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Title: The Council of the Cursed

Subtitle: A Sister Fidelma Mystery of Ancient Ireland

Author: Peter Tremayne

Narrator: Caroline Lennon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In AD 670 Fidelma of Cashel is asked to act as an advisor to the Irish delegation to a church council hostile to the Celtic Church. In an abbey in Burgundy, Bishop Leodegar of Autun has assembled church leaders from all over Western Europe - an assembly that soon descends into chaos. That night one of the delegates is found murdered, his skull crushed, and Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf, are suddenly in the midst of a murder investigation involving some of the most power religious leaders.

Between the autocratic Bishop Leodegar and the malignant abbess Mother Audofleda, a web of sinister intrigue soon spreads. The theft of a priceless reliquary box, the disappearance of women and children, and rumours of a slave trade make this one of the most sinister and deadly puzzles Fidelma and Eadulf have ever faced.

Members Reviews:

Fidelma unravels the threads and discovers much more than the killer.

Fidelma and Eadulf journey to a Church Council at Autun in the land of the Franks to advise her brother's abbot at the proceedings. Before they arrive an Irish cleric is killed seemingly in a locked room mystery with a Saxon and Briton cleric dispatched in the same room. Fidelma and Eadulf seem perfect investigators given the nationalities involved but the house doesn't admit women. Soon other mysteries are uncovered. Fidelma unravels the threads and discovers much more than the killer.

Battle Over Rites

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The Council of the Cursed by Peter Tremayne (pseudonym of historian Peter Berresford Ellis), is an exceptional historical mystery. It is set during the seventh century in Autun (an ancient French city founded by Augustus Caesar). Leodegar, Bishop of Autun, called a council to fulfill Pope Vitalian's request to determine which rules and rites should prevail in the Western European churches.

Before the council can convene, one of the key officials attending the meeting is murdered. The host Bishop decrees that Sister Fidelma investigate the crime so that the council can proceed in peace. Fidelma and Eadulf agree to investigate, on condition they can be seen as neutral and have the Bishop's full authority.

The case is complicated and the plot full of suspense, intrigue, and numerous plot shifts. Each plot shift contributes layers of additional suspense. Fidelma and Eadulf face multiple barriers, reluctance, and even death threats.

About a year before the Council, Leodegar, the host Bishop, decreed that male clerics be celibate, and if already married, they must give up the family, and divorce their wife, or leave "religious life". Many men, especially those without a "civilian skill" are essentially forced to deny their family. The Bishop then cancels the marriage. What did they do with the wives and children? The answer, although historically accurate, is not pleasant.

The Council of the Cursed is an excellent mystery. The major characters are well drawn, the plot is believable, and the intrigue impressive. The final conclusion is realistic and understandable.