Even though I was very interested in starting the series, Absolution by Muder turned out to be a challenge. I'm very interested in History, but the reading through the Synod & it's debates was slow going.It's also a challenge to deal with the odd Saxon names and titles for the first time.
But the intrigue kept me reading despite the difficulties. ( )

A very enjoyable series. I like the setting, characters, and stories and especially enjoy the discussions between the sister and the monk that contrast their traditions and cultures, and highlight elements of church history. ( )

First in the Sister Fidelma series, set in 7th century Ireland and environs.

As has been typical of the Christian Church practically from its beginnings, the differences between sects of the young religion were bitter and especially after Constantine made the Christian church the official religion of his empire, often were disputed by violence. It is no different in 664 C.E.; at stake, naturally, is power as well as belief. The northern part of what we now know as England was evangelized by the Celtic Church, while the southern chiefdoms and kingdoms were converted to the Roman liturgy and authority. Sister Fidelma is attending an important synod in northern England—simply Northumbria at that time, since England was not yet unified—between the two factions.

Violence appears early, when Sister Fidelma and her companions, on the way to the synod, come across a hanged monk of their belief system who was executed by the local chief for his Celtic Church membership. Later, as the synod is about to open, the Abbess Etain, a friend of Fidelma’s and Abbess of her monastery at Kildare, is brutally murdered. Because suspicions rise immediately on both sides, both Sister Fidelma, a young woman who has already made a reputation as an advocate in the Irish courts, and Brother Eadulf, a Saxon who is a follower of Rome, are charged by the king to determine the murderer.

This series is touted as either a successor to or companion of Ellis Peters’ Brother Caedfel series. In my opinion, Tremayne’s writing is not the equal of Peters’. The plotting is good, the writing works but is stiff, stilted. It’s too bad, because the conflict between the fledgling Christian sects is an interesting one, and in that regard, Tremayne does a good job of presenting just exactly what the fight was about.

Another problem I had with the book is the overabundance of Celtic and Saxon names in the beginning. There is a principal character list at the front of the book (as well as a good map of Ireland and the one-day Great Britain), but Tremayne really loads it on in the first chapter. While understandable from the plot point of view, it is too bad he couldn’t have come up with another way to introduce names that, to anyone except a Saxon specialist, because they were confusing. If someone like me, who is fanatical about absorbing such information when presented, gives up and just moves on, then you know there’s a problem. In the end, it was just as well to move on. I think that whole first section could have been written better.

There is an excellent forward which explains the Irish system of rule and laws, which is a must read for the book itself.

This is the first book in the series and I am hesitant to pass judgment too quickly on the series as a whole. Hopefully later installments will improve, because the premise on which the stories are based is excellent. ( )

I picked up Absolution by Murder in a used bookstore, thinking it would be a good airplane read. I soon found out that my level of ignorance pertaining to medieval Ireland was only going to make this mystery an irksome chore on an airplane!

Setting it aside to give it the time it deserves was a much better idea! Although initially slow and somewhat bogged down in the finer historical detail, I was soon swept into Sister Fidelma's world where nuns are NOT silent, men of the cloth are not always good, and politics are NEVER petty.

The characters are vivid, but Tremayne never gives away too much so that the "villians" aren't who they appear to be. He tempts the romantic with the introduction of Brother Eadulf but never succumbs to cheap romance or idle folly. The mysterious cultivation of friendship between Fidelma and Eadulf gives the most personal view of the protagonist(s).

The multiple murders keep you guessing to the end. The story picks up speed in the last half and is indeed VERY HARD TO PUT DOWN! ( )

I thought that this would be a fascinating look at the Celtic Christian church. Tremayne explains something about Irish culture in the introduction, which was quite interesting. Unfortunately, it seemed like he repeated his thoughts on every third page. Further, the two investigators (in the beginning at least) spent their time in pointless bickering, in lieu of a plot. I gave up not very far into the investigation. ( )