I love these mysteries, set in the 17th century before the English have overrun the country destroying much of the native culture. I love Mara the 'Lady Judge' and her School of Brehon law where she instructs aspiring lawyers of Brehon law and for the setting, The Burren in County Clare, both utterly irresistible for me. This time, two men from Aran turn up claiming the younger to be the son of a local taoiseach (chieftain) and thus the heir as the man, as yet, has no heir.
Mara has to figure it out. And, as ever, in a hurry! The stories are solidly constructed, a little podgy here and there, but I love many of the characters-- the students, and all the various people in her community. Mara, in order to make the plots work, has to do some bone-headed things, but that's ok with me because I am so content with the rest! **** ( )

The year is 1510 and a great feast is being held in County Clare for the wedding of a young woman in the wealthy clan of O'Lochlainns. When the celebration is disrupted by the entry of 2 unknown men, the party takes a dark turn when one of the men claims he has brought forward an unknown son of the clan leader. Mara, the Brehon of the Burren is thence involved in investigating a convoluted saga of murder, deceit and disloyalty.

This plot was quite devious and I was rather surprised how it played out. The involvement of the Brehon's law school scholars was a nice development. Readers will appreciate that the author keeps the continuing saga of her Burren mysteries fresh by moving the characters through their lives. One aspect in this story was less than satisfying because the culprit avoided his just deserts. I became so invested in the saga, that I wanted to see a different set of consequences. This speaks to the power of Cora Harrison's writing. ( )