On the eve of the first of May in the year 1509, people from all over the Burren, young and old, climbed the mountain. The young men carried bundles of hazel rods for the bonfire and heavy bags filled with strong Spanish wine. The girls wore flowers in their hair and carried baskets of food. Many carried fiddler, horns or pipes and all sang on the slow climb. When the moon rose to its midnight height they lit a great bonfire and danced and sang until the dawn. Then young and old went back down the mountain. One man did not come back down. His body lay exposed for one whole day and two nights and no one spoke of him or told what they had seen.

This story was a very compelling read for me. The historical setting in 16th-century Ireland was fascinating. It was especially enlightening to learn about the Brehon laws that governed this region before English-style law took over. The characterisations fully draw in the reader, leading to an absorbing tale of ancient beliefs, medieval customs, and a complicated murder mystery.

The main character, Mara, endears one to her strong feminist personality. Yet Mara is a balanced woman of her day, with an adroit ability to reconcile her place in judging crimes based on the constraints of men as head of the family and the grip of priests on the population. Lost 1 star due to the author writing in a departure from Mara's usual commonsense which put her in grave danger. This twist was quite out of character and unnecessary to ramp up the tension. ( )

Set in the Burren (a very specific area in County Clare, Ireland) in the 1500's, Mara O'Davoren is the local judge, the Brehon and also runs a small law school. English law has not yet penetrated this region. Yes, there were a few women judges, as there were sometimes poets and musicians in Gaelic Ireland. Brehon law was based in small communities where everyone knew everyone else and the idea was to accept that people do things they shouldn't, but to remove them from the community or cut off ears or put them to death or whatever solves nothing. Best for the person to publicly confess, then to be assigned (by the Brehon) a fine appropriate to his or her status in the community and clan. A recent graduate of her school is murdered on Bealtaine night, but it turns out there are maybe too many possible suspects. The novel is carefully researched, the characters are solid and some are delightful, the writing is excellent, the love of the landscape shines through. I've been and the Burren is a special place. I've even been to the ruins of a church that is mentioned there and Galway City etcetera. I loved it and learned a lot! Happily it is the first in a series, so lots to look forward to.**** ( )

This was a great book about the Burren region in Ireland and a look at Irish Medieval history in the 16th century. I actually bought this book a couple of years ago while traveling. I learned a great deal about Celtic law while reading this. The comparison between English law and Celtic law was amazing. The mystery was rather a simple one - but effective. Loved many of the characters and look forward to reading more books from this series. The author had published 25 children books before this was published. The children books taught Irish history to children. This one taught me more about the Irish. ( )

Interesting characters combined with an outstanding sense of time and setting make this an enjoyable and informative book to read. ( )