Behold a Pale Horse

A Mystery of Ancient Ireland

By: Peter Tremayne

Narrated by: Caroline Lennon

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

A perplexing case of murder and conspiracy in the pagan wilds of Northern Italy...

In AD 664, just after the events detailed in Shroud for the Archbishop, Fidelma of Cashel takes a unexpected detour on her trip home from Rome. While in the port at Genua (modern-day Genoa), Fidelma - sister of one Ireland’s kings and an advocate in her country’s law courts - receives word that one of her old teachers, Brother Ruadan, is reaching the end of his days.

Determined to see her old mentor one last time, Fidelma takes the treacherous journey to a remote abbey in the countryside - a place where the old pagan religion still has a hold and where even the Christians are often in bloody conflict with each other. But after she hears her dying teacher’s last words, Fidelma's most dangerous adventure has just begun. With one murder after the next and a vicious war in the offing, it is up to Fidelma, alone and on her own, to unravel an extraordinary conspiracy before it is too late.

©2011 Peter Tremayne (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Another great one, but a missed opportunity

Another great collaboration and stellar job by Caroline Lennon. But a missed opportunity: there is a very important author's note at the front of this book, that was not part of the audible performance. As all-but-this-one the books/stories follow a chronological order, its context is off without that note.

Such thin literature!

1. As someone who knows the teachings and history of Catholic Christianity well, this struck me as woefully unrealistic, and therefore painful to listen to. For Sr. Fidelma, a well-educated religious and lawyer not to know what Arianism is, is ridiculous (though she "had heard something of it"). It would be like a British intellectual having heard of, but not know what the Protestant Revolt is.
2. The vocabulary, language, and style is so simple and low-level, as are the sentiments, reactions, and thoughts of the characters. I just listened to one of Audible's versions of Manzoni's The Betrothed...What a universe of difference between them. Of course, not everyone can write such great literature, and other, lesser literature is still well-worth reading. But I couldn't even stick with the book as very light reading: I was never once taken out of myself into the story, the writing was so dull and mechanical, the things going on so insipid and dull (in their description, at least).
3. The reader has a lovely voice. But the pace and cadence are unbearable. She reads slowly when there is nothing difficult going on. And she takes pauses for no reason at all.
All-in-all, I simply could not get through the book.

Was looking for another title, was given this....

Didn't want this, they downloaded the wrong title and wasted my credit. What can you do? 🤷

5 Stars

i found this book very informative and enjoyable to listen to from the beginning to the end

very good.!

I needed to look up a gander of words but other than that easy read.