Verdict of the Court

May 19, 2014
Set in late December 1519, Harrison’s subpar 11th Burren mystery (after 2013’s The Cross of Vengeance) takes Mara, the brehon (examining magistrate) of the region of Ireland known as the Burren, to Bunratty Castle, which falls within the jurisdiction of her unpopular colleague, Brehon Tómas MacClancy. Mara is looking forward to a week of relaxing during the Christmas season, but she soon has a murder to solve—that of MacClancy, stabbed during a banquet. The knife wound is so shallow that even the local king, Turlough Donn O’Brien, Mara’s husband, wonders how it could have been lethal. Whodunit fans will easily guess the explanation. In addition, battle scenes dominate the book’s last section and threaten to overwhelm the crime solving. Given the author’s strong track record, readers can reasonably hope that she will return to form in the next installment. Agent: Peter Buckman, Ampersand Agency (U.K.).