Ireland Historical Fiction

Ireland, AD 671. When a curious deputation of religieux arrive in Cashel, death follows close behind. Sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, seem unable to stem the bloodshed. Is one of the deputation responsible? What was the Venerable Verax, the scholar from Rome, hiding? Was there an evil secret behind the austere Bishop Arwald? Indeed, what was the real reason behind Eadulf's brother Egric's unexpected appearance at Cashel - could he be the culprit?

Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the king of Muman, a religieuse of the Celtic Church, and an advocate of the Brehon courts - returns in this new collection of fifteen tales. These stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery are not merely spellbinders but also provide insight into the ways and mores of the complex, fascinating society of seventh-century Ireland as well as heretofore unrevealed background details of Fidelma herself.

In October of 667 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the one of kings of Ireland, a religieuse of the Celtic Church, and an advocate of the Brehon courts - is struggling with her most challenging role yet, that of mother to her infant son Alchu. So it is with mixed feelings that she receives the summons from Abbot Brogan. There have been a series of shocking murders that have terrorized the villagers near the Abbey of Finbarr; three young girls have been violently slaughtered...

In the spring of AD 666, Sister Fidelma is summoned to the small Irish village of Araglin. An advocate of the Brehon law courts as well as a religieuse, she is to investigate the murder of the local chieftain. While she is traveling there with her friend, Brother Eadulf, a band of brigands attacks the roadside hostel in which they are staying and attempts to burn them out. While Fidelman and Eadulf manage to beat back their attackers, this incident is only the first in a series that troubles them.

In 5th-century pagan-dominated Ireland, Brigid is born a slave to her own father and is separated from her mother. Desperately seeking love and acceptance, Brigid becomes a believer in Christ.

In February of AD 668, Fidelma of Cashel and her companion, Eadulf, are about to get permanently married. As the sister to the king of Muman, Fidelma's marriage ceremony is a major event; the high king of Ireland as well as other kings and major figures are going to be in attendance. On the eve of the ceremony, the fanatical and much disliked Abbot Ultan is found murdered in his chamber, and one of the distinguished guests, the king of Connacht, is accused of the crime.

A perplexing case of murder and conspiracy in the pagan wilds of Northern Italy... In AD 664, just after the events detailed in Shroud for the Archbishop, Fidelma of Cashel takes a unexpected detour on her trip home from Rome. While in the port at Genua (modern-day Genoa), Fidelma - sister of one Ireland’s kings and an advocate in her country’s law courts - receives word that one of her old teachers, Brother Ruadan, is reaching the end of his days.

When Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy left London four years ago, Europe was facing war and Billy Cavendish, the man she loved, had told her he could never marry her. Now, as London stands a shell of its former self, Kick returns to volunteer with the Red Cross, determined to do what she can for the city that holds a part of her heart, and to reconnect with Billy - despite what London society thinks of her.

Once the big house on an Irish estate, Birchwood has turned into a dilapidated family manor filled with memories and despair. One disaster succeeds another, until young Gabriel Godkin runs away to join a traveling circus and look for his long-lost twin sister. Soon he discovers that famine and unrest stalk the countryside, and Ireland is ruined too.

A world in turmoil. A new religion. A struggling community. Can a pagan woman protect her family without falling prey to both Christians and power-hungry Fae? Ireland, 470. In an ancient world torn between old traditions and new beliefs, a pagan woman finds herself caught in a perilous struggle to protect her family from the clutches of both zealous Christians and power-hungry Fae. Clíodhna mourns the presumed loss of her husband, and as the months pass with no sign of his return, she clings to her ancestral customs. She distrusts the encroaching dominance of the burgeoning Christian faith...

A Year of Broken Promises continues the story of James and Mary McGrother, a young Irish fisherman and his wife, who were the main characters in A Pocket Full of Shells. Even with the famine years behind them, tragedy and hardship does not stop. Promises made in good faith are broken along with the hearts of those making them. A solicitor, a constable, and a secretive organization all play parts in determining the fate of a young couple whose only desire is to provide for their family and live a simple life.

Bytown, 1836: The lawless cesspool that will become the city of Ottawa is beginning to reek of more than just swamp water. Rife with squalor, corruption, and organized crime, class injustice divides the town more starkly than the canal that bisects it, cutting off its Irish poor—who are ready to fight back. On a homestead in the woods near Bytown, a domestic drama is also reaching a fever pitch

In 1846, Valentia McDowell is haunted by dreams of a mystical brooch her grandmother left in Ireland. When she makes the dangerous journey to Ireland, she’s devastated by illness and tragedy. The famine and poverty she encounters force her to reassess her priorities, and she embarks upon a campaign to improve the lives of those she meets.

The Aylward women of Nenagh, Tipperary, are mad about each other, but you wouldn't always think it. You'd have to know them to know—in spite of what the neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes—that their house is a place of peace, filled with love, a refuge from the sadness and cruelty of the world. Their story begins at an end and ends at a beginning. It involves wives and widows, gunrunners and gougers, sinners and saints. It's a story of terrible betrayals and fierce loyalties, of isolation and togetherness, of transgression, forgiveness, desire and love.

Ireland travels through the centuries by way of story after story, from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green and troubled land of tourist brochures and news headlines. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, god-heroes and great works of art, shrewd Norman raiders and envoys from Rome, leaders, poets, and lovers. Each illuminates the magic of Ireland, the power of England, and the eternal connection to the land.

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France, a group of women determined to rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen - children's libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

In Ireland of AD 666, Sister Fidelma is sent by her brother, Colgu of Cashel, the king of Muman, to the remote valley of Gleann Geis, whose inhabitants still adhere to the ancient Druidic ways. Her mission is to negotiate with the chieftain, Laisre, for permission to build a Christian church and school in his territory. Fidelma's task won't be an easy one, though, as Laisre's clan is known for its hostility to the new religion and fierce adherence to the old.

When the magical secrets of The Emerald Isle beckon, will she survive answering the call? Ohio, 1846. Valentia McDowell wishes she could rest. Plagued by nightmares of her grandmother’s mysterious brooch lost in Ireland, the well-off young woman aches to find her lost family in Ireland. But as she dodges marriage proposals from odious local farmers, she can’t shake the sense that a powerful inheritance awaits her across the ocean… if she can weather the treacherous journey. Can Valentia uphold a destiny she doesn’t yet understand without losing everyone she loves? An Immigrant's ...

Ireland, AD 670. When the body of a murdered young noble is discovered not far from Cashel, the king calls upon his sister, Fidelma, and her companion, Eadulf, to investigate. Fidelma, in addition to being the sister of the king, is a dailaigh - an advocate of the Brehon Law Courts - and has a particular talent for resolving the thorniest of mysteries. But this time Fidelma and Eadulf have very little to work with - the only clue to the noble's identity is an emblem originating from the nearby kingdom of Laign.

Born in the slums of Dublin in 1901, his father a one-legged whore-house bouncer and settler of scores, Henry Smart has to grow up fast. By the time he can walk he's out robbing, begging, often cold, always hungry, but a prince of the streets. At 14, already six-foot-two, Henry's in the General Post Office on Easter Monday 1916, a soldier in the Irish Citizen Army, fighting for freedom.