The Unquiet Land:
A Novel of Medieval Ireland
Mairead ní Cormac lives in Clonmacnoise, the great monastic community at the center of Ireland. Her family appreciates good ballads and she thrills at accounts of glorified and heroic violence, little thinking she will find a knife in her hand and the need to use it. But Ireland is a place of violent confrontation— among the Irish clans, and with the encroaching armies of the English crown.
In a land of intellectual and religious devotion that still vibrates with the rhythms of ancient beliefs, Mairead is surrounded by Crusader knights, clan chieftains, abbots and bards, and learns a useful craft from an herbalist nun. Despite their devout Catholicism, most of the residents of Clonmacnoise still believe that fairies live just beneath the surface of the landscape.
From Clonmacnoise to the far West of Ireland, to the scholastic city of Oxford, Mairead must make decisions that decide life and death, peace or war, and freedom or bondage.
Mary Malloy is the author of three previous novels and four works of non-fiction history.
Other Works from Mary Malloy
“Malloy makes an impressive fiction debut, mixes history and fantasy with flair and delivers a wonderfully satisfying puzzler.”
--Publisher’s Weekly
“Throughout the book, Malloy's use of medieval tales, the Knights Templar history, ancient artifacts, and naval history deftly guide the reader deeper into the character and her motivations. As she solves one mystery, another one looms larger and more terrifying, eradicating any chance of reprieve from the tension. This novel itself reads like a seafaring voyage--full of swift turns, unknown frontiers and the desire to answer the big questions we all ask ourselves."
--Foreward Magazine
“This unconventional mystery will satisfy those who enjoy intellectual puzzles like Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time.”
--Publisher’s Weekly
“Malloy demonstrates a real flair for weaving an engrossing historical puzzle. Carefully assembling her story, she gently reels us in.”
--Library Journal: Starred Review for December, 2013
“Malloy’s questing intellect and fertile imagination will keep mystery readers entertained for years to come. She tells a great tale.”
-- Cape Cod Times
