Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Absolution by Murder (Sister Fidelma, Bk 1)

Absolution by Murder (Sister Fidelma, Bk 1)
cameron55 avatar reviewed on + 36 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


This is the first of the Sister Fidelma series which was actually not only my introduction to this series but also my first introduction to this author. This series is set in Ireland around 600 to 700 years after the death of Christ, although Sister Fidelma is a Christian, there are major divisions between the Catholic church in Rome and the church in Ireland, for one thing the church in Ireland is very friendly towards women, woman are not only educated but they can rise quite high in the church. Sister Fidelma is a legally trained scholar and is probably the time's equivalent of a lawyer. An ecclesiastical conclave to settle major divisions between the Roman and Celtic branch of Christianity is held at Whitby in 664. When a major proponent of the Celtic way, the Abbess of Kildare, is murdered, Sister Fidelma, a fellow Celtic follower and legally trained scholar, is asked to investigate. She is paired with her ideological opposite, Brother Eadulf, on the Roman side, who is shrewd, highly educated and immediately smitten with the outspoken sister. Also while solving this puzzle Brother Eadulf is very attracted to Sister Fidelma, now while there were church officials who practiced celibacy, this was actually before that time and priests could marry etc. This was a wonderful book, it's nice to find someone like Sister Fidelma, she is highly intelligent. This book is a great read and I plan on reading some more of this series.