The Michaelmas Fair is a time for the people of the Burren to gather together, buy and sell their wares, and give tribute to the lord of their clans. This year there's an undercurrent of anger - the new lord of the MacNamara clan has raised the tribute and his greedy steward Ragnall MacNamara, is not making himself a popular man. When his body is found in the churchyard, Mara is called to investigate. Was it revenge, greed or something more sinister? Then another body is discovered, apparently a suicide. But Mara is not convinced and it's up to her, as the judge and lawgiver, to uncover who the killer is before they strike again...