The Cross of Vengeance
by Cora Harrison

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 . . .

Reviews

“Harrison’s clever 10th 16th-century historical”

Publishers Weekly

“Cleverly written, atmospheric, captivating, and suspenseful”

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Cora Harrison

Cora Harrison turned to writing historical fiction after she retired from teaching to live on a farm near the Burren in the west of Ireland. As well as the Reverend Mother series, she is the author of the ‘Mara’ series of Celtic mysteries, set in sixteenth-century Ireland, and the new Gaslight mystery series set in Victorian London.www.coraharrison.com

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Editions

The Cross of Vengeance by Cora Harrison is available in the following formats

Paperback978184751492930th May 2014138 X 216mm224£13.99
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