THE STING OF JUSTICE

TITLE: THE STING OF JUSTICE
AUTHOR: CORA HARRISON

Pages: 356

Date: 11/02/2010

Grade: 4.5

Details: no. 3 Burren Mystery

Library

It is 1509 and Mara, Brehon (Judge) of the Burren, is attending the funeral of a priest. Outside the church the body of a man is found who died as a result of bee stings. The dead man was a silver-smith and owner of the local silver mine. He was also very rich and very unpopular. 

Mara is convinced she dealing with an "unlawful and and secret murder" and starts an investigation.

Finding out who killed the man won't be easy though,since there is no shortage of people with reasons to want the man dead. His (former) wife, his son, a disgruntled neighbour, to name but a few all have grievances against him. There is also the question as to who should inherit the man's wealth. And to complicate matters even further, there is a connection between King Turlough Donn O'Brien, who Mara is engaged to, and the dead man.

I love these books. Ireland, a short time before the English took complete control is a fascinating place, with interesting customs and laws and a way of looking at life that really appeals to me.

Mara is a wonderful character, a clever investigator and a compassionate but just judge.

I really hope there will be a lot more books in this series.