers, she must do everything in her power to avoid danger and death in a land where no one is to be trusted . . .

Ireland. AD 672. The Feast of Beltaine is approaching and the seven senior princes of the kingdom of Muman are gathering at Cashel to discuss King Colgu's policies. Just days before the council meets, Brother Conchobhar, the keeper of the sacred sword, is found murdered. Sister Fidelma and her brother Colgú fear that the killer had been trying to steal the sword that symbolises the King's authority to rule. And as rumours begin to spread of an attempt to overthrow Colgú, news reaches Cashel that a plague ship has landed at a nearby port, bringing the deadly pestilence to its shores. Amid fear and panic, Fidelma, Eadulf and Enda must work together to catch a killer as the death toll starts to mount . . .

IRELAND AD 672. The abbey of Muman at Imleach Iubhair is being renovated when its guests' hostel burns to the ground. There is one fatality: Bishop Brodulf of Luxovium, a distinguished visitor and cousin to the King of Franks. Sister Fidelma is asked by Abbot Cuán to investigate the unfortunate incident and soon finds that the bishop had been stabbed to death before the fire had even started. Thrown into a world of treachery and jealousy, where religious beliefs are vehemently disputed, Fidelma and her companions, Eadulf and Enda, face a barrier of deceit. The abbey, a leading ecclesiastical teaching institution as well as a conhospitae, housing both men and women, is divided into factions. Can Abbot Cuán trust Prioress Suanach, who is in charge of the sisterhood? Can the professors trust each other as well as their students? Moreover, can suspicion be levelled at the builders working on the abbey under their dominant Master Builder, Sítae? As more deaths follow, Fidelma must use her wit and ingenuity to unravel the complexities of this intricate mystery.