THE SHAPESHIFTER'S LAIR

An accomplished advocate of the law courts continues her detective adventures in seventh-century Ireland.

Fidelma, her husband, Eadulf, and the warrior Enda leave Muman to find Princess Gelgéis, her brother King Colgu’s betrothed. It’s a dangerous undertaking, for they must cross into hostile Laigin territory. Gelgéis and her steward vanished on a trip to seek advice from her cousin, the Abbot of the Abbey of the Blessed Cáemgen. Cétach, a peddler, arrived at the abbey with the body of Brehon Brocc, who was traveling with Gelgéis but was found, his throat cut, on a mountain trail. The only clues the body provides, aside from the fact that the killer was almost certainly left-handed, are an arrow and a small pebble found on his corpse. On a trip to a nearby village, the sleuths find Cétach in his hovel with his throat cut. Intending to report the death to the local Brehon, Fidelma finds him absent and his assistant, her law school classmate Beccnat, surprisingly hostile. The three set off with a local guide to The Cuala, where Dicuil Dóna, an uncle to the Laigin ruler, controls valuable mining interests in the mountains. Captured by Dicuil Dóna’s warriors, Fidelma agrees to investigate who’s stealing gold and silver from his mines and for what purpose. After many false trails, she finds enough proof to stage a trial where all is dramatically revealed.

One of the best cases for the complex, enchanting Fidelma, whose adventures, rich in historical detail, rarely disappoint.