Penance of the Damned
A Mystery of Ancient Ireland
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4.4 • 14 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Ireland, AD 671. King Colgú of Cashel is shocked to learn that his loyal Chief Bishop and advisor has been murdered in the old enemy fortress of the Uí Fidgente. When word reaches Cashel that the culprit will be executed under new law, a larger conflict looms.
Dispatched to investigate, Fidelma and her companion Eadulf discover that the man facing punishment is Gormán—commander of the King’s bodyguard. But Fidelma cannot believe Gormán would carry out such an act—and yet he was found locked in a chamber with the body, weapon in hand. The evidence is stacked against him.
If they are to exonerate Gormán and keep the peace between the kingdoms, Fidelma and Eadulf must find the true culprit. As the threat of war looms, the date of execution drawers ever closer...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Treymane's strong 27th whodunit set in seventh-century Ireland (after 2016's The Second Death) combines significant developments concerning the Irish legal system with a seemingly impossible crime. Law advocate Fidelma, whose brother is Colg , king of the region of Muman, is stunned to learn of the murder of an old friend, Abbot S gdae, "a pillar of the stability of the kingdom as well as the church." The evidence against the man accused of the crime, Gorm n, who's the commander of Colg 's guard, is overwhelming. After a cry was heard from the locked room where he and the abbot were conferring, the door was broken down. Inside, S gdae was lying dead on he floor from two stab wounds to the chest; next to the body was Gorm n, clutching a bloody knife. Gorm n's claim that he was knocked unconscious by the real murderer is discounted, and he faces imminent execution unless Fidelma can find evidence to exonerate him. The added question of what system of justice is to govern Gorm n's case elevates this above some other series entries.
