Books Reviews
Book Review: Dancing with Demons by Peter Tremayne
By Angela Youngman
Mar 26, 2008, 18:40 GMT

Brilliant  - there is no other word to describe this history mystery. Sechnussach, High King of Ireland, is found dead in his bedchamber with his throat cut. Dubh Duin, the chieftain of the CinéL Cairpre clain was found with the murder weapon in his hand when the High King's guards entered the room - whereupon he promptly took his own life. 

Sister Fidelma is asked to investigate and check that there are no loose ends. 
A simple task which gets more complex by the second. It quickly becomes clear that the motives which led to the murder are by no means clear cut. And is the murder itself as clear cut as it seems? 

A intricate web of conspiracy, of opposition to change, slowly emerges. Can Fidelma find all the answers before civil war and religious conflict breaks out? This is one of Tremayne's best books to date. Extremely complex, it makes you concentrate all the way through as you positively have to know what happens next, and what twist in the tail is going to take place. 

There is a wealth of background detail bringing seventh century Ireland to life, yet it never overtakes the storyline nor do you feel that the information is surplus to the story. A must for all history mystery fans.