It is 1509 and, for the people of the Burren in western Ireland, the Michaelmas Fair is a joyous time for trade and celebration, signaling the start of autumn. It's a chance to gather, buy and sell their wares, and pay tribute to the lord of their clans. But this year is different. The greedy steward of the MacNamara clan has decided to raise the amount demanded for its tribute, and it's not long before tempers are running high. When the steward is found beaten to death in the local churchyard, it falls upon Mara, the Burren's Brehon Judge, to piece the puzzle together. Was it revenge, greed, or something more sinister that motivated the murder? When another body is discovered and alleged a suicide, Mara is unconvinced. And despite the distraction of a surprising offer of marriage, it is up to her to bring the killer to justice before there can be yet another death.

This book provides a detailed overview of the law and policy related to unlawful killings and the right to life. It is organized into the key thematic issues and types of killings that arose during the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions between 2004-2016. Each chapter contains an introductory overview and selected extracts from UN Special Rapporteur reports to the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council and other normative work, and covers the applicable international law, policy considerations, and common fact scenarios. Philip Alston held the mandate of United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions between 2004 and 2010; Christof Heyns did so from 2010 to 2016. This book was created to provide easy access to the work of the Special Rapporteurs, and to be a useful guide for those studying and working to promote respect for human rights. The book was edited by the two rapporteurs, together with their main advisors during their tenure as mandate holders, Sarah Knuckey and Thomas Probert.

Was Princess Diana, arguably the most famous woman of the modern age, really murdered or was her death a tragic accident? "I found it difficult simply to accept that what happened in Paris was 'just one of those tragic things' and has it happened, the jury at the inquest agreed." - Michael Mansfield QC

In 1509, in the kingdom of the Burren, people lived according to the ancient customs and Brehon laws of their ancestors. The Michaelmas Fair: a time for trade and celebration. A chance for the people of the Burren to gather, buy and sell their wares and give tribute to the lord of their clans. When the steward of the MacNamara clan demands more, tempers run high. Then the steward's body is found in the local churchyard; he's been beaten to death. Was it revenge, greed or something more sinister that led to his murder? Mara tries to piece the puzzle together but, distracted by thoughts of the King's surprising offer of marriage, nothing seems to make sense. Is Mara prepared to give up her position as Brehon to become Queen? And will she be able to bring the killer to justice before they strike again...

In the sixteenth century, as it is now, the Burren, on the western seaboard of Ireland, was a land of gray stone forts, fields of rich green grass, and swirling mountain terraces. It was also home to an independent kingdom that lived peacefully by the ancient Brehon laws of their forebears. On the first eve of May, 1509, hundreds of people from the Burren climbed the gouged-out limestone terraces of Mullaghmore Mountain to celebrate the great May Day festival, lighting a bonfire and singing and dancing through the night, then returning through the gray dawn to the safety of their homes. But one man did not come back down the steeply spiralling path. His body lay exposed to the ravens and wolves on the bare, lonely mountain for two nights . . . and no one spoke of him, or told what they had seen. And when Mara, a woman appointed by King Turlough Don O'Brien to be judge and lawgiver to the stony kingdom, came to investigate, she was met with a wall of silence . . .

The autumn has come to the Burren - a time of harvest, of gathering for the winter to come, the end of summer for most and the end of life for others. When Mara attends the funeral of a local priest of the Burren, the last things she expects is the corpse of a man stung to death by bees, found on the church steps. Sorley the silversmith was a greedy and distrusted man. There would be no shortage of people who wanted him dead but who really stood to profit from his murder? As Mara investigates she must use all her cunning and prowess as a lady judge to bring the sting of justice to a killer with hatred in their hearts and murder on their mind.

A true crime story of the murder of a young Palestinian girl who assimilated into American culture instead of conforming to traditional Muslim values.

The murdered body of Sorcha the prophetess is discovered following a lavish banquet at the Maguire castle in 16th-century Ireland. In the present day, a dig commences on the land, and not only is a body discovered, but a sheaf of prophecies. Who killed Sorcha? There has been a guesthouse on the Tierney land in County Fermanagh for hundreds of years. Now Tierney’s Hotel is faced with a development that will block the hotel’s best feature, its view of Enniskillen Castle. But the project can be stopped if there are important historical artifacts buried on the property. Enter the archaeologists. Mick’s ancestor, Brigid Tierney, ran the guesthouse in the late 1500s. We see Brigid and Shane and their children at a lavish banquet at the castle, home of the ruling family, the Maguires. The wine and ale flow freely, the harpist plays, the bard recites the Maguires’ heroic deeds. But one woman has a sense of foreboding. Sorcha the prophetess sees harrowing times ahead. The Tudors of England are determined to complete their brutal conquest of Ireland. The morning after the banquet, Sorcha is found dead on a bed of oak leaves. And Shane is accused of the killing. His lawyer, Terence, conducts his defence on the hilltop that constitutes the court in 1595. Ireland has had a complex and at times woeful history, and we see that history being played out in the lives of the Tierneys, past and present. In 2018, the dig commences on Mick Tierney’s land. Historical artifacts? Yes. But also a sheaf of prophecies. And a body ― a bogman ― four hundred years old.

A Mystery of Medieval Ireland 1510. A great feast is being held. Into a crowd listening to the story of Balor, the one-eyed god, come two strangers. The younger of the two, Larla, bears a letter that claims that the wealthy Ardal O'Lochlainn is his true father, which Ardal vociferously denies. So when Larla is found dead, with one eye missing, some think he was killed by the god, but most suspect Ardal. Mara, the Brehon of the Burren, is called to investigate.