“Harrison, like Peter Tremayne in his Sister Fidelma series, provides a superior brand of historical mystery” Booklist

February, 1512. Mara, Brehon of the Burren, judge and lawgiver, has been invited, along with her pupils, to the magnificent and imposing city state of Galway, which is ruled by English laws and operates under a royal charter originally granted by Richard III.

While in the city, Mara and her students sit in on a hearing for a man from the Burren who has been caught stealing a meat pie. He cannot speak English and has no means to defend himself, but the penalty for such a theft is death. Can Mara use her legal knowledge to save the poor man’s life?

However, events in the city take a dramatic turn when the mayor’s son is charged with a heinous crime. Mara is sure there is more to the case than meets the eye and sets out prove his innocence, before he too is sent to the hangman’s noose …