Before Fidelma and her husband Brother Eadulf arrive in Autun there is much tension among the factions.  The eve before Fidelma and Eadulf arrive at the abbey, Abbot Dabhoc is discovered dead in his chambers along with two other clerics, both drugged and injured.  Upon her arrival, Fidelma is charged by Bishop Leodegar to solve the murder.  Fidelma quickly points out that this will be a difficult task as the abbey is now segregated under the Roman pope and religious wives and husbands have been forced to live apart. 

Leodear assures Fidelma there will be accommodations made and that she and her husband may remain together while in the abbey. Soon Fidelma finds herself in a web of political and religious arguments. The Roman Church is trying to assert itself on the Western Church; the Celtic delegation is squabbling amongst themselves and to Fidelma’s horror, women and children are being sold as slaves in the city and it is considered acceptable. 

Fighting her urge to return home, Fidelma musters her strength, courage and wits as she prepares to do battle with some of the most power hungry people she has ever met, one of whom is a murderer and would not think twice about making Fidelma his or her next victim.

 Council of the Cursed is a faithfully executed historical mystery with themes that remain familiar today.  As church factions argue among themselves, attempting to impose their own beliefs, rites and rituals on others, the arguing becomes personal, ending in Abbot Dabhoc’s death.  Fidelma is quick thinking and is able to speak or act quickly after carefully weighing her options and she is not afraid of much, and won’t back down from anyone that challenges her own system of beliefs. 

Once readers get used to the unfamiliar names, they will quickly become drawn into the plot which includes some romance among the clerics, and plenty of treachery and intrigue. The time period is well drawn and you don’t need to be a seventh century scholar to feel at home; readers will quickly be surprised at how familiar some of the themes, such as celibacy among clerics, are. The mystery, which also comes to include stolen relics, is intricate and well-plotted, leaving most in the dark until the very end. 

A letter sent to Fidelma as an epilogue ties up any loose ends she may have left at the abbey and reaffirms for her that she acted in everyone’s best interest.  Readers new to the series will not be at a loss as enough background information about Fidelma and her family and religious situation are neatly woven through the plot.  This is a first-rate historical mystery especially for Dark Ages fans.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry