The Seventh Trumpet (Sister Fidelma Series #21)

by Peter Tremayne

Overview

When a murdered corpse of an unknown young noble is discovered, Fidelma of Cashel is brought in to investigate, in Peter Tremayne's The Seventh Trumpet

Ireland, AD 670. When the body of a murdered young noble is discovered not far from Cashel, the King calls upon his sister, Fidelma, and her companion Eadulf to investigate. Fidelma, in addition to being the sister of the king, is a dailaigh—an advocate of the Brehon Law Courts—and has a particular talent for resolving the thorniest of mysteries.

But this time, Fidelma and Eadulf have very little to work with—the only clue to the noble's identity is an emblem originating from the nearby kingdom of Laign. Could the murder be somehow related to the wave of violence erupting in the western lands of the kingdom? The turmoil there is being stirred up by an unknown fanatical figure who claims to have been summoned by "the seventh angel" to remove the "impure of faith." Fidelma and Eadulf, once again grappling with a tangled skein of murder and intrigue, must somehow learn what connects the dead noble, a murdered alcoholic priest, and an abbot who has turned his monastery into a military fortress. When it appears that things cannot get more complex, Fidelma herself is abducted, and Eadulf must rescue her before the mystery can be solved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250048561
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/24/2014
Series:	Sister Fidelma Series , #21
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	516,181
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

PETER TREMAYNE is a pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a renowned scholar who has written extensively on the ancient Celts and the Irish. As Tremayne, he is best known for mysteries of Ancient Ireland featuring Sister Fidelma of Cashel, beginning with Absolution by Murder. He lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

Set in 670 C.E., Tremayne’s 20th full-length Sister Fidelma whodunit (after 2012’s Behold a Pale Horse) is one of the weaker entries in an otherwise strong historical series. Fidelma, a law-court advocate, has given up her title of sister in the hope of securing a more senior position, which has gone to another. Now acting independently of “any Rule or religious authority,” she finds herself in familiar territory after the discovery in a farmer’s field of a well-dressed male corpse with multiple stab wounds. This murder proves to be the first of several the sleuth must try to solve. Unconvincing perils and an unremarkable solution matter less than Tremayne’s inability to harness his talent to integrate the political intrigue and scheming of the time into the story in such a way as to make the stakes real to a modern reader. Agent: Charles Schlessiger, Brandt & Hochman. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Tremayne writes so authentically about this remote time period that readers will feel they are there in every way . . . a delight!” —Library Journal (starred) on Master of Souls

“The action is tense and gripping . . . a compelling, enjoyable adventure.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer on The Monk who Vanished

“Tremayne, a master of the medieval mystery, continues to shine.” —Booklist on The Dove of Death

“Fidelma's ability to best opponents, whether in argument, strategy, or audacity, makes her a heroine for any age.” —Publishers Weekly on The Council of the Cursed

From the Publisher

A king's sister investigating a murder uncovers a plot against her brother. Though she's well-respected throughout ancient Ireland for her skills as an advocate of the Brehon Law, Fidelma of Cashel (Behold a Pale Horse, 2012, etc.) is chagrined that she hasn't been appointed Chief Brehon. A murder investigation may be just what she needs to divert her mind. The body of a young man who appears to be of noble birth is found near Cashel, home of Fidelma's brother, the king of Muman. The king, who's busy entertaining his future wife, is happy to have Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf, set off, accompanied by two warriors, to trace the man's identity. Many of the areas nearby have recently been beset by the burning and pillaging of unknown raiders, but Fidelma and her friends have no problems at first. All too soon, however, they come across another murdered man, and Fidelma is abducted along with Torna, a young bard they've met camping along a river. Eadulf and a warrior follow the trail and find Fidelma, who's been left to die in a warehouse, but Torna is gone. Their attempt to find him leads them into ever more trouble and unearths a conspiracy that may involve several of the nearby rulers in the lands surrounding Muman. Fidelma's ability to solve difficult problems stands her in good stead when she has to untangle a complicated plan to overthrow her brother. Fidelma shines once more in a scholarly, clever and eminently readable historical mystery.

Kirkus Reviews