Book reviews - "A Prayer for the Damned", "Dancing with Demons" by Peter Tremayne

Due to a little confusion as to the sequence of books, I started reading Dancing with Demons (No. 16) until I realized I had missed A Prayer for the Damned (No. 15), so I ended up reading them back to back but in the proper order.  As with all Sister Fidelma mysteries, Tremayne presents an investigation which appears to be an open-and-shut case, but everyone’s favorite ancient Irish dalaigh manages to unravel a complicated, impossibly complex mystery.  He does a great job of keeping up the suspense and keeping the reader guessing until Fidelma has completed her report to the council.

A Prayer for the Damned opens with a beautiful, young woman throwing herself off a cliff, heartbroken over the loss of a love.  The main crux of the story is a fanatical abbot, who is wreaking havoc over the five kingdoms to have his views on celibacy and separation of sexes recognized as the top law, is murdered in Cashel, on the eve of Fidelma and Eadulf’s wedding.  One of the kings is seen leaving the abbot’s room just before the body is discovered.  In a shrewd move, the king requests Fidelma represent him to the High Council.  This means postponing her wedding.  Of course, Fidelma cannot stand by and let a client be railroaded into a conviction, not with so many other people wanting to kill the abbot.

Dancing with Demons begins with the High King Sechnussach being murdered in his bed and the murderer is discovered immediately afterwards, and commits suicide before he can be captured.  The Chief Brehon cannot investigate the assassination because it presents a conflict of interest (he and the king are members of the same clan), so Fidelma is called in.  Again, it appears it was an easy case to complete, but not for Fidelma.  She uncovers so much political intrigue and religious conflict, the reader can get overwhelmed.

That being said, there are aspects of Tremayne’s writing that make reading a little tedious.  He’s an expert on ancient Irish cultures.  We get it.  He knows what he’s talking about.  But the data dumps get weary.  It is interesting to know there were six types of roads in Eireann, but some of us like mysteries and do not want a history lesson, especially since only one of them is pertinent to the story.  Unless there is a quiz at the end.  Hint: There isn’t.

Also monotonous, he introduces ancient terms, which is fine, but follows them up with similar phrases like “Eadulf recognized the term for…”  “Eadulf was unfamiliar with the term and asked what it meant…” Sometimes, Tremayne just tells the reader what it is. 

Despite these issues, I continue to read Fidelma’s mysteries.  I find the glimpse into ancient Ireland fascinating and the stories are always satisfying.

I give them both ☘☘☘☘ out of 5