The Burren mysteries
Cora
Harrison's My Lady Judge, the first Burren mystery
Published by Pan Macmillan
May 2007
Introducing a wonderful new heroine, judge and investigator Mara,
and an enchanting Tudor mystery series
 The
Burren on the western seaboard of Ireland was then, in the year of
1509, as it is now, a land of stony fields and swirling mountain
terraces. The people of the kingdom lived peacefully by the
ancient Brehon laws of their forebears.
On the first eve of May hundreds of people from the Burren climbed
the gouged-out limestone terraces of Mullaghmore Mountain to
celebrate the great May Day festival, lighting a bonfire and
singing and dancing through the night, then returning through the
grey dawn to the safety of their homes.
But one man did not come back down the steeply spiralled path.
His body lay exposed to the ravens and wolves on the bare,
lonely mountain for two nights . . . and no one spoke of him, or
told what they had seen.
And when Mara, a woman appointed by King Turlough Don O’Brien
to be judge and lawgiver to the stony kingdom, came to
investigate, she was met with a wall of silence.
"I read and much
enjoyed My Lady Judge.
As the first of the Burren mysteries, it sets the
scene with competence and skill. Cora Harrison is the most
companionable and sensitive of teachers and, without being aware
of it, I learned a great deal about Brehon law and the society
within which it operated. A legal system based on compensation for
the victim rather than punishment for the offender seems to have a
great deal going for it.
The character of Mara, the Brehon judge, is
beautifully drawn. She is a generous-hearted, wise and humane
woman, aware of her shortcomings and with the genuine desire to
overcome them. She will make so many friends, all of whom will
look forward to each new mystery with keen anticipation.
I wish Cora Harrison success with the series."
-- Alys Clare, author
of the Hawkenlye Mysteries
Cora Harrison's United States
publisher, St Martin's Press, New York, writes:
More fantastic news for Cora Harrison's stunning debut
novel MY LADY JUDGE, which
we are publishing in October 2007:
"In MY LADY JUDGE Cora Harrison has given us a
lovely, balanced blend of historical detail and good story
telling. This book is appealing in every way: a likeable
protagonist, a clever mystery, and a richly textured rendering of
sixteenth-century Ireland with its fascinating legal system. "
--Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of
The Mercy Seller and The Illuminator
Previous Praise:
"An excellent historical novel with a most
original leading character Cora Harrison has wonderfully recreated
the Celtic culture of Ireland in its mysterious twilight at the
end of the Middle Ages. A true Celtic feast with a most
sympathetic and believable leading character, Mara, a judge, who
enters the mysterious world of her country to bring a just
solution to a compelling mystery."
-- P. C. Doherty, author of
The Assassin of Isis
"Sister Fidelma would be delighted with her
sleuthing `descendant’ - a new female Brehon named Mara.
Mara solves her cases under the ancient Irish laws in 16th Century
Munster, nine centuries after Fidelma held legal sway there. Well
researched and written."
– Peter Tremayne author of The
Sister Fidelma Mysteries
Book details and more information
£16.99 Hardback
Publisher:
Macmillan
Order 'My Lady Judge' from Pan Macmillan
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Publication Date: 04/05/2007
320 Pages
See
larger image of cover
Read The Prologue and chapter one...
Cora Harrison writes...
Picture album of the Burren
ISBN: 978-1-4050-91909
Dimensions: 153mm x 234mm
Language: English
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