Eye of the law

Set in 1510, Harrison's excellent fifth Irish historical (after 2009's Writ in Stone) finds series heroine Mara, the brehon of the kingdom of the Burren who serves both as an investigating magistrate and law school professor, married to King Turlough Donn and expecting his child. When two strangers arrive from the Aran Islands to announce that one of them, 20-year-old Iarla, is the previously unknown son of local noble Ardal O'Lochlainn, they cite as evidence the dying confession of Iarla's mother. That statement, under existing law, is considered the most sacred of deathbed oaths. Since Iarla and Ardal don't resemble each other, Mara decides to wait two weeks before rendering her verdict on their relationship. Soon afterward, someone kills Iarla by poking a knife or stick into one of his eyes, leaving the body outside a cave reputed to be the home of a malevolent one-eyed god. Harrison smoothly integrates the legal system of 16th-century Ireland into the story line. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In 1510 Ireland, Mara, Brehon (a kind of magistrate) of the Burren, is not only pregnant and still teaching law students at her school but must also solve the murder of a young man who claimed the wealthy Ardal O'Lochlainn to be his father. Ardal is the prime suspect, but a number of small details are not quite right in this scenario. Mara draws on her students' abilities to discover the real motive behind this murder and another. VERDICT Harrison uses the 16th-century Irish legal system as a springboard for her finely constructed historical mysteries featuring a clear-thinking and sympathetic sleuth. Her fifth series entry (after Writ in Stone) is outstanding both for its attention to detail and historical correctness. Historical mystery fans won't want to miss this one. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.