Sister Fidelma

Sister Fidelma is a fictional detective, the eponymous heroine of a series by Peter Tremayne (pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis).

She is a religieuse of Celtic Irish-Catholic faith, but also received training in both criminal and civil law, especially the brehon laws, being a "dálaigh" to the Brehon Court of Ireland, attaining the rank of "anruth".

She is almost always accompanied by Brother Eadulf, a Saxon monk. Though Eadulf has often been compared to Sherlock Holmes' well-meaning but somewhat obtuse Dr. Watson, he usually proves essential to solving the mystery at hand (if only in a small way) and proves to be a true companion, having saved Fidelma's life more than once.

The stories are set in the middle of the 7th century, mainly in Ireland. They are historical whodunnits in the literary tradition of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and the Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters. Peter Tremayne's novels are extremely complex and usually involve the interaction of several subplots involving concerning political intrigue, personal relationships, religious conflict, or characters' desires for personal or monetary gain.

Themes in the Sister Fidelma Series

Throughout the series, Sister Fidelma journeys to many different parts of the known world of her time, including Ireland (of course), Wales, Northumbria, Hispania, Brittany, and Rome. The differences between the societies she encounters and her native country is an ongoing theme throughout the series. Through Fidelma's adventures, Peter Tremayne introduces his readers to the current events and conflicts of the time. Major themes in the Sister Fidelma series include:

"Inter-Societal Themes": Differences between Celtic society and other societies of the time
*The system of government, in particular the method of selecting a ruler. (Celtic society's semi-democratic system, versus the Anglo-Saxon system of primogeniture.
*Legal systems, conventions of legal proceedings (including methods of establishing innocence or guilt), and punishments for criminals.
*Political alliances, truces, and disputes between different countries.
*The legality of slavery.
*The role of women. (Relatively unrestricted in Celtic society; much more restricted in Roman and Anglo-Saxon societies.)

"Intra-Societal Themes": Issues within Celtic society itself.
*Conflict between local (the five provinces of Ireland) and central (the High King at Tara) levels of government.
*Conflicts between different clans or regions of Ireland.
*Various aspects of Irish society, including language, geography, history, medicine, professions, customs, food, and so forth.

"Religious Themes"
*The ongoing struggle between Celtic and Roman forms of Christianity for supremacy in the British Isles.
*The meeting of older pagan and newly-introduced Christian forms of worship (sometimes this occurs easily in the Fidelma series, other times bitter conflicts result).
*The use of secular or traditional Irish law versus the Penitentials, a Church-introduced legal code.
*The question of celibacy among the clergy.
*The value of superstition and astrology.

Novels and collections of short stories

* Absolution By Murder (1994)
* Shroud for the Archbishop (1995)
* Suffer Little Children (1995)
* The Subtle Serpent (1996)
* The Spider's Web (1997)
* Valley of the Shadow (1998)
* The Monk Who Vanished (1999)
* Act of Mercy (1999)
* Our Lady of Darkness (2000)
* Hemlock At Vespers (2000)
* Smoke in the Wind (2001)
* The Haunted Abbot (2002)
* Badger's Moon (2003)
* Whispers of the Dead (2004)
* The Leper's Bell (2004)
* Master of Souls (2005)
* A Prayer for the Damned (2006)
* Dancing with Demons (2007)
* Council of the Cursed (2008)

External links

* [http://www.sisterfidelma.com/ International Sister Fidelma Society]