Reviews for Absolution by murder

The average rating for Absolution by murder based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-07-27 00:00:00 Neil Newton "No wild beasts are so cruel as the Christians in their dealings with each other." -Ammianus Marcellinus, c. AD 330 - 95 The mid 7th century was a time of many conflicts, both religious and political. Although Europe was becoming more universally Christian, there were conflicts between Rome and other factions. In this novel, the leaders of the Celtic Church of Ireland and the leaders of the Church of Rome meet in the land of the Saxons for a synod to clear up some points of contention. On the opening day of the synod, an Abbess on the Columbra side (Iona, Ireland, and other Celtic nations) is murdered. She was well known for her oratory skills and the synod was nearly derailed at this point as rumours began to break out that it was a power play by the Rome delegation, or the attempt to make it look like one by the Columbra delegation. Oswy, the King could see not just the disintegration of the synod, but also the possibility of this being used as a political power play to destroy his hard-earned kingdom. Abbess Hilda and King Oswy requested Sister Fidelma's assistance to discover the murderer. The King also imposed the condition that Sister Fidelma work together with Brother Eadulf of the Saxons. So, why would Sister Fidelma be asked by such high ranking people to sort this mess out? Some background information might help here. During this time, and for a few centuries prior and later, under Brehon Law, women had more rights and protection than any other western law code at that time or since. Although this time is referred to as the "Dark Ages" for Europe, in Ireland it was a period of "Golden Enlightenment." Schools and universities thrived as Ireland was the center of knowledge and students from all over Europe, including royalty and through to the highest ranks of other scholars went there to become educated. Students included both sexes and women accelerated as quickly through the levels of educational hierarchies as did men with the same abilities and intelligence. Sister Fidelma was one of these and she achieved the level of anruth, which is just one degree from the top level of ollamh, or professor. This qualified her to investigate all situations of law and to advise the highest levels of politics and religion on all matters of law - as an equal. As Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf continue to investigate the murder the synod limps along - loudly and with passionate outbursts on both sides. There follows another murder, and soon the pressure is mounting to resolve these before a permanent break-down occurs in the synod and/or a civil war takes place. This is a fascinating book about a time in history that is equally fascinating. As the opening quote suggests, we must remember that these were known as the "Dark Ages" for a reason. Many Angles, Saxons, and other factions of people at the time were completely ignorant. Many could not read or write and many never learned to reason. They were ruled by and through fear. Make the punishments severe and grotesque enough, and surely people will stay on the path laid out for them. Of course, if that reasoning really worked, there would not have been the many bodies killed and strewn about for other people to 'witness'. Although some of that does occur in this book, there are also people who care enough about the barbarity to recognize that changes need to be made, and are willing to dedicate their lives to effecting those changes. In other words, although there are times in this book that are not pretty, there is hope. I have read several books in this series but I also missed several as the Library didn't have access to many of the earlier ones, and many times I would also have to read them out of order. I am looking forward to proceeding through the 'gaps' and reading as many more of this series as I can in the coming year.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-21 00:00:00 Natanel Philosophe What to label Absolution by Murder? Celtic propaganda? A hit piece on ancient Angle, Saxon and Roman cultures? A theological and philosophical debate? A sexless romance novel? A murder mystery? Actually, it's a bit of everything rolled into a 272-page book. There's much to love and loathe in this first installment of the Sister Fidelma series of historical mysteries. I took away plenty from the book. First and foremost, I learned that Tremayne, as a scholar of all things Irish, loves ancient Irish culture and Celtic Christianity, and finds Angles, Saxons, and Roman theology lacking. While the Irish bathe regularly, the bath-averse Saxons must cover their gag-inducing body odor with overwhelming clouds of incense. While the enlightened Celts practice restorative forms of justice, the barbaric Saxons prefer stoning, hanging, flogging, and other forms of torture. While the well-balanced Celtic faith allows their religious to marry, the prudish Romans force the unnatural condition of celibacy on their monastics. While the evolved Celts allow women to take on positions of leadership in the political and religious realms, the patriarchal Saxons seem to relish finding as many ways as possible to belittle women. Tremayne bludgeons readers' brains continuously with his learned brand of cultural elitism. While I may agree with most of his preferences for how the world should work, I found his proselytizing tone extremely annoying at times. Then there's Tremayne's incessant info dumping. It's one thing to provide useful information on characters and historical context, but quite another to assault readers with every minor detail, including challenging place names with little to no relevance for the story's outcome. On a more positive note, Absolution by Murder reminds me that, more often than not, debates over church dogma and doctrine come down to power grabs. Sure, many Mothers and Fathers of the church have argued sincerely on points of great importance and pastoral relevance. But debates over scriptural inerrancy, a proper tonsure, papal infallibility, limiting salvation to certain folks, the dating of Easter, whether or not birth control may be used, original sin, how to position your fingers for a blessing, restricting participation in the Eucharist, etc.? A desire to secure power and control over others plays a big part in the proceedings. Though I enjoyed much about Tremayne's handling of these theological and philosophical debates, I found myself wanting a deeper discussion. Is Tremayne so blinded by his love of Celtic Christianity that he can't acknowledge the pain experienced as Christianity encountered the traditional Druidic/pagan systems of ancient Ireland? Is there any beauty and good to be found in Roman Christianity? Must criminality and guilt be made so obvious with unfortunate scars and ugly or awkward appearance? Much of my struggle has to do with the black-and-white treatment of good and evil. I wanted more nuance. In looking at what I've written above, I'm somewhat surprised that I gave Absolution by Murder three stars. It seems one or two stars might be in order. What can I say, I love Sister Fidelma, and appreciate Tremayne's creating such a strong heroine. There's a genuine sweetness in the blossoming romance between Fidelma and Eadulf. And as a theologian, I find the period of church history chosen by Tremayne more than a little fascinating. And though I give Tremayne a hard time about his fanboy treatment of Celtic Christianity, I love the tradition as well. Absolution by Murder left me wanting to know more about the characters, relationships, and what life would have been like for the religious of that time and place. I will continue with the Sister Fidelma series while hoping for a more nuanced and less infodumpy treatment of the subject.