Redheaded Reviews: Smoke in the Wind by Peter Tremayne

For those who haven't read any of the Sister Fidelma mysteries, she is a religieuse and former member of the community of St. Brigid of Kildare and a qualified dalaigh, or advocate of the ancient court laws, her life and times are explained in detail before you read any of the books. These books take place in 666 AD Ireland at a time when there were five kingdoms. The Four provincial kings of Ulaidh, Connacht, Muman, and of Laigin all of which gave their allegiance to the High King of the fifth province, which is ruled from Tara, and which is an honorary title that rotates among the various kingdoms when each High King dies. Among the provincial kingdoms, there were also smaller clan territories.

The Brehon Laws rule the land. It is quite a system. Women are able to hold any position they wish, including political positions, warriors, doctors, magistrates, lawyers, and judges. They could divorce their husbands and receive part of the property and could inherit property. They were protected from rape and sexual harassment. This land was the most feminist era until today.

Fidelma was born at Cashel, capital of the kingdom of Muman. Her brother is their king. At the age of fourteen, the Age of Choice, she chose to study the law and became one of the highest ranking members of the courts, a dalaigh. The schools of Ireland were quite famous and people from all over Europe attended since the rest of it was going through the Dark Ages. A serious debate is going on between those who believe in being "Irish Christians" and Roman Christians. Irish Christian priests could marry, be women (there was even a female bishop), and the monasteries and nunneries could be co-habituated with the religious marrying and raising their children in these places. Roman Christians were now leaning toward making priests remain celibate, though that wouldn't be made a rule until around the 11th century. In the 9th century, Ireland will convert to the Roman way of doing things, but they keep the Brehon Laws until the 17th century when the British outlaw them.

Having set the stage, Sister Fidelma and her good friend, Eadulf, whom she has just admitted feelings for in a previous book is heading toward Canterbury, his home base for he works for the Archbishop of Canterbury. Their boat crashes on the Briton coast and since Eadulf was knocked unconscious when their captain fixes his boat and decides to head back out they are in no condition to go with him. So now they must find another boat, but while they are there, the local king, King Gwlyddien of Dyfed, has a task for them to do. It seems that a religious community just disappeared into thin air without a struggle. And their animals are gone too. The king's interest in this community is that his eldest son is a monk there. By becoming a monk he gave up his claim to the throne and no ransom would be paid for him. But none has been asked. These monks have just disappeared. The coast has been known to be raided by Saxons and by their neighbor to the north, the Ceredigion.

Also, in the town of Llanwnda a young woman has been strangled to death and raped and a young man Idwal has been accused of murdering her because he was found standing over the body. The lord of the town, Gwnda demanded that a barnwr be brought forth to make it legal. A barnwr is the same as a dalaigh. Brother Meurig will be traveling with them as the barnwr. Once they get there, the town is set to hang Idwal and Gwnda is nowhere to be found. They find him in his home supposedly being held captive. Iowerth, the girl's father is behind this with help from Iestyn, the shepherd who kicked Idwal out of the house when Iestyn's brother died who was taking care of him. Idwal's parents are unknown, which makes him an outcast in the village.

When first questioned Idwal is so scared that Brother Meurig lets Sister Fidelma talk to him and it turns out that Mair the dead girl had a lover that she wanted Idwal to give a message to, but he refused. He wouldn't tell them who it was since he promised her he wouldn't tell anyone about it. The boy was a bit simple-minded, but he wasn't in love in with Mair in that way and would never hurt her. He left her after their argument and went away to think about it and changed his mind about delivering the message and came across her body. Then he heard a crowd coming and ran right into Gwnda who knocked him out.

The crowd came because Iestyn saw them arguing and wanted to cause trouble since Mair wasn't supposed to have anything to do with Idwal. Gwnda's slave Buddog was in the forest to gather mushrooms, but she didn't see anything. She did, however, say that Mair was no virgin like was being said that she was promiscuous and led men on. Gwnda's daughter Elen confirms this and says that she had an elder lover.

When Fidelma and Eadulf go and examine the community they find a knife with blood on it that leads them to a body hidden in a sarcophagus and that he is a Saxon. When they go into the barn they find the recent death of the head of the community Father Clidro, which the community has been missing for days and the other day someone reported a Saxon ship on the horizon and then a few of the religious men were found on the beach dead with Saxon weaponry upon them.

Then they are captured by Clydog the Wasp and his band of outlaws who have snuck up on them in the community. Clydog is a conundrum in that he and his friend Corryn are both highly educated men who both command attention by the men. They must find a way to escape because they plan on killing at least Eadulf because he is a Saxon especially since his usefulness is over in that he fixed up their man who had been stabbed with a knife.

This is a complex mystery that even I didn't figure out all the parts of until they were explained at the end of the book. Brother Eadulf spends the entire book highly uncomfortable being in Briton because the Saxons did some horrible things to the Britons and they haven't forgotten and he worries that they'll take it out on him. Fidelma doesn't fully realize this and the two spend a great deal of time fighting in this book. I really loved this mystery, though it is filled with a great deal of sadness, it is also filled with triumph. I give it five out of five stars.

Quotes

There is no safety in trying to make a friend of one’s enemy.

-Peter Tremayne (Smoke in the Wind p 21)

The law is a more sacred thing than the sword which you carry. As you fear, fear is not a passion that makes for virtue. It weakens the judgment…

-Peter Tremayne (Smoke in the Wind p 83)

The sea was cruel and had no charity. Yet without the sea man would be insignificant for the sea was like a great road between peoples and without contact with one another men would be isolated and there would be no progress between them. But the sea was patient, watching and waiting and ready, like a murderer on a dark night, hding in an unilluminated lane with a knife to strike at the unexpected moment.

-Peter Tremayne (Smoke in the Wind p 208)