Laws in Conflict (Burren Mystery #8)

by Cora Harrison

Overview

Harrison, like Peter Tremayne in his Sister Fidelma series, provides a superior brand of historical mystery - Booklist

February, 1512. Mara, Brehon of the Burren, judge and lawgiver, has been invited to the magnificent city state of Galway, which is ruled by English laws and a royal charter originally granted by Richard III. Mara wonders whether she can use her legal knowledge to save the life of a man from the Burren who has been caught stealing a meat pie, but events soon take an even more dramatic turn when the mayor' son is charged with a heinous crime. Sure there is more to the case than meets the eye, Mara investigates . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847514349
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	05/01/2013
Series:	Burren Mystery Series , #8
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Cora Harrison published twenty-six children's books before turning to adult novels with the ‘Mara’ series of Celtic historical mysteries set in 16th century Ireland. Cora lives on a farm near the Burren in the west of Ireland.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Harrison adroitly introduces her impressive knowledgeof the period into a suspenseful plotthat also involves murder."Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

"Harrison adroitly introduces her impressive knowledgeof the period into a suspenseful plotthat also involves murder."Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Set in 1512, Harrison’s engaging eighth Irish historical (after 2011’s Deed of Murder) takes judge Mara, Brehon of the Burren, and her law students to the city-state of Galway, “a tiny island of English law, English language, and English dress within the Gaelic land to the north, east, and south of it.” Mara wishes to expose the students to a different legal system and to help an imprisoned countryman accused of stealing a pie. Mara is dismayed to learn that the prisoner is Sheedy O’Connor, whom she’d formally declared insane, and that his accuser is cousin both to the prosecutor and the judge, who also happens to be Galway’s mayor. Operating in a foreign jurisdiction, Mara must draw on all her ingenuity to try to save O’Connor from execution. Harrison adroitly introduces her impressive knowledge of the period into a suspenseful plot that also involves murder. Agent: Peter Buckman, the Ampersand Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Initially, Mara, Brehon of the Burren, a judge in her community, just wants to ensure a defense for a mentally ill indigent man from Burren who's imprisoned in Galway. The city is ruled differently than her own region so she must tread lightly. But after she and her students arrive, a night of harmless revelry turns violent, leaving a young man dead and the mayor's son accused of the murder. Mara stands up to the local authorities, using legal reasoning to make her case. Mara and her intrepid students never give up, and this leads to a breathtaking conclusion. VERDICT Harrison's immensely satisfying eighth legal mystery (after Deed of Murder) is imbued with vibrant details but not weighed down by them. With several memorable adolescent characters, both male and female, this historical has notable YA crossover appeal. For fans of Peter Tremayne.

Library Journal