Fatal Inheritance, A

In 16th century Ireland a woman’s body has been found bound to an ancient stone statue overlooking the wild Irish coast. The victim was not well liked and was known to make fun of her husband while having an affair with the local priest. Villagers believe that the woman was struck down by the god, but Mara, the judge and investigator of the Irish kingdom of Burren is sure that the killer is someone mortal and sets out to find them before they can strike again. This is a long running series, and readers would probably be wise to have at least some background on the characters and setting to best enjoy this imaginative and unusual series

"In life, Clodagh O Lochlainn had been a disgrace to her clan, tormenting her former priestly lover, jeering at her husband, robbing her relatives.. Abandoning preparations for the celebration of her fiftieth birthday, Mara, Brehon of the Burren, takes up the task of solving the murder"

Satisfyingly complicated,with a poignancy that was arresting, a very fine tale by a talented author. Mara is a favorite character and this period in time is pivotal for many reasons.

English law was at odds with but parallel with Brehon law, in this place especially. Mara herself weighs the two constantly to see which is fairer or more humane. So very telling that in this case Mara is thinking about Thomas More's book Utopia, for more than one reason.

Education of all eventually plays a place in the dispensing of the verdicts fines. The reader can clearly see why Mara is thinking about which children should be educated and how as she watches Fachtnan with his daughter Orla.

The story ends with Mara thinking that this Utopian educational facility would be a memorial to Turlough Donn O'Brien someday.

To weave a satisfactory mystery in with the history of the O'Davoren clan of law scholars and the O'Briens of Thomand,Corcomroe and the Burren is masterful indeed. I recommend you start at the beginning of this fine series.Cora Harrison's historical detail and her perspective on the period never fails and the characters are vivid and memorable

The pre-order link is up for this one so put it on your Christmas Wish list.

Cora Harrison introduces readers to the free-thinking, free-wheeling Ireland of the 15th century, a time of joy and no melancholy, through her Brehon of the Burren series. She provides enough details to fill in new readers to the series and fleshes out the arc for those who like to read books in order..

The body of Clodagh O'Lochlainn is found in the early afternoon tied to the stone god Far Breige with a noose around her neck and the key to her recently attained cottage dangling from her hand. Why is it that no person will admit to seeing this crime committed even though the stone is visible from a fair number of houses? Mara, the Brehon (judge) of the kingdom of Burren investigates the crime along with the students attending her law school. In Ireland in the 16th century the Brehon held the power to investigate and then to assign the required fine to the person found guilty of any crime. But Irish law did not demand imprisonment or death of a person deemed guilty of any crime, even murder.

I absolutely love reading novels in this series because of the historical information covering the legal system of Ireland before the country came under the rule of the English. Children from about eight years of age were placed with a Brehon where they learned all aspects of the Irish legal system and investigated crimes, large or small, under the watchful eye of the judge of the kingdom they represented. In this series Mara is the wife of the king of this specific kingdom but they live apart almost all the time. He is a warrior king, she is a judge and teaches law students. As you read through these novels you learn all kinds of interesting facts about how advanced Irish law was and how well the system worked. You also get to watch her students mature in age and their understanding of the legal system and how to investigate crimes. One of her students is her son, another is her grandson. One is going to make an outstanding lawyer someday, the other still can move in many directions. Mara has full authority to go to any place within her specific kingdom territory and ask any of the citizens to answer the questions she requires to decide guilt or innocence.

In some ways this system of justice feels almost naïve when I think about it from the standpoint of modern times. However, author Cora Harrison does an outstanding job of placing the reader very firmly in the time period of the rule of the English king, Henry VIII. You can certainly begin reading this series with this novel, there isn't any reason you won't enjoy the novel if you pick up the story here. I have to say, though, that I'm glad to have had the opportunity to watch Mara mature (she's going to be celebrating her 50th birthday) and her students grow more adept in their learning and understanding. The characters are deeply developed and the descriptions of the Irish landscape are simply marvelous.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

All reviews appear on Amazon, Goodreads plus Gr Facebook, LibraryThing plus LT Twitter, eyes.2c review blog

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Inheritance-historical-mystery-century-ebook/dp/B01ATM8S9I/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1456846427&sr=1-2&keywords=fatal+inheritance (Mar 1, 2016)

LibaryThing plus LibraryThing Twitter http://www.librarything.com/work/17373355/book/127548110 (Mar 1, 2016)

Goodreads plus Gr FB https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1554882470 (Mar 1, 2016)

eyes.2c reviews blog http://eyes2creviews.blogspot.ca/2016/03/engrossing-irish-middle-ages-mystery.html (Mar 1, 2016)

engrossing Irish Middle Ages mystery!

The building of tension coupled with the eeriness of the murder itself, the inclusion of the haunts of the old gods, all held my attention completely. The centre piece is the stone God, the Far Breige, to which the murder victim was Bound in a macabre lovers knot, the scene all hidden by the secretive mists, until the clarity of the sun cuts through, exposing all.
As Mara, Brehon of the Burren, goes persistently and quietly about her business as the Brehon we are also treated to her canny observations about the people around her, her scholars and those she must interview to get to the truth.
And that truth is in danger of being lost amongst the community's legends and beliefs in relation to the old gods.
Mara is indeed a woman to be admired. Her mind is swift. She is reflective and powerful in her understandings, yet always lovingly heeding the situations of the people involved. Her teaching of her students is outstanding. She sees to their hearts and leads them into the art of asking the right questions and viewing each step of the investigation from a multifaceted perspective. She encourages their opinions and listens to their input.
Another engrossing novel set in the late Middle Ages in Ireland, reflecting a rich heritage of law and Justice attuned to the peoples of the land, a sophisticated and often compassionate system to be admired, more communal than adversarial.

A NetGalley ARC