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The Sting of Justice
Burren Mystery #3

by Cora Harrison

     

It’s harvest time on the Burren, and the people are enjoying a beautiful, sunny October. The only sad thing to mar this rural idyll appears to be the funeral of the much-loved Father David, but after the service a corpse is found lying on the church steps. It is unpopular Sorley Skerrett, wealthy silver mine owner, moneylender and merchant, and he has been stung to death by bees. The skeps belonging to the local beekeeper were nearby, and Sorley was allergic to their stings.  Somebody knew this and stirred up the bees—but there are so many people who hated the dead man that Brehon Mara will need all her legal skills to discover the murderer.

How I do enjoy a whodunit with a proper mystery to unravel, complete with hordes of suspects, dark secrets to uncover and a fishmongers' full of red herrings. As for the historical side I confess to ignorance about life in early 16th century Ireland, and the only knowledge I have of their laws mainly comes from the Peter Tremayne’s books and the first two novels in this series.  Reading these books is like stepping into a warm bath, and fans of cozy crime novels will love such a relaxing, gentle story replete with plot and (mainly) loveable characters. At times it all seems a bit too idyllic, especially considering what we know about life in England at that time but I don’t really know enough to comment. If you don’t either then settle back and enjoy a jolly good story because whatever else you can say about this book, it certainly contains one of those.  Agatha Christie in 16th century Ireland is a good description.

Reviews of other titles in this series

My Lady Judge #1
Michaelmas Tribute #2
The Sting of Justice #9
Verdict of the Court #11
Condemned to Death #12
A Fatal Inheritance
#13

The Book

Macmillan UK
22 May 2009
Hardback
1405092270 / 9781405092272
Historical Mystery / 1509 Burren, Ireland
More at Amazon UK

The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2009
© 2009 MyShelf.com