A stranger murdered in a gruesome ritual. A prophetess foretelling the return of the ancient gods.

Sister Fidelma returns in the twenty-eighth gripping Celtic mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of THE SECOND DEATH and PENANCE OF THE DAMNED.

PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FIDELMA SERIES: ''The background detail is brilliantly defined . . . wonderfully evocative'' The Times, ''A brilliant and beguiling heroine. Immensely appealing'' Publishers Weekly

Ireland, AD 671. On the eve of the pagan feast of Samhain, Brother Edulf and the warrior, Aidan, discover a man murdered in an unlit pyre in the heart of Cashel. He has been dressed in the robes of a religieux and killed by the ritualistic ''three deaths''.

When a strange woman known as Brancheó appears in a raven-feather cloak foretelling of ancient gods returning to exact revenge upon the mortal world, she is quickly branded a suspect.
But in their search for the killer, Sister Fidelma and Eadulf will soon discover a darker shadow looming over the fortress. For their investigation is linked to a book stolen from the Papal Secret Archives which could destroy the New Faith in the Five Kingdoms...and Fidelma herself will come up against mortal danger before the case is unravelled.

What readers are saying about NIGHT OF THE LIGHTBRINGER:

''The story is crisp, the characters fascinating and the reading relaxing''

''Well-researched and well-plotted with interesting characters''

''As with any Sister Fidelma book, utterly fantastic. A great read!''