Once again, Tremayne (The Chalice of Blood, 2011, etc.) presents a detailed, readable depiction of life in ancient times...
In a flashback to the days before she married, Sister Fidelma of Cashel has a wild adventure in A.D. 664 Italy.
Sister Fidelma is returning from Rome, where she solved a murder for the Pope. While stranded in Genua, she saves Magister Abo of Bobium from an attack and learns that her old teacher Brother Ruadán is at the Abbey of Bobium. Determined to visit Ruadán before he dies, Fidelma rides with Abo and his companions, Brother Faro and Sister Gisa, toward Bobium. On the way, they are again attacked and rescued by Wulfoald, commander of troops for Radoald, Lord of Trebbia. Fidelma barely arrives in time to speak with her mentor, who’s been badly beaten and left for dead, apparently by a faction that opposes the teachings of Abbot Servillius of Bobium. Several local lords who have religious differences are struggling for power, and Fidelma is soon caught in the middle. Since she doesn’t speak the local language, she seeks help from Brother Eolann, the librarian, who’s also from Ireland. A hidden treasure may hold the answers to many of her questions, but they won’t be disclosed until Brother Ruadan has been attacked again, this time fatally, and Fidelma herself kidnapped while trying to solve the murder of a young goatherd.
Once again, Tremayne (The Chalice of Blood, 2011, etc.) presents a detailed, readable depiction of life in ancient times with a clever mystery neatly woven into the plot.Pub Date: July 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-312-65863-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
This ran in the S.E.P. and resulted in more demands for the story in book form than ever recorded. Well, here it is and it is a honey. Imagine ten people, not knowing each other, not knowing why they were invited on a certain island house-party, not knowing their hosts. Then imagine them dead, one by one, until none remained alive, nor any clue to the murderer. Grand suspense, a unique trick, expertly handled.
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 1939
ISBN: 0062073478
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1939
SEEN & HEARD
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