Death on the Holy Mountain
A
Lord Francis Powerscourt Mystery
David Dickinson
Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-503-2 (1569475032)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-503-4 (9781569475034)
Publication Date: April 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): In 1905, Lord Francis Powerscourt investigates a series of art thefts from stately homes of the Protestant gentry in Ireland. Then people begin to vanish. As Powerscourt closes in on the killer his own life is threatened and his patriotism is questioned.
Review:
Lord Francis Powerscourt is hired to investigate a burglary at an
estate in Ireland in Death
on the Holy Mountain, the seventh mystery in this series
by David Dickinson.
The estate in question is Butler Court, one of many owned by Gervase
St. Clair de Bonneval Brandon, 8th Earl of Lincoln. A number of oil
paintings, portraits of eight generations of the Earl's family, have
been stolen. And it is not the only theft in the area. Other homes have
been targeted as well. The only common factor is that all the estates
are owned by Protestants. Could the thefts be political? The Irish
Catholic workers on the estates are demanding freedom from English
rule, but this seems to be a particularly ineffective way of
accomplishing their goals. Especially since, at least in Lord Brandon's
case, the paintings stolen weren't particularly valuable. It isn't
until a body is found at the summit of Croagh Patrick, Ireland's Holy
Mountain, that Powerscourt is able to gather enough information to
identify the thieves and determine the true reason behind their actions.
Death on the Holy
Mountain is written in an expressive manner, describing
the beauty of Ireland and the expansive estates that include ancestral
homes surrounded by massive amounts of land, trees, lakes, and rivers.
The story, set in the early 20th century, is exceptional in the way the
author infuses the history and plight of the Irish citizens and the
constant conflict between the Protestants and Catholics over the rule
of Ireland into the story, and at the same time effortlessly
incorporating all this into a credible mystery. Death on the Holy Mountain
is a terrific novel and highly recommended.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Death on the Holy Mountain and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
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ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-0945-8 (9780786709458)
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ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1110-9 (9780786711109)
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ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1306-6 (9780786713066)
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ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1492-6 (9780786714926)
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ISBN-10: 0-7867-1897-8 (0786718978)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1897-9 (9780786718979)
Death on the
Holy Mountain
Soho Constable (Hardcover), April 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-503-2 (1569475032)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-503-4 (9781569475034)
Omnimystery keywords for Death on the Holy Mountain
...
Location(s) referenced: Ireland.