Absolution by Murder

In the year 664, the Synod of Whitby convenes to settle whether the Saxon kingdom of Northumbria will follow the Celtic or the Roman church. Among the delegates is Sister Fidelma of Kildare, an Irish religieuse who is also a qualified advocate in the Brehon legal system. When Abbess Étain, the most persuasive voice for the Celtic side, is found murdered in her chamber, suspicion threatens to ignite the whole assembly. The presiding king assigns Fidelma and the Roman-aligned monk Brother Eadulf to find the killer before the synod collapses into violence. As more bodies appear, the two must set aside their doctrinal differences and apply law and reason inside a hall full of people who would rather the truth stayed hidden.