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Title details for Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - Available

Mistress of the Art of Death

#1 in series

by Ariana Franklin
Rosalyn Landor
Audiobook
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Four savage murders . . . an elusive killer . . . and one extraordinary woman who can reveal the secrets of the dead.
In medieval Cambridge, four children have been murdered. The Catholic townsfolk blame their Jewish neighbors, so to save them from the rioting mob, the Cambridge Jews are placed under the protection of the king. Hoping scientific investigation will help catch the true killer, King Henry II 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,” the earliest form of medical examiner. The Italian doctor chosen for the task is a young prodigy from the University of Salerno, an expert in the science of anatomy and the art of detection. But her name is Adelia; the king has been sent a “mistress of the art of death.”
In a backward and superstitious country like England, Adelia faces danger at every turn. As she examines the victims and retraces their last steps, she must conceal her true identity in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. As Adelia’s investigation takes her along 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. . . .

  • Creators

  • Series

    Mistress of the Art of Death

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    February 6, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415936993
      • File size: 380801 KB
      • Duration: 13:13:20

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 4, 2006
      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.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Rosalyn Landor narrates a complex story that merges history, mystery, human rights, feminism, and a touch of romance. Adelia, who is educated in forensics of the period, is sent with a Jewish detective and Muslim eunuch bodyguard to clear the Jews of Cambridge, England, who are accused of murdering Christian children. Landor navigates the tension and tenderness of a headstrong Italian woman caught between cultures and the clash of science and religion. Landor steers listeners skillfully through Adelia's desire to understand what has taken place and her horror at the deeds of a mass murderer. Landor's portrayal reflects Adelia's struggle to maintain scientific detachment in the face of disease, death, and her attraction to a Crusader whom she suspects. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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