Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Keening

A Mystery of Gaelic Ireland

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The murdered body of Sorcha the prophetess is discovered following a lavish banquet at the Maguire castle in 16th-century Ireland. In the present day, a dig commences on the land, and not only is a body discovered, but a sheaf of prophecies. Who killed Sorcha?

There has been a guesthouse on the Tierney land in County Fermanagh for hundreds of years. Now Tierney's Hotel is faced with a development that will block the hotel's best feature, its view of Enniskillen Castle. But the project can be stopped if there are important historical artifacts buried on the property. Enter the archaeologists.

Mick's ancestor, Brigid Tierney, ran the guesthouse in the late 1500s. We see Brigid and Shane and their children at a lavish banquet at the castle, home of the ruling family, the Maguires. The wine and ale flow freely, the harpist plays, the bard recites the Maguires' heroic deeds. But one woman has a sense of foreboding. Sorcha the prophetess sees harrowing times ahead. The Tudors of England are determined to complete their brutal conquest of Ireland.

The morning after the banquet, Sorcha is found dead on a bed of oak leaves. And Shane is accused of the killing. His lawyer, Terence, conducts his defence on the hilltop that constitutes the court in 1595.

Ireland has had a complex and at times woeful history, and we see that history being played out in the lives of the Tierneys, past and present.

In 2018, the dig commences on Mick Tierney's land. Historical artifacts? Yes. But also a sheaf of prophecies. And a body ― a bogman ― four hundred years old.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      August 13, 2021

      The newest dual-timeline stand-alone mystery by Emery ("Collins-Burke Mystery" series) is set in 16th-century and 21st-century Northern Ireland. In 1595, the Irish still boast of their hospitality, and Brigid Tierney's family has had a guesthouse for 200 years in Northern Ireland's Enniskillen. The Tierneys attend a feast at Enniskillen Castle to celebrate the latest victory by the Maguires, the local lords, over the English. That night, Father O'Moylan hears seer Sorcha O'Cassidy prophesy tragedy for Ireland: the loss of Ireland's chieftains, famine, and defeat by the English. He isn't there, though, when Sorcha is killed with two arrows. In 2017, the Tierney family still owns a guesthouse in the shadow of Enniskillen Castle. Their view of the landscape is threatened by an American's plans to develop an estate nearby, so Mick Tierney teams up with his father and his daughter Roisin to hatch a plot to thwart the development. They ask archaeologists to dig on the site, hoping they'll find something historic and be required to preserve the land. Little do they know that the answer to the mystery of Sorcha's murder will be found on the property, 400 years after her prophecies came true. VERDICT The details of daily life in Gaelic Ireland (the wars, the feasts, the poetry) don't make this historical mystery an easy read, but the intricately developed story may appeal to fans of Cora Harrison's "Burren" mysteries.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading