Hemlock at Vespers

March 15, 2000
Capitalizing on the popularity of his Sister Fidelma novels, Tremayne offers the complete set of Sister Fidelma short stories. These 15 tales feature inimitable and unshakable sleuth Sister Fidelma, a seventh-century Irish nun who also doubles as a distinguished advocate of the law courts of Ireland. Like he does in the book-length mysteries the author uses these short stories to illustrate the unique, often coequal, role played by women in Ireland during this surprisingly enlightened era. The arrangement of the stories is strictly chronological, enabling devoted readers to fill in the voids between the novels. In each story Fidelma displays her usual knack for uncovering timeless, all too human motives as she solves crimes under the ancient Brehon law system in Ireland. A treasure trove of small gems for historical mystery fans. ((Reviewed March 15, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)