Night of the Lightbringer

Sister Fidelma #28

by Peter Tremayne

A stranger murdered in a gruesome ritual. A prophetess foretelling the return of the ancient gods.

Sister Fidelma returns in the twenty-eighth gripping Celtic mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of THE SECOND DEATH and PENANCE OF THE DAMNED.

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 Brancheó 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.

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

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2017

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

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of the 28 books in this series and have found them to be both educational and inspiring while managing to entertain as well. I am rather pumped to find that the 29th book in the series will be released very soon.
This book starts with Fidelma complaining of boredom to her brother, the king. That lasts about five seconds as we are catapulted into the murder investigation on the eve of a holiday marking the end of the year, celebrated with a very large bonfire. A body is placed within the stacks of timber, but easily spotted and placed to cause disturbance and unrest amongst the population.
Fidelma is accompanied by her husband Eadulf on difficult and dangerous investigations following up on the smallest clues. There are more deaths and the usual community meeting where all will be revealed. I recall being periodically irritated by Fidelma's attitude in earlier books, but she has been reborn...not such a smarty pants in this book.
I find the early law as practiced in Ireland as well as the theological debates between Rome and the many factions of "The New Faith" in Ireland very interesting.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing mystery is already the 28th volume of the tremendous "Sister" Fidelma series from the author Peter Tremayne, which is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis.
As usual you'll find at the beginning of the book the historical details concerning this mystery, and once more they are thoroughly documented and explained by the author, who has a great knowledge about this Irish historical period, also you'll notice a well-drawn map of Fidelma's world of Muman (Munster) in the 7th Century, and not to forget a wonderful list of Principal Characters, who are featuring in this exciting story.
Story-telling is as always of a superb quality, so much so that the author will keep you spellbound from start to finish with this thrilling mystery.
All the characters come wonderfully to life in this exciting mystery, and thus making this eventful and gripping story such a joy to follow till its very end.
This tale is like its predecessors set in the year AD 671, and its set around the time of Cet Gaimrid, the first of winter, which is November in the Celtic year, and with the celebration of Samhain, which is marking the end of summer.
The mystery starts off with the discovery of the corpse of Spelan, a shepherd but who's been dressed as a religieux, with the signs of the three-fold death on him in a pyre which is build for the celebration of Samhain, by Brother Eadulf, his son Alchu and Aidan, warrior of the Golden Collar, the King's Bodyguard.
What will follow is a very entertaining and thrilling mystery in which our super-sleuth the Dalaigh, Fidelma of Cashel, and her companion, Brother Eadulf, while investigating this murder case will encounter some more murders as well as various other crimes, and to solve all the clues they will have to entangle various mysterious layers before "Sister" Fidelma can finally uncover and prosecute the culprit(s) of the various crimes.
Highly recommended, for this is once again: "A Very Fascinating Sister Fidelma Mystery"!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sister Fidelma mystery/crime set in 7th century Ireland. Peter Tremayne keeps the momentum and tension going, building up to the final revelation, which comes at the very end. At the same time he shows how complicated were the beliefs and understanding of early Christianity, with Rome intent on dictating exactly what everyone in the one time jurisdiction of the Roman Empire should believe and comply to. At this time there were still many who clung to the belief in the `old gods` and others who were not convinced by Roman interpretation of all the available information. There are two threads to this mystery one secular and one religious. They are intertwined and difficult and dangerous for Fidelma and her trusty husband Eadulf to unravel.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fidelma and Eaudulf are trying to solve mysterious deaths and various other mysteries closer to home this time. The time is approximately around the end of October in the modern calendar, 671 AD. The whole mystery is tied up with the time of year which was the pagan festival of Samhain (or our Hallowe'en). A man is found dead and his body stuffed into the makings for the Samhain bonfire. Fidelma and Eadulf set out to investigate and disover a web of lies and deceit in a strange and secluded monastery just a little ways from their home at Cashel. The story and web of deceit branches out from there. I did find the book dragged a bit in places and I think that was mostly due to the long and protracted explanations of the rreligious beliefs at that time in Ireland. I could have done with a little less of that and a little more mystery and suspense. Reading a Sister Fidelma book is an instruction on theology and early Catholicism for sure, but this one had even more of this than previous books in this series. Still, well worth a read. Fidelma and Eadulf do not disappoint.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest Irish mystery with Fidelma of Cashel!

Peter Tremayne, aka Peter Berresford Ellis, is a mystery writer and a historian. His tales of Fidelma of Cashel, formerly Sister Fidelma of Kildare, are both delightful mysteries and insights into the church history of Ireland. The stories date back to the 600’s when a battle was being fought between the Irish Church and the Roman Church.

Tremayne presents the story of that battle. Tremayne states that the “New Religion” had come to the British Isles by the word of famous religious men such as Saint Patrick and Saint Columba. The churches they founded were later in disagreement with Rome over such doctrines as celibacy, the Virgin Mary, the dating of Easter, the church’s place with regard to the law, and even the tonsure favored by the brothers.

Where the Roman Church pushed celibacy, the Irish Church had joint houses where married couples raised their children in the faith. The Irish Church recognized the law of the land, but the Roman Church felt that the bishops, abbots, etc should rule in cases of criminal conduct. They push things like self-flogging, hair shirts, and other things to mortify the flesh. They held that the death penalty was justified, and carried out by church leaders.

The Irish Church fought these changes, often against abbeys and church leaders in their own locals. The Irish Church was eventually annexed by Roman Churches and married clergy outlawed and all religious houses separating men and women.

These stories take place within that battle. In the many churches and kingdoms of Ireland, murders seem to be not that uncommon. Fidelma is assisted by Brother Eadulf, a Saxon who met her during a church doctrine meeting, later her husband. In his home country, Eadulf had been what could be termed a law officer, and he has the same detective senses that Fidelma possesses. While she is his superior in deduction, he often displays insight that helps to solve the crime.

Fidelma is a dàlaigh, or lawyer of the Irish court. She ranks one level below the top and can serve as both lawyer and judge if necessary. She is also a princess, sister to King Colgù of Cashel, and by the time of this book has forsaken the religious life. Nevertheless, she is consulted when a man in a religious robe is discovered dead in the unlit Samhain bonfire. Another person has been asked to check with Fidelma on the theft of a book from the forbidden library in the Vatican. And with Fidelma, two mysteries often become one…

I give the book five stars, for both the mystery and the historical information! Please do not stop writing, Mr. Tremayne!

Quoth the Raven…

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the eve of the feast of Samhain Brother Eadulf and the warrior Aidan discover a man murdered in the unlit pyre in the heart of Cashel. It is up to Fidelma to solve the murder plus find the "Lightbringer" who brings important news from Rome of a stolen book. Second book in a row I've read that was many books into a series of which I had read none so I spent the whole book wondering what time period this was- then found it on the book jacket and in the intro after I'd finished it. AD 671. The story of the stolen book was the best part for me as it was one of the missing Gospels and it said the Christ was "a" son of God, not "the" son of God- namely merely another prophet. This was the time when Rome was attempting to make everyone follow their beliefs and rules and rule over all Christendom - called the New Faith in Ireland. I found it annoying that the author seemed to be showing off his knowledge of medieval Ireland and Gaelic- it interrupted the flow of the conversations to have the people say a phrase or word in Gaelic and then translate it- not something one would do in normal conversation. And he also had to have characters explain things to each other in order for us to know it, another awkwardness. Otherwise I would have given it 4 stars as it kept my attention and as a librarian I loved the small bits about the books and libraries.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important document is stolen in Rome and the culprit is exposed as someone from that island of people who won’t submit to the authority of Rome (hint: it’s Ireland, the Five Kingdoms)
A body of a religious is found buried in the Samhain bonfire. He’s been killed by the ritual threefold death. Or is it a religious? He’s identified as a shepherd who had been spending a lot of money recently. Then a Druid comes cursing everyone in the Eóghanacht because they deserted the old religion. Guess who turns up dead next?
A stranger from Connaught shows up with an odd story about seeking revenge for his sister who was abused and killed by someone he doesn’t name.
Fidelma and Eadulf discover a religious community a few hours ride from Cashel that no one has ever heard about. It’s highly fortified and they seem to be hiding something.
Colgú is upset by the killings and the fact that Fidelma hasn’t figured out who did the killings. He overindulges at the feast which doesn’t impress Gelgéis, the neighbor princess (Fidelma thinks she would be a good match for her brother).
Another body who isn’t who they first think it is. Another trip to the mysterious religious community. Guess who gets captured?
Of course everything is resolved by the end and the book is returned to Rome. But we don’t know about Colgú’s romance. Perhaps that will be in the next book

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the Fidelma of Cashel books but as usual, I am stumped and therefore, somewhat irritated by the Irish words sprinkled aplenty throughout the book. I recognize there are websites that provide pronunciation guides but that still requires more work than I want to do. I think Mr Tremayne would do well to make a list of each word, be it place, clan, tribe, or personal name, in each novel and provide a pronunciation list at the beginning or end of each story. It would help a lot. The Latin is fine, I studied it at school, but the Irish is distracting and annoying. This is the main reason I only give the book 4 stars, that at the pedantic manner in which people speak - not a contraction to be found anywhere. Think how much shorter the books would be with a few contractions thrown in. The form of writing makes Fidelma seem pedantic and unfun, she never smiles, never shows any affection to poor Eadulf - in fact she treats him like a somewhat simple Dr Watson - and never hugs or shows affection to her child (boy? girl? who knows).

All that said, the plot is well constructed, the different strands hang together, and are more or less neat,y summed up by Fidelma, Girl Detective, at the end.

[ma_mots_et_images · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce tome se passe au moment de Samhain. Bien que catholique, l'Irlande est encore marquée par les festivités païennes d'antan et les superstitions. le passage dans les jours sombres s'accompagne d'une soirée bien arrosée autour d'un grand feu de joie. C'est au cours de la préparation du bûcher que le cadavre d'un berger est découvert. Il a subi ce que les rites celtiques appellent la "triple mort". S'ensuivent de nombreux rebondissements, qui mènent Fidelma et son époux Eadulf sur les traces des anciennes coutumes. Ils finissent par s'intéresser aux mystères qui entourent un monastère proche de Cashel...

Je suis toujours charmée par les talents de Peter Tremayne. Ses ouvrages nous entrainent dans une Irlande prise entre les traditions anciennes et la mise en place d'une religion catholique encore teintée de coutumes celtiques. Croyances, rites, pratiques juridiques, nous sont présentés avec facilité à travers des enquêtes plus ou moins rocambolesques.
Dans ce tome 28, Peter Tremayne dose très bien le suspens, en entremêlant plusieurs enquêtes qui convergent toutes vers un monastère au fonctionnement trouble, posé dans un paysage époustouflant.

[Shirley A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stodgy and pedantic

Having read all the Fidelma books I am not sure how much longer I will continue to do so. I already accept that the author is knowledgeable in area of this period of history and especially those aspects of the world pertinent to the story
Since I do accept this, the author seems to continually be trying to convince me of this by making every other sentence (exaggeration here) about definitions and historical recitation. The "story" suffers and might even be called a casualty. I feel as if I had been reading an elementary student's piece that was the result of the teacher having instructed to write a piece with x number of pages. If all the gobbledygook was removed and only story remained, this would be a slim volume indeed. Additionally, Fidelma is no longer a character I would want to know. In this book she comes across as obstreperous and arrogant. Not bad enough to cause me to stop reading and close the book, but fairly close to it.

[Argum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fidelma is bored, but when a ritual pagan murder is found in a ritual fire for the feast of Samhain she gets a little more than a simple puzzle. The man is dressed as a religious but quickly is recognized as a disreputable shepherd and appears to be killed in the three fold death of the Old Ways. The Chief Brehon is away dealing with some stolen silver shipments. Fidelma is also told to assist a mystery man from Rome should he appear and request it. To keep things interesting a strange woman is also claiming to be from the island of the dead and pronouncing curses on Fidelma's family and Cashel broadly. As usual Eadulf is helping and this time it is Aidan who is accompanying them. Some things I figured out early on, others less quickly, but this time I had all the bits together before her big reveal which I usually think is unfair with hidden clues she didn't describe when found.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5.

As usual, the story bogs down under the litany of names Peter Tremayne throws out one after another and also by the long-winded history lessons inserted into dialogue. In fact, even Fidelma, like the reader, grows impatient with the constant listing of names or places and the rehashed historical data.

The plot is also a tad redundant. Earlier books in the series did not seem to focus solely on the differences in interpretation of faith as have the last half-dozen or so. At least "Night of the Lightbringer" did not harp on the roles women should or should not play in society.

As always, Tremayne does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing as to who is involved in the plot and in what manner. At least one of the guilty was a surprise to me.

The pace finally picked up once Fidelma sought to enter into the abbey in a covert manner. From then on, the book was difficult to put down. If only the entire novel had been as exciting.

[Charlotte Pawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 28th mystery of Sister Fidelma. Fidelma is a dalaigh (lawyer)of the Irish courts in the 7th century and is married to Eadulf of saxmund’s ham. Fidelma brother is the king of Muman and she helps him as his legal adviser. This story starts at the time of Samhain (October)the end of the old Celtic year where the body of a religious is found in the celebration bonfire. This also coincides with the theft of a very dangerous book from the archives in Rome. Fidelma is a very strong central character at a time in Ireland’s history where there is great change in people’s faith and the local chieftains or bishops (sometimes one and the same) had great influence over people’s lives. I would recommend looking back over Fidelma’s previous books and follow her journey and look forward with anticipation to the next one.

[Ian Houston · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 28th in the long-running Sister Fidelma series. The plot is well conceived and well delivered with a nice twist at the end. However, I found all of the main characters lacking any real emotional depth - even Fidelma, who despite having to deal with her husband/sidekick and cope with her brother, king of Cashel, never appears to lose any control or poise. I also found the constant use of the Irish Gaelic terms for things, followed immediately in the text by the modern English translation, particularly wearing. What is wrong with a glossary or footnotes to capture such terminology (as is used in, for example, many of the editions of Kipling's Raj-based work), or just omit it altogether? That said, it did occupy a pleasant couple of hours and leave me guessing 'who dunnit?' like all good mysteries should.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dip in and out of Tremayne's series rather than being an avid follower - I find the historical detail fascinating (he is very good at creating period atmosphere), though the character of Fidelma remains an unappealing sour one, constantly disapproving of everybody and behaving in a highhanded fashion. It doesn't help that virtually every other character is presented as clueless in order to make Fidelma seem all the cleverer.
This plot turns on a stolen book and [minor spoiler] stolen shipments of silver (the latter a theme that keeps cropping up in this series). There are side plots involving heresy and druids, but more could have been made of these to step up the interest and move this away from being yet another tale of greed. The story was well told, but just a bit repetitive for anyone who has read more than two or three books in the series.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is # eight in a series. The main character, Sister Fidelma, is an interesting woman of the 7th century: a former religious and a current "daleigh," which is, I gather, a sort of District Attorney. The pseudonymous author is purported to be an expert on ancient Irish customs and I believe it because there is a tremendous amount of ink devoted to explaining those customs. Sorry to say, that takes away from the story. There is also a lot of stilted and repetitious dialogue. The story itself is nicely complex with some interesting twists to it. Supporting characters almost have some dimension to them. I just found it a bit of a tedious read. Others might find it more enjoyable for a vaiety of reasons.

[Anam Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but felt a little cheated.

There was a lot in the book that referred back to previous adventures that Fidelma and Edulf had in other books. That's not really a problem as I have been reading faithfully each book after it comes out. But I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Mr. Tremayne had run out of ideas.

Part way through the book I began to wonder if somehow this was to be the last Sister Fidelma novel as he recapped previous storylines. I was gratified to see that there is another one in the series with a publication date just 6 weeks away. But I sense that the end of the series is very near and that will be a sad day indeed.

[Bobbie N · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the eve of the ancient feast of Samhain, a man is discovered murdered in an unlit pyre, dressed in the robes of a religieux and killed by the ritualistic "three deaths." As Fidelma and Eadulf begin their investigation, a strange woman appears, dressed in a cloak made of raven feathers, and foretelling the ancient gods' return to avenge the new faith and the kingdom of Cashel. Add to that a book stolen from the secret papal archives in Rome, some stolen treasure, and Fidelma placing herself in mortal danger to solve the case, and you've got an adventurous mystery seeped in the history of the times.

[Christine Ku · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I was a bit distracted by the content touched on in this book- the aspect to do with Christianity (I do not have a religion myself). I mean that in a good way- it enlightens me about certain aspects of it in an academic sense.

As for the book itself as a historical mystery, I think I like it well enough as the others from this series for which I'm a long-time follower. One complaint, however, is that the final reveal of the 'Boss' borders on being anti-climatic. In particular, that mars the fact that I was eagerly awaiting the last chapter for the reveal of the culprit before the 'Boss'.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale of murder, theft, ancient Celtic custom and Christian heresy was most enjoyable until close to the end when I felt the "reveal" was being unduly delayed. The culprit was quite obvious and the story could have concluded more crisply.

However the series continues to be a joy to readers who revel in the linguistic, historical and religious accuracy which so solidly underpins the mystery/detection elements of the books.

I detected one misprint on page 233 of the hardcover where "Kione Greek" is given instead of "Koine Greek".

Highly recommended.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with a book stolen from the papal archives. The Roman church, which is in conflict with the Irish on a number of matters of ritual and doctrine, fears that it will be used to undermine their consolidation of power. In the course of investigating a bizarre murder, Fidelma finds out about the stolen book and that a friend in Rome has asked her to help recover it. The lightbringer can be literally a bringer of light or the devil in the guise of Lucifer. In this story, Fidelma stays close to home in Cashel and the 7th century setting and place are very well researched.

[Roslyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

7th century Ireland. Liked learning about the history Learned that there was conflict between those who believed Jesus was a man and those who believed he was born of God. Of course, the ones who won exiled the others. Hard to follow characters with names I couldn't pronounce. The character of Fidelma (whose name I could pronounce and remember) was interesting and powerful. She was a dalaigh (advocate of the law courts of 7th century Ireland) who had remarkable powers of induction and observation, memory and knowledge. Did women really hold such important positions then?

[Mary Warnement · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this out of order. My ready-stack by the front door got shifted one too many times. I don't think it matters much. Tremayne continues to please, and I am interested in the characters he's created as well as the historical facts he follows. He dedicates this volume, with lines from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, to his own "anam cara," which makes me think his own wife died recently. My sympathies.

I do wish he included a pronunciation key, but he is a scholar and knows there is no easy key. He wants me to make an effort to learn something.

[Chelsea R.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable book to read. I'd had my eye on this author's book at the library for some time and randomly picked this one out, only to discover it was book 28 in a series. Despite all that, it was very easy to follow and I picked up on all the important information very quickly.

When it comes to the characters, I really loved both Fidelma and Eadulf. Fidelma is exactly what I like in a female character, she has a brain that she isn't afraid to use, she's blunt, no nonsense and very good at her job, while still be kind and caring towards the people she comes across (so many detectives in stories think they're too clever to be bothered being nice to other people and it drives me mad). Eadulf is a "watson-type" character, but he's also got his own brains, which is nice to see, and he's very emotionally intelligent. He's also Fidelma's husband and they make a great crime-solving, child-raising pair.

The plot was also very good! The twists were nice and I didn't see them coming, also the killer/mastermind took me completely by surprise.

Overall, I would definitely recommend to history and mystery buffs, and I will be picking up other books in this series.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ireland AD 697: At the beginning of a Roman based Christian faith still tied to pagan rituals. Tremayne has an incredible knowledge of history from this era (I assume it's based on truth). The roles that women played- in the family, in a court of law, owning property, etc are fascinating. The rituals and roles of various members of this society are so interesting. To know where the country ended up in our time is maddening. This is well into a series but able to stand alone.

[patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fidelma and Eadulf with Aiden are given a new murder to solve. Eadulf is there when the body of a shepard is found in the Samhain bonfire. The wood pile is being built for the celerbration. The murder is as the trifold death is described. The investigation leads them to an abbey not far away. Peter Tremayne once more writes a great story in Night of the Light Bringer. This is filled with twists and turns. The heresies of the early church are briefly described.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fidelma is as intrepid as ever. This series has mystery, history, adventure, ethics, intrigue, magic, fascinating characters, really fine writing, plus legal and political considerations that in many ways were more equitable and progressive than those we have today. I shake my head and wonder at how we have regressed from seventh century Ireland to the present.
Thank you, PETER TREMAYNE for giving us Sister Fidelma of Cashel.

[Kathryn Burwash · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't read a Sister Fidelma mystery yet, you are missing something. This intelligent 7th century Irish lawyer has courage, wisdom, determination with a strong sense of justice. She appears with a strong cast of characters. The mystery is complex yet believeable. Human nature doesn't seem to have changed much over the centuries. It is fascinating to learn more about the culture of 7th century Ireland.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Fidelma (who is no longer a sister, gave up her religious affiliation a couple of books ago) is confronted with the murder of a poor shepherd who is dressed as a monk. He was found on the eve of Smahain (Holloween) and placed so that he would be found. A woman, dressed in black raven feathers is going around town casting curses. A book stolen in Rome may be linked to his murder. Fidelma must put the pieces together.

[Mab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I enjoyed this, because it's absolutely a type of character and a period of history that should create a fantastic setting for a mystery series, but it's just very leadenly written, and with very little grasp of characterisation. The constant restating of facts drove me mad, the exposition was clumsy, and the huge wealth of background knowledge was dumped on the reader rather than deftly handled.