Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

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Somebody is killing the Christian children of Cambridge. In 12th-century England, Jews are obvious scapegoats for such outrages, but in this case, King Henry II hesitates to prosecute whole groups of potential taxpayers. To quell the uproar, he secretly summons a female coroner to track down the real culprits. As City of Shadows author Arianna Franklin leads us through the brutal realities of feudal life, we follow plot twists as tight as merchant paths in ancient cities. A masterfully crafted historical whodunit.

From the Publisher

A chilling, mesmerizing novel that combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of historical fiction

In medieval Cambridge, England, four children have been murdered. The crimes are immediately blamed on the town's Jewish community, taken as evidence that Jews sacrifice Christian children in blasphemous ceremonies. To save them from the rioting mob, the king places the Cambridge Jews under his protection and hides them in a castle fortress. King Henry I is no friend of the Jews-or anyone, really-but he is invested in their fate. Without the taxes received from Jewish merchants, his treasuries would go bankrupt. Hoping scientific investigation will exonerate the Jews, Henry calls on his cousin the King of Sicily-whose subjects include the best medical experts in Europe-and asks for his finest "master of the art of death," an early version of the medical examiner. The Italian doctor chosen for the task is a young prodigy from the University of Salerno. But her name is Adelia-the king has been sent a mistress of the art of death.

Adelia and her companions-Simon, a Jew, and Mansur, a Moor-travel to England to unravel the mystery of the Cambridge murders, which turn out to be the work of a serial killer, most likely one who has been on Crusade with the king. In a backward and superstitious country like England, Adelia must conceal her true identity as a doctor in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Along the way, she is assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, one of the king's tax collectors, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. Rowley may be a needed friend, or the fiend for whom they are searching. As Adelia's investigation takes her into Cambridge's shadowy river paths and behind the closed doors of its churches and nunneries, the hunt intensifies and the killer prepares to strike again...

The New York Times - Marilyn Stasio

… the lonely figure who truly stands out in Franklin’s vibrant tapestry of medieval life is King Henry — an enlightened monarch condemned to live in dark times.

Publishers Weekly

Had Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael been born a few decades later, he might have found a worthy associate and friend in Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar of Salerno, a short and short-tempered medieval coroner hired in secret by King Henry II to find out who's behind the horrific murders of Christian children in Cambridge, England. Prominent local Jews stand accused; Henry wants them freed, mostly for the sake of their tax revenue. As Adelia examines the children's bodies and gets to know the people of Cambridge, she has no trouble assembling a long list of suspects, but she encounters considerable difficulty trying to narrow it down, a struggle in which the reader gladly joins her. Not all of the plot twists are surprising and the romantic subplot is an unnecessary afterthought, but Franklin (City of Shadows) has developed a skillful blend of historical fact and gruesome fiction that's more than sufficient to keep readers interested and entertained. (Feb.)

Library Journal

It is 1171 in Cambridge, England, and Henry II is beside himself. Four children have been found murdered and mutilated, and the townsfolk of Cambridge are blaming the Jews, who have taken shelter in the castle. King Henry is less concerned about the murderer than the tax revenue he is losing while the Jewish community languishes in the fortress. He appeals to the king of Sicily to send him a master of the art of death-one who can look at the deceased and determine how he or she died. Adelia, a mistress of this art, arrives with a group of returning pilgrims. Along with a eunuch escort named Mansur and Simon of Naples, a Jew with an affinity for detection, she must piece together the mystery of these hideous crimes before the monster kills again. In her second historical novel (after City of Shadows), Franklin (the pen name of British writer Diana Norman) presents a fascinating character in Adelia, who is odd for her era and profession yet familiar in her flaws and complexity. This novel will surely please mystery fans as well as lovers of historical fiction. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/06.]-Anna M. Nelson, Collier Cty. P.L., Naples, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

CSI meets The Canterbury Tales. After an unexceptional debut (City of Shadows, 2006), Franklin hits commercial paydirt with this criminal investigation drama set in 12th-century England. Led by "doctor to the dead" Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar-Adelia for short-the trio also includes Simon of Naples ("agent, investigator, go-between, reconnoitrer, spy") and Mansur, Adelia's bodyguard and servant, who is also a Muslim and a eunuch. Trained at the Salerno School of Medicine, Adelia is a brilliant forensic pathologist, but in superstitious England she risks denunciation as a witch. The three are commanded, however-by whom is a mystery-to investigate the brutal murder of four children in Cambridge, deaths that are being blamed on the Jews, whose resultant persecution is disrupting society and business. Adelia's scrutiny of the corpses hints at a serial killer with a taste for mutilation and woven quincunxes. Other clues suggest the culprit may be among the latest group of pilgrims to have returned from Canterbury, although a couple of crusaders, including burly tax collector Sir Rowley Picot, also fall under suspicion. Then Simon is murdered and Adelia finds an unexpected ally in Sir Rowley, who reveals he has been pursuing a child-murderer. Softened by Simon's death, Adelia also realizes she is falling for Sir Rowley. After pestilence at the convent and the kidnapping of Ulf, the housekeeper's son, there's a showdown on Wandlebury Hill and the villain is torn to pieces by a pack of hounds. Patchy pacing and anachronisms aside, Franklin has devised an appealing amalgam of genres. The second Adelia story already has a title and plot. A potentially winning formula, delivered withpanache. First printing of 150,000. Agent: Helen Heller/Helen Heller Literary Agency

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