Our Lady of Darkness

Sister Fidelma #10

by Peter Tremayne

Arriving home from a pilgrim voyage, Sister Fidelma hears that her faithful Saxon companion, Brother Eadulf, is under sentence of death for murder. She hastens to the capital of Laigin, where he is being held, determined to appeal against the sentence. The crime took place at the abbey of Fearna where Fidelma clashes with the sinister Abbess Fainder. The evidence against Eadulf seems overwhelming - can he actually be guilty? Will Fidelma's emotional involvement blind her in her desperate search for the truth?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Ireland, Crime

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Peter Berresford Ellis (born 10 March 1943) is a historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 90 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as an authority on Celtic history and culture. As Peter Tremayne, he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.

Reviews

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I know I keep saying this, but really – this is one of the best Sister Fidelma stories yet. The plots and sub-plots are complex and flow fast and furious.

Sister Fidelma’s friend Brother Eadulf is waylaid on his return trip to Canterbury to report to his Bishop and bring messages from Sister Fidelma’s brother, the King of Muman (modern day Munster) in Cashel. The rebellious and ill-governed kingdom of Laigin (modern-day Leinster) has moved away from the secular Laws of the Fénechus, more popularly called the Brehon Laws, and taken on a system called the Penitentials, developed by Roman reformers of the Church initially as a system for religious communities to govern themselves by. Physical punishment, a system of vengeance, including flogging, mutilations, and executions – ruling by fear – became an easier way to bend the people’s wills than efforts of rehabilitation and reconciliation. This was just one of the challenges facing Ireland and its people in the mid-7th century.

This story incorporates many of the differences in the laws and the slow erosion by Rome’s ecclesiastical influence of the people of Ireland – the one land during those dark times where knowledge, learning, logic, spirituality, and wisdom were sought after by students and seekers from nearly 20 other countries.

With so much complexity, it is more than I can do to write a proper review without giving away key plot points. Suffice it to say that Brother Eadulf’s life is in jeopardy and Sister Fidelma’s efforts to save his life are hampered by corruption and conspiracy. Time and again she is forced to set her emotions aside, ferret out the facts, and attempt to put together the pieces that will free her friend.

What Sister Fidelma eventually uncovers was an eye opener – and a sad and tragic one at that. The more I learn about life more than a thousand years ago, the more I see: (1) how many things remain the same; and (2) how antiquated and money-centric our legal system is; and (3) how far we have fallen as human beings.

The good news is that underneath all of our current woes and ridiculousness, there is knowledge of a better way. Maybe healthier and more life-sustaining methods of governing and solving disputes will revolve through our universal doors again someday – probably not in my lifetime, but there is always hope for the future.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2009, and its the 11th volume, chronologically, of the wonderful "Sister Fidelma" series.

After arriving home from her pilgrimage, Sister Fidelma is told about that her Saxon companion, Brother Eadulf, is under a sentence of death.

She hurries over to the capital of Laigin where Brother Eadulf is held, and there she will meet resistance from the King of Laigin, as well as from the sinister Abbess Fainder from the Abbey of Fearna.

At this Abbey of Fearna should the crime have been committed, and although Sister Fidelma believes in Eadulf's innocence, she has little time for the King of Laigin wants to make an example of Eadulf and hang him.

What is to follow is an intriguing and thrilling Irish mystery, in which by using her wits and determination, Sister Fidelma will after sifting the evidence, and after some twists and turns, followed by a superbly executed plot be able to reveal the real culprit of this heinous murder.

Highly recommended, for this is another tremendous addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fantastic Lady Of Darkness"!

[dOnnabud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of the series. While Europe and Britain languished in the Medieval Dark Ages, it was a period of enlightenment in Ireland, where many of the world's most elite rulers sent their offspring (usually males) to be educated. Before being squashed and corrupted by British invaders, Ireland possessed an ideal society in which women were protected against rape and abuse, permitted to own property, possessed equal rights in marriages and access to education, and allowed to pursue any occupation, including those in the highest tiers of society. This is the perfect environment for the wise (though young) and courageous, competent and brilliant Sister Fidelma to blossom fully. In this adventure, she's reunited with her dear friend, Brother Eadulf, as she works frantically to prove him innocent of murder and save him from the new and controversial Roman Penitential punishment of hanging. It's a fabulous read!

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un discreto svago giallo senza molte pretese che scorre agevolmente, sempre accompagnato da una vaga sensazione di inverosimiglianza. L'unico intoppo puo' essere rappresentato dall'esondazione di termini celtici che in ultima analisi contribuiscono curiosa descrizione di una societa' lontana nel tempo e nello spazio.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one again in March 2015, and I must note that this is a critical book in the Fidelma series as it involves the situation where Eadulf is nearly executed for crimes he did not commit. Having come back to it later I now think it is my favorite! There are no boring parts in this one.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was time for me to return to ancient Ireland -- I enjoyed every page of this book, often reading longer than I intended.

This is the first time, however, that I was asking questions that I think Fidelma should have asked. For instance,
- Why didn't Fidelma search Gormgilla's room? She always searches the victims' rooms.
- Fial wasn't available for questioning. Why didn't Fidelma probe for the girl's location?
- Fidelma didn't ask if there other young novitiates at the abbey.
- It seemed odd to me that Eadulf would be sleeping soundly with the evidence of the crime on his person. Surely if he were guilty he would not have taken a 'souvenir' or left blood on his clothing. Why wasn't this issue pursued?

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In mid-7th Century Ireland, Sister Fidelma is not just a religieuse, she is also a highly ranked advocate of law as well as the sister of the King of Muman. She rushes home from a pilgrimage because her companion, the Saxon Brother Eadulf, has been arrested and convicted for murder in the neighboring kingdom of Laigin. Racing against time, because he is scheduled to be executed the next day, she must find the real killer in 24 hours. This will not be an easy task, especially since the King of Laigin, the leading advocate, and the abbess are all her enemies. Fidelma must unravel the threads of conspiracy before it is too late for Brother Eadulf. I love this series, absolutely love the setting, the characters, and the historical background included in each story.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book number ten in the series in which sleuth, Sister Fidelma, dálaigh (advocate) of the Brehon courts of Ireland, sister of the King of Cashel and logician extraordinaire sets out to save her trusty sidekick, Brother Eadulf, convicted of murder in the neighbouring kingdom. There are all the things we’d of a Fidelma mystery: red herrings, arrogance and pride as source of distraction, missed associations (but very few missed clues), rivalry at various levels of the social hierarchy (here, between royal lines), and in this case a clash of legal codes.

It is this clash of codes that gives this outing some of its kick. Tremayne is a pen name for Peter Berresford Ellis, an established historian early Irish history (these stories are set in the mid 7th century): he brings that scholarly insight, so they are rich in historical context. He writes well with good pacing and at times gentle ‘cliff hangers’. Happily, he managed to avoid some of the habitual (and annoying) textual tics – at no stage, for instance, did Fidelma’s unruly hair threaten to escape her habit.

All round, a good yarn, with just enough twists and sidelines to keep us guessing and me entertained without being particularly demanding; just the thing when there is much else going on.

[Mick Dubois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eadulf is found guilty of raping and murdering a 12-year-old novice and will be hanged in 24 hours when Fidelma arrives in Laigin. She can convince the king to allow her an appeal hearing, but that will be held before the same judge that condemned the Saxon, her old adversary bishop Fossenbach! Now, the reader knows just as Fidelma does that no way it is possible that Eadulf committed such a low crime but how the hell will she prove that in such a short time? This is definetly the most thrilling part of the series until now. Near the end, I had a fair idea who was behind some of the crimes but there's always even more than you can guess that goes on in these Celtic mysteries.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH.MY.WORD!!! I cannot imagine how the rest of the series will go!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better of the Sister Fidelma mysteries.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Sister Fidelma mystery. She is a nun, and a trained advocate, or lawyer, in the Brehon judicial system. Set in seventh century Ireland, this on concerns a friend of the sister's , who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. She has only 24 hours to save him from execution, and in doing so uncovers a horrible conspiracy. The current king has abandoned the traditional judicial code of Ireland in favor of a more fundamentalist ecclesiastical Penitential from Rome, and the story brings out the differences between them. Eventually the more punitive Roman code won, but it is interesting to read about the older Irish customs and codes.

[Lizzie’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely didn’t guess who the murderer was! I love that it takes place in the 7th century Ireland. So interesting to learn more about what it would have been like. Being Scot-Irish, it makes me want to go visit there even more someday 😆

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Complex. Full of action.

[Eimear Carney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure how accurate the historical content is, but enjoyed the plot twists and characters of this Celtic mystery based in the 7th century. Sister Fidelma would give modern day detectives a good run for their money.

[Allison Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn books that keep me up at night

[Marfita · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just really distressing. Tremayne is good at his craft. He completely obfuscated the clues even as they niggled at me. But -
Now, we pretty much know he's not George R. R. Martin and is not going to kill off a major character, but he still manages to hold the threat over our heads. However -
Is it not just a bit too much to have the major character with the noose around his neck and the stool kicked out from under him before being rescued by a sword swishing through at just the right level? I don't know much about medieval swords, I've only fenced with foil, but can you slice that quickly through rope that isn't up against something solid? Even though it is tensed by a weight? This isn't just eleventh hour but seconds before midnight. And why was someone who was accused of theft and murder that occurred after the main character's crime executed before the main character? They both maintained their innocence. Plot device, plot device.
AND how did Fidelma find out so quickly AND manage to get there in the nick of time? This isn't New Jersey where someone can wait months for a jury trial. I would think justice would move pretty quickly back then. News would have to travel to Fidelma and she would have to travel to the location. And who knew that she should be told? Maybe this was in the previous book (which the library didn't have).
Anyway, it was a very dark story about young girls being abused and enslaved and that was icky. The characters were all unpleasant people. I'm still reading in the series, but I hope the next one is less icky.

[Dolceluna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo Peter Tremayne è stato davvero una bella scoperta!
L'impianto di "Nostra signora delle tenebre" è tipico del giallo classico, secondo lo schema dell'assassinio, indagine fatta di dialoghi e interrogatori e risoluzione finale intelligente e studiata, anche se forse un po' troppo da rebus cervellotico; l'atmosfera, però, è quella dell'Alto Medioevo irlandese, un tempo oscuro e bizzarro, fatto di leggi per noi incomprensibili, contraddizoni, soprusi e violenze. E' su questo sfondo che si muove Fidelma di Cashel, una "delaigh"(termine che stava a indicare l'antenato del moderno avvocato), costretta a recarsi nel regno vicino al suo per aiutare il monaco Eadulf, suo caro amico, accusato ingiustamente dell'omicidio di una ragazzina e rinchiuso nella torre di un'abbazia nell'attesa di essere giustiziato. Dall'indagine che Fildema condurrà emergerà una realtà inquietante. Mi è piaciuto, questo "Nostra signora delle tenebre": sa coniugare il fascino del giallo col fascino di un tempo nero e lontano, lasciando addosso una leggero velo di inquietudine. Questa Fildelma, poi, ricordando due dei personaggi del grande giallista John Dickson Carr, mi pare una Gideon Fell o un Henry Merrivale in gonnella, per l'arguzia immensa di cui dà prova, un personaggio intelligente, forte, autorevole. In conclusione, libro promosso. Suggestivo.

[Tracy Blanchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this well enough for most of the book. I did guess the mystery about 3/4s of the way through, though I did not guess the right killer. It was a nice surprise twist that wasn't wasn't such a ridiculous surprise that it was unbelievable. Indeed, all the clues were there. I really enjoyed that Eadulf had a much larger role than usual. However, the last 10 pages or more of Fidelma explaining the mystery in her pedantic and ridiculously slow way really ticked me off. Even the other characters got annoyed at how long it was taking her. And the usual old saw that Tremayne uses, "Let me tell it my own way," is not longer enough to make her slow unfold less annoying. By the time she reveals the killer, I simply couldn't care less. I literally almost stopped reading a few pages from the end, I was so ticked off. What happens when you like the setting, the sub-characters, the landscape, the history of a series, but the main character annoys the be-jeesus out of you? I notice I used to read these books back to back. Then a book between. Now several books between. Not sure I can stay with the series much more unless Fidelma gets a personality makeover!

[Lutefisk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got a whole 30 pages in before giving up because I couldn't stand the way the author would both show AND tell. The prose treated me like an idiot and shoved the themes down my throat. I'd tolerate that, though, if it wasn't so redundant. On top of that, the thing that really got me, was one of the characters interrupting our main girl while she recited laws and what they mean (in the blandest way possible, mind you), and the next sentence is straight up (not verbatim), "He stopped her eloquence." She's not particularly eloquent. She sounds like every other character. Make her BE eloquent instead of pointing, jumping up and down and telling me like an excited 4 year old.

[Doris Mahala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady of Darkness' who done it was a big surprise.
If anybody who follows my 'blog' here you all know that I do not give out a lot of info. I try not to give spoilers, if I think that when writing a review of an author who I am following I will not put a whole lot of info.
So is this a thriller/who done it that I would recommend?
Yup with caps. all the way.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot complications. Well done for the most part.

[Mael Brigde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irritated with Goodreads. I am trying to rate this is three stars but it won’t let me correct it. On Librarything I would rate it 3 1/2.

I will be brief. There is a very large BUT after this paragraph.

There is much of interest in this book and it is an adequate mystery. Because I don’t trust the author’s scholarship entirely, the enjoyment of the historical aspects is muted. It was a serviceable distraction but not a book to find great enjoyment in.

Fidelma is a religious sister in 7th century Ireland, a member of the order of Saint Brigit of Kildare, which is what attracted me to the series. (Brigit herself doesn’t come up at all in the book.) There is a prologue, “Sister Fidelma’s World,” that concerns me. It gives a distorted impression of medieval Irish society, particularly as regards women. Given that the book is thirty years old, and the scholarship in the area has advanced greatly since then, this is forgiveable, but it is very unfortunate. This series continues to be read, and, if the original prologue remains, continues to reinforce a too sunny view of a time where, in fact, women were very much *not* the equals of men, despite there being ways in which they were less badly off than those on the continent. It was not, as Tremayne/Beresford Ellis says in the prologue, “an almost feminist paradise.” Nor were all people freely accorded medical care, as is suggested in the novel. He is referring to the Brehon Laws there, but whether they were actually enforced is questionable, and that they applied to the lower classes is unlikely. Ireland was a brutal land in the middle ages, which sounds practically utopian at times, here.

It is true that Ellis knows a lot about ancient Ireland and church history, and that makes the book so much richer. But do not take every point he makes as writ. Check his facts, and proceed with caution. It is entertainment, not scholarship.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book from this series was chosen for my local book group to read several years ago, and I enjoyed it enough to go back and start the series from the first book. As I work through the series, I’m still enjoying the books, and am learning from them too.

Until I started this series, I was unaware of how much respect and ‘power’ were attributed to women of this era. Yes, Fidelma is the king’s sister, but she is due even more respect because of her education and legal background. Even political opponents listen to her and abide by her decisions – although often grudgingly – because of that background.

This book finds Fidelma racing to the aid of a longtime friend who is accused of a heinous crime, has been found guilty and is scheduled to be hanged. The kingdom in question has moved away from traditional Irish law whose penalties consist of rehabilitation and reconciliation, instead employing the new and controversial Penetentials, where wrongdoers are sentenced to physical punishment – flogging, mutilation and execution. This story incorporates many of the differences in these laws, and emphasized how Ireland was a bright spot in what is otherwise a dark time in history.

The actual mystery here was complicated, with so many twists and turns that I gave up trying to solve it and just went along for the ride. Fidelma’s efforts are blocked at nearly every turn by conspiracy and corruption, requiring her to set aside emotion and find another way to discover the facts. I was shocked by much of what she uncovered along the way, and would never have guessed the mastermind behind all that was going on.

The next book in this series takes Fidelma to Wales, and I look forward to reading it soon.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Fidelma, a judicial advocate of the Brehon Courts, rushes back from a pilgrimage in an attempt to defend her friend and companion Brother Eadulf, a Saxon monk and representative for both the King of Cashel — brother of Fidelma — and his own king.

Eadulf has been charged and is under arrest for a rape and murder in the neighboring kingdom of Laigin. When she gets to the community, Fidelma discovers that he has already been tried, without representation, convicted and set to die by hanging because the Laigin king has abandoned the traditional judicial code of Ireland in favor of the ecclesiastical Penitential from Rome. Through her pleas, she is given a mere 24 hours to find new evidence persuasive enough to sway Laigin's king to allow for a new hearing.

But there are old and new enemies that are fighting against her in this town and the abbey that seems to have changed overnight into a brooding and sad community. Fidelma faces what she considers possibly the most difficult challenge of her life in trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.

As readers of this series know, Peter Tremayne has created a strong, independent female character in Sister Fidelma, and her strength, determination and stubbornness are all shown in this book as it has been in the nine previous. Sometimes, her behavior strikes a discord with the supposed timeline of this series — the 17th century — but it does make for good reading. The action is well paced, the characters finely drawn, dialogue crisp and realistic, and the mystery is an interesting one. For readers of historical fiction and mysteries, this is a good choice.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

cw: sexual assault

Tremayne seems to have hit his stride with this tenth installment of the Sister Fidelma series. Brother Eadulf faces the noose for a crime he did not commit and Sister Fidelma must race against the clock to prove his innocence. The red herrings are plentiful here, some more obvious than others. As with Valley of the Shadow, if memory serves, evil is spread far and wide, not just focused on one person. There are helpers, of course, along the way, but sometimes they are a bit too implausible, such as the Apollo-like entrance of the Cashel guards near the end. Where these book still falter for me is the ever-present "court" scene being the centerpiece and method for Fidelma's revelations. I get that she's a dalaigh, but in this particular instance it was particularly frustrating because she does an "almost" reveal in a different location (with an audience far more interesting than the typical peanut gallery), but then no...we have the formal (and formulaic) grandstanding that appears in every novel. I'm just waiting for something more interesting to happen, but I think I will be disappointed.
Outside the Fidelma-a-la-Perry Mason aspect, however, this is probably the strongest book of the first ten in the series. I will say that more recent audiences should be aware that sexual assault plays a very big role in this book, so consider that a content warning.

[Maggie Anton · Rating 3 out of 5]

[spoiler alert] As much as I enjoy Sister Fidelma mysteries, I found this one's ending annoying rather than satisfying. The two obvious villains, the evil Bishop and Abbess, turned out to have nothing to do with the murders. And, despite their eagerness to punish sinners severely, they committed adultery with impunity. The person running the "selling poor girls into slavery" scheme, who was actually responsible for the murders, was a complete surprise. Readers were led to believe it was a man [the mysterious hooded religious always called "he"], yet it was actually a woman. And Fidelma suspected her because she had lied earlier, yet the reader didn't know she'd lied until the end when Fidelma accused her. I only give three stars, rather than two, because Fidelma finally goes off with Eadulf at the end, which I did find satisfying.

[Nance Roepke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I have said in previous reviews that Brother Aedulf wears thin on me. But here he is, accused of murder. Of course Sister Fidelma rushes to attempt to rescue him. As always, she is brilliant and dedicated. I love her as a feisty and independent woman and I love Peter Tremayne for writing good mysteries and a wonderful female character. Fortunately brother Aedulf spends most of the book in jail. But just the same he is an important part of the story and I was hoping that he was going to disappear from the series. Not for this book anyway. But despite the good Brother this is a wonderful series and a good book.

[Calenmarwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, keeps its suprises to the end.

This book is well written, but I felt a little drier than many I've read. While this suited me at the time, as I didn't want to be too emotionally engaged due to circumstances, it meant that the suspense of the plot didn't come through for me. That said, I enjoyed picking it up, and often returned to it when I otherwise might have finished reading for the day. Certainly held my interest, and I did learn a lot about old Irish laws and traditions.

Would certainly read more books from this author in the future.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I like most about the Sister Fidelma mysteries is it takes the whole book to figure out who was behind the murder and why the murder took place. Unlike modern mysteries there isn't a screen to input information and out pops the details. It takes time, questions and a sense of liking to solve puzzles that get the murder solved.

The time frame and country have a lot to do with the story line also. It was a time of enlightenment before Rome instilled some pretty stupid rules. The history is detailed and speaks of a time when Ireland was well ahead of everyone else.