The Subtle Serpent

A Celtic Mystery

By: Peter Tremayne

Narrated by: Caroline Lennon

In the year 666 A.D., a headless female corpse is found in the drinking well of a remote abbey in southwest Ireland: clasped in one hand is a crucifix; tied to the other arm is a pagan death symbol. Sister Fidelma--sister to the king of Muman, a religieuse, and an advocate of the Brehon law courts--is sent to investigate. En route, she encounters a Gaulish merchant ship under full sail off the Irish coast--one whose crew and cargo have vanished without a trace.Faced with a tense local situation, Fidelma must discover first the identity of the body in the well and uncover who was responsible, then find out what happened to the missing crew of the adrift merchant ship, and, finally, determine how these bizarre events are connected. For these events are more than simply disturbing - the peace of the entire kingdom rests upon their solution.

©1996 Peter Tremayne (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Much improved over the last entry

Solid mystery, lots of moving parts, not difficult to suss out but still with surprises if you do.

I almost had this one!

I love a good mystery and Sister Fadelma never fails! the setting of the story is even more intriguing for me as I love to learn about history too

Superb

Peter Tremayne is a superb crafter of stories and this book is pure delight. Excellently read as well...couldn't put it down!

Most Excellent Irish Medieval Mystery

Set in Ireland in the year 666 AD (notice those numbers) there comes a clash between good and evil at a remote abbey. Sister Fidelma is summons to determine who murdered the headless victim pulled up from the well holding a crucifix in one hand and a pagan symbol in the other. While enroute to her destination, her ship encounters an abandoned, wayward ship, in which she finds the satchel of her good friend, Brother Aedolf. This merchant ship is uninhabited and their cargo is gone. The captain of Sister Fidelma’s ship is astonished and vows to help Fidelma find her friend, Aedolf and determine the fate of the ship’s crew and cargo. This story is set in a time and place that are very interesting, and the laws and ways of the abbey, as well as those of the changing political tides kept me listening. This series, which is similar to the Brother Cadfael series, is a top-notch historical mystery listening. The lingering influence of pagan practices and their incorporation into Christian practices has long been of interest to me, and this book answers some of my questions. Excellent story and conclusion.

Whispers are like the hiss of the serpent

The title of this Sister Fidelma mystery refers to gossip which is spread without truth or care for the effect it may have on an innocent person. Far from her home city of Kildare and the court of her brother, King Colgu, Fidelma investigates a tangle of evil intentions. She must have both patience and bravery to withstand the repeated attempts to distract and delay her from the truth. The kingdom's safety is at stake.

Great listening material

So glad to have found this series! Comparable to the Father Cadfael series. Excellent listening.

Enjoyable glimpse into medieval Celtic world

This series continues to shine in the presentation of historical detail in an age rarely covered by the fiction I've read to date. The narrator is particularly good and brings the characters and culture to life.

I continue to find Fidelma's character irritating, but not as much in this installment. I missed that we didn't have as much of Brother Eadulf as in prior books.

Early Mining Wars

Another excellent Fidelma mystery set against copper mines and forced labor in 6th century Ireland. Sometimes the Irish proper names are hard to heat and the follow in the story.

Fidelma investigates a murder and an empty ship

This is another excellent mystery in the Sister Fidelma series. I would give this book 3.5 stars, but round it down to 3. Like the other books in this series, there is a solid 4 stars for the well thought out plot and wonderful historical context, but only 3 stars for the rather wooden characters and brusque storytelling. So, let me cover the negative first. The characters tend to be caricatures of themselves. The wicked and twisted really are wicked and twisted. Fidelma, on the other hand, seems to be the author’s ideal superwoman, however, because the author tries to always make her appear perfect, she often comes across as an insecure, humorless know-it-all. I really like the foundation of the Fidelma character and a I think more of a human touch would make her much more relatable. The storytelling also seems a rather brusque, and I wonder if this stems from the author being a scholar who took to fiction writing. That’s what I don’t like, but there is so much to love about this book and series. The plot is very well thought out, and it rarely lags. Details are important and Tremayne drops important details throughout that are important clues. Tremayne also provides a rich and fascinating historical context to the story. All in all, I highly recommend both this book and the whole Fidelma series as well worth your time.

Wooden serpent

The plot was fine. I enjoy the history and descriptions. perhaps Fidelma even seems less of Cartoon... her introduction in each book seems like it's the same paragraph. But it is the lack of depth in the characters that I realize bothers me. "Spoiler alert " : The reunification of Fidelma and Aedolf seemed a great opportunity for something powerful to happen but it really doesn't.