mistress of the art of death by ariana franklin

He needs a crack team to head up this investigation. The king wants them cleared of any suspicion that they had a hand in the deaths of the children once that end is accomplished, they can continue to practice their lucrative and useful profession. The Jews are, in effect, the kingdom’s bankers. Henry has need of the Jews because Christians are barred from the practice of lending money with interest. One prosperous moneylender has already been killed by a mob as the novel opens, his co-religionists are under royal protection, waiting out the hysteria behind castle walls. The victims were all children, and a hue and cry has been raised against the Jews of the region, in accordance with the allegations of blood libel. Mistress of the Art of Death starts out with a convoluted premise: at the request of England’s King Henry II, the King of Sicily has sent a deputation to Cambridge to investigate a series of murders. My reservations evanesced as I fell under the spell of Rosalyn Landor’s reading. As I often do in cases like this, I decided to try the audiobook. But two people whose opinion I value highly urged me to give it another shot. I was bothered mainly by the tone, which seemed ironic, with an overlay of slapstick thrown in for good measure. The first time I tried to read this novel, I didn’t make it past the first three or four pages. Januat 2:19 am ( Book review, Historical fiction, Mystery fiction) Mistress of the Art of Death, by Ariana Franklin Her characters are beguiling' ***** 'Utterly enthralling' ***** 'JUST what I want from a historical detective novel. I want to crown Ariana Franklin Queen of the Historical Mystery!' TESS GERRITSEN _ Readers are gripped by Mistress of the Art of Death: 'Unputdownable. And it is here that she attracts the attention of a murderer who is prepared to kill again. The investigation takes Adelia deep into Cambridge its castle and convents, and streets teeming with life. What the king gets is Adelia, his very own Mistress of the Art of Death. But in Cambridge a child has been murdered, others are disappearing, and King Henry has called upon a renowned Italian investigator to find the killer - fast. Her speciality is the study of corpses, a skill that must be concealed if she is to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Adelia Aguilar is a rare thing in medieval Europe - a woman who has trained as a doctor.

Winner of the CWA Best Historical Crime Novel of the Year 'Great fun! Franklin succeeds in vividly bringing the 12th century to life with this cracking good story' KATE MOSSE Medieval England.

Mistress of the art of death by ariana franklin