Peter Tremayne: The Spider's Web (USA 2000)

From the Publisher:
THE LITERARY SUCCESSOR TO ELLIS PETERS'S BROTHER CADFAEL." -- Southern Star (Ireland)
"AN ENGAGING CELTIC MYSTERY." -- Harriet Klausner
In the spring of A.D. 666, murder cast a shadow on the peaceful town of Araglin. The village chieftain was found dead, his assumed killer, a local deaf-mute, standing over him, holding a bloody knife.

Advocate of the Brehon courts, Sister Fidelma is summoned to investigate. Locals are sure of the man's guilt, but when Fidelma and her friend Brother Eadulf are almost burned out of a nearby hostel, the two suspect a more tangled tale. What lies ahead in this seemingly tranquil place is a web full of secrets the whole village wants to keep hidden. And now Sister Fidelma must race to uncover the truth before she becomes the next victim...

"TREMAYNE HAS CREATED A HEROINE WHOM MANY READERS WILL WILLINGLY FOLLOW." -- Kirkus Reviews
"A TREAT FOR HISTORY BUFFS WHO DEVOURED THOMAS CAHILL'S HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION." -- Booklist

Peter Tremayne: The Spider's Web. A Mystery of Ancient Ireland. Signet, ISBN: 0451195590 (October, 2000), 299 p., $5.99.

Peter Tremayne: The Spider's Web (UK 1997)

From the Publisher:
Eber is not a man to make enemies. He is a chieftain with a reputation for kindliness and generosity. Yet, one night, his household is aroused by a scream from his chamber. The servants burst in to find Móen, a young man to whom Eber had extended his protection, crouched over the bloody body of the chieftain. Móen's clothes are drenched in Eber's blood and he is clutching a bloodstained knife in his hand.

There seems no doubt of culpability, but why did Móen kill the gentle and courteous Eber? The problem is made more difficult by the fact that Móen himself cannot tell them - for he is deaf, dumb and blind...

The case proves to be anything but simple. That is when Sister Fidelma, advocate of the ancient Irish law courts, begins her investigation of the killing in order to present an argument on Móen's behalf before he is condemned. Assisted by the faithful Brother Eadulf, and confronting many enigmatic, intriguing characters, Fidelma finds herself tackling her most difficult case yet. Her path to the truth twists and turns with the sinister forces of primitive passions and subtle ambitions - and leads inexorably to a final, stunning denouement.

Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of a well-known authority on the ancient Celts, who utilises his knowledge of the Brehon law system and 7th-Century Irish society to create a new concept in detective fiction.

Sister Fidelma was first featured in short stories and this is now her fourth appearance in novel form. Peter Tremayne's previous Sister Fidelma Mysteries, ABSOLUTION BY MURDER, SHROUD FOR THE ARCHBISHOP, SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN and THE SUBTLE SERPENT, are also available from Headline and have received the following praise:

'The Sister Fidelma stories take us into a world that only an author steeped in Celtic history could recreate so vividly - and one which no other crime novelist has explored before. Make way for a unique lady detective going where no one has gone before' -- Peter Haining
'Definitely an Ellis Peters competitor... the background detail is marvellous' -- Evening Standard
'I believe I have a tendresse for Sister Fidelma. Ingeniously plotted... subtly paced... written with conviction, a feel for the time, and a chill air of period authenticity. A series to cultivate' -- Jack Adrian
'A triumph! Tremayne uses many real characters and events as background... bringing the ancient world to life... The novels are admirable' -- Mystery Scene
'A fast-moving whodunnit thriller... Unputdownable' -- Irish Democrat
'Sister Fidelma... promises to be one of the most intriguing new characters in 1990s detective fiction' -- Book & Magazine Collector

Peter Tremayne: The Spider's Web. A Sister Fidelma Mystery. Headline, ISBN: 0747216525 (April, 1997), 227 p., £16.99.