When a holy relic is destroyed and a community threatened, it is up
to Mara to uphold the law of the land . . .
When Mara attends mass at Kilnaboy Church, it is just another duty in
her busy life as Brehon of the Burren, responsible for the maintenance
of law and order in the kingdom. The church holds an important relic: a
piece of the true cross itself, housed inside a round tower and heralded
by the huge two-armed stone cross on the church gable. Hence, on this
special day, the church is packed with locals, as well as pilgrims from
all over Europe.
But when fire attacks the tower where the precious relic is housed, and
Mara then discovers that one of the pilgrims is a disciple of Martin
Luther and a hater of such sacred relics, a Spanish priest threatens the
might of the Inquisition and a German traveller takes refuge in the
church. However, the next morning, a naked body is found dead,
spread-eagled in the shape of a cross, on top of one of the tombs on the
hill behind the church. Was it one of the true pilgrims who killed him?
Or perhaps the priest of the parish, helped by his grave digger? Or was
it even the innkeeper, whose business has been ruined now that the
relic, which attracted visitors from all over Europe, has been
destroyed?
Once again, it is Mara's task, along with that of her law-school pupils,
to investigate and uphold the power of the law . . .
