The Leper's Bell

Sister Fidelma #14

by Peter Tremayne

A servant has been murdered and the baby in her charge abducted. Fidelma of Cashel has solved even more horrendous crimes in her career as an advocate of the ancient Brehon Courts of Ireland. But this case is different. For both Sister Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf of Saxmund's Ham, the case is unique because of the personal emotions involved. The baby who has been abducted is their own son. What is the motive for their crime? Could someone seeking vengeance on Fidelma and Eadulf have done the deed? They have made a lot of enemies in their pursuit of justice. Fidelma and Eadulf, ignoring protests that they are too emotionally involved to undertake the investigation, set out on an increasingly desperate mission to save their son...

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Ireland, Crime

362 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Peter Berresford Ellis (born 10 March 1943) is a historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 90 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as an authority on Celtic history and culture. As Peter Tremayne, he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.

Reviews

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been quite a while since I read novels from a series back-to-back. There was no question with #13 (Badger’s Moon) and this novel. At the end of Badger’s Moon, Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf return to the palace of Cashel, the residence of Sister Fidelma’s brother, the King of Muman. They are immediately confronted with another case to investigate: a baby has been kidnapped and his nurse murdered. For me to wait another month to find out what happened was unthinkable.

This second book of the two linked novels starts where the first one left off and charges headlong through a strong plot with multiple, equally strong sub-plots. At one point, Brother Eadulf and Sister Fidelma pursue separate leads and their individual endeavours jeopardize their own lives at separate points.

Peter Tremayne keeps the pace fast in this novel and there is a great deal to keep track of, but it definitely kept my attention and pays off when all the detailed pieces of the puzzle start to come together.

Although one piece did come to the forefront, the evidence supporting it was not clear until near the end when a series of surprise events and the facts Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf had gathered were brought before the Brehon (judge) with all the characters involved in this mystery present in the courtroom.

I just might be able to wait another month before finding out where this amazing series, set in Ireland in the mid-7th century, takes me next.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2007, and its the 16th volume, chronologically, of the wonderful "Sister Fidelma" series.

The year is now probably AD 667, and in this tale personal disaster will occur to both Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf, in the form that their son, Alchú, has been abducted.

The servant has was protecting the baby has been murdered, and the baby taken to the west in the Kingdom of Muman.

Both going in pursuit, for this is their personal tragedy, Sister Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf, will need the strength and resolution to solve this case while being emotionally involved.

Who's done this deed, is it someone with a grudge and seeking vengeance, for they certainly has made a lot of enemies in the past with their justice.

What is to follow is an intriguing and one of the most dangerous cases they've been involved in, but surely and determinedly they will get to the point where they will have to confront the perpetrator and deal with him, while at the same time save their baby from further harm and bring him home with them.

Highly recommended, for this is another brilliant addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Magnificent Leper's Bell"!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the best that I have read in the Sister Fidelma series. I highly recommend it!

[Doris Mahala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Sister Fedelma resolve herself to understanding her own demons while trying to find out where her son is and who kidnapped him?
Has the real 'leper' exposed the baby to the disease?
How has the baby been cared for?
Will she do away with her marriage that is made up of being a trial marriage of 1 year and 1 day which a 'divorce' will be recognized as being no ones fault?

I had gotten a hold of this book out of order and did not realize that Sister Fedelma and her companion had gotten married nor did I realize that she had had a child.
This made this book a 'nail bitter' for me because not only am I mother but I am a grandmother and I know how I felt after I had my daughter.
I also know how I feel about my 5 grandchildren and what would happen if someone even got the idea of taking one of them.

I have too much time on my hands, I am handicapped and retired.
I have been writing a book that I would love to become a published author, however, I no longer have a laptop/computer to work with.
My cats decided to start 'playing/ running in circles around the house and decided to run into the kitchen while I was cooking and hit the laptop that I was doing research on and putting notes on another laptop and how they hit both of them and sent them "FLYING" to the floor I will never know because I had gotten up to check on my supper and while I had my back turned they decided to be 'BAD KITTIES"
Yes they are still happy kitties and if I have my way about the $2,000.00 that was sent to my floor I think that my homeowners insurance will hopefully payout for a new laptop.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 (I almost bogged down at the beginning -- too many names of people, places, and events.)

Someone who has a better understanding of the early years of the Catholic Church and/or of Irish history will probably get a lot more out of this series than I do. Even so, I enjoy escaping from the modern world into a 'simpler' low-tech society.

The interaction of Fidelma and Eadulf with their infant son is not very realistic.

good: Eadulf shows more spunk

[Marsha Raasch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading about Fidelma and the culture of ancient Ireland at the crossroads of Roman Christianity and the old ways. These mystery stories are authentic and researched and Tremayne invokes the era well.

[Marfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay! Eadulf is less a goofus! As we learned from a previous book, someone has killed Fidelma and Eadulf's son's nurse and their son is missing! Yipes. Well, we know where he is because that's the subject of the first chapter. But we don't know what happened. Fidelma, who has been wrestling with her relationships with her son and her temporary husband (it's an Irish thing), is distraught and with great difficulty pulls herself together to investigate.
Fortunately, she gets literally tied up and Eadulf does the real legwork. I'm so proud of him. He's still the irascible, impetuous Saxon, but on his own he can get the job done. And it doesn't hurt that he has luck on his side.

Spoiler Time!


The mystery itself follows the standard plotline where you eliminate someone immediately from the line of suspects only to turn around at the very end and finger them. It wasn't hard to see where the guilt lay despite all the "dead" herrings thrown in the reader's path. And the "why" became clearer as the story moved on. Capa was obviously a bastard and if a woman was involved, his wife, with her holier-than-thou ways was a shoe-in for villainess of the year. Oh, make Gorman behave suspiciously all you like, but Capa choosing him to go on the mission although we are told (alas, by Gorman himself) that Capa doesn't like him, was the first indication that Gorman was being set up. And even though I had totally forgotten (at least consciously) that Gorman's mother was a prostitute, it was obvious that Della was his mother. Well, it was to me. He was in love with Sarait and Della was out of the sex business. And if Fidelma is held prisoner by some Ui Fidgente, of course she would be rescued by the other Ui Fidgente who were passing through to bring news that they had nothing to do with the ransom and would meet her in two days at the very place she is being held hostage. But this doesn't really detract from the story. In fact, easily seen through plots make me feel cleverer than I probably am and I've fairly retorn my rotator cuff patting myself on the back over this.

On to the next one!

[Laura Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in the series. One of my favorites. This one was fast paced with nonstop action from beginning to end. We also get our most in depth looks at Fidelma and Eaudulf's characters. Although I've always loved these characters, especially Fidelma, they seem more human now which is a good thing.

One tiny annoyance. Once again Tremayne fudges Fidelma's age. As stated in previous books, she was born in 636 and it is now the end of 667. When I was ten and reading Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins, I didn't care they remained the same age for 50 books. I was a kid! Please, stop insulting the reader's intelligence. During the time the story takes place, Fidelma is 31, not in her twenties as the book states. Other series writers follow their characters chronological progression with precise care (Sue Grafton and Elizabeth Peters). And when Peters' Amelia Peabody states her age incorrectly, the reader is let in on a little secret. She's lying out of vanity. Not the case in the Fidelma books. Does Tremayne have some bias against young women in their 30s? They can still be smart and attractive women and mothers like Fidelma. Let her mature physically as well as emotionally.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother's worst nightmare...her baby is abducted. Sister Fidelma's success as an advocate of the law has left some people angry. Is this abduction of her son an act of revenge? A political attack on the ruling family (of which Fidelma is a part)? The baby's wet nurse was murdered while the baby was in her care. Was it merely a personal grudge against her. If so, where is the baby?

I've read all of the Sister Fidelma books (in order) and love the tight plots that the author builds. Many of the stories have had me clueless as to the motives or who is the "bad guy/gal" right up to the last few pages. In just a few hundred pages the reader has the entrance, the episode (usually a murder), the fleshing out of participants and the resounding finish summarized by Sister Fidelma. These books have received worldwide acclaim and enjoy a massive fan following. I'll continue with these books as they are released and will look into his other series (under different pen names).

[Alison C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman has been killed and the baby she was caring for is missing; a terrible crime, made more so by the fact that the baby is the son of Fidelma, the Brehon and sister to the King of Muman. She uses all of her logic and investigative abilities, but is unable to discover who took the child and why, and so she must just wait upon events to reveal the mystery to her…. I’ve read a number of Peter Tremayne’s short stories featuring Fidelma, but this is the first novel that I’d read; given that it’s the 14th in the series, I clearly have a lot of catching up to do! Mr. Tremayne depicts 7th Century Ireland in very believable terms, which is not surprising given that he’s actually Peter Berresford Ellis, an authority on ancient Celtic society, and Fidelma is a very strongly drawn character, someone whom one feels one actually knows in real life. Excellent historical mystery!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I could pick out the culprit because evidently anyone who is described as arrogant is the kiler. Otherwise, I loved the story. I was SO pleased that Eadulf finally stood up to and became angry with Fidelma that I read the page twice through in celebration. I was also happy that the author chose to have Eadulf do something independently and get it right. I was even championing that if the baby were found that Eadulf take him and leave, so aggravated had I become with Fidelma and her moods and selfishness, but "onward and upward" to the next book.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read this over the week after a long break from the series and was well-rewarded. Filled with action and red herrings, we also get to know more about Fidelma's inner feelings about her life. Fidelma is allowed to be a strong woman who also doubts herself, is a mother, has a vocation she loves, and is able to transcend barriers in the 7th century. I've long since gotten over being intimidated by the Celtic pronunciations in the book and just enjoy the evocation of the dark age setting. This was a great entry and reminded me why I love the historical mystery genre.

[Winifred Radigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the whole series, the actual mystery takes second place to the rich description of the 7th century Irish (Brehon) legal system and the changing culture in Britain and Ireland as Roman law and religious practice i on the rise after The Council of Whitby. Fidelma is an interesting portrait of the educated Irish woman and the rights held by all women in Ireland in contrast to the Saxon and Roman traditions. Tremayne is a Celtic scholar in his own right, and the historical accuracy makes the books winners!

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Fidelma and her husband experience every parent's nightmare. Their son has been kidnapped. But no one seems to know how or why. The wet nurse in charge of him was killed, but also no clues are there.

Somehow they unravel all the threads and find their son. He was well cared for and loved, a substitute for someone's baby who had died.

A new character is introduced, will have to see if he is in future books.

[Argum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fidelma and Eadulf return to follow up on the kidnapping revealed at the end of the last book. Eadulf and Fidelma also struggle with the relationship as Eadulf is quite literally a second class citizen as her husband with few rights. Many random things also happen to muddle the waters. That said I think I pieced more of these threads apart than usual in the series.

[Avis Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Sister Fidelma series and this one was a good read. The only problem I had with it, was that the story was dragging in a few areas and kept going back by repeating itself. Otherwise I liked it. There were a few twists and turns and kept you in suspense.
I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.

[Kevin Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first entry into the Fidelma series and I was hooked. Tremayne brings the ancient Irish culture to life wrapped in splendid mysteries that make it hard to put the book down. Ending with Fidelma laying it all out in the Irish Brehonic court never fails to satisfy.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much more exciting story than the last one I read, this one has Eadulf as well as Fidelma, and I find him a very likeable character. The Leper's Bell is fast paced and an enjoyable read, even though there were some obvious clues which I picked up but which Fidelma and Eadulf did not.

[W.K. Greyling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book in the series. If you've read Sister Fidelma up to this point, I'm sorry to say that the series plateaus at The Leper's Bell, and then takes a gradual descent into drudgery. But this will always be a shining star.

[Zym · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could never have thought someone could describe such a factually accurate picture of old Celtic lifestyle

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very face paced novel. It is about the sister to a king and her husband (who is a foreigner) and their son who gets kidnapped and his wet nurse is killed.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very convoluted and personal as Fidelma and Eadulf's son is kidnapped. More in depth coverage of Fidelma's feelings for Eadulf and his place as an outsider in her country.

[Mary Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much. Definitely worth reading.

[Carole Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Fidelma novels are good reads for those who love history and especially the early history of Ireland and/or the church in the British Isles.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sister Fidelma series satisfies my love of mysteries and history. At times, this novel was a little slow but I plowed through and am glad I did.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multiple mysteries entwine to keep you guessing. There is also the very human element of a troubled marriage.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The baby is kidnapped. A personal mystery

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another engaging Fidelma mystery that doesn't fail to engage the reader.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! I could not put it down.

[Jonn'e · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really think this is best Sister Fidelma book I have read so far. Just two books ago I was complaining about the author’s lack of character development and stiff characterization and romance. The main characters were so wooden, and I was getting very tired of hearing the same explanations of their experiences. But here they finally come alive and start acting *almost* as real people would actually act in such a horrific situation (sarcasm of course).

The two main characters really really needed to talk about their relationship, and I’ve been being frustrated that they kept putting it off. Here they finally get to talk, although not as much as one would have hoped. But the best part is that Eadulf gets a real part to himself. He is interesting, he is heroic, he doesn’t have to be rescued by Fidelma. Finally! Plus, I like Fidelma better in this novel than any of the ones before, because she actually thinks about things.

Interestingly, I saw the answers to the mystery about halfway into the book. The author sure puts enough clues. But, I didn’t actually mind. It was nice to not have all the clues kept for the final show off (oh sorry, Fidelma, I mean showdown). And the story was interesting enough that I didn’t need to have the mystery to keep reading.

I hope this is a portent of books to come!