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Loading... Mistress of the Art of Deathby Ariana FranklinSeries: The Mistress of the Art of Death Series (book 1)
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Really enjoyed this. Forensics meets the 1400s. Not super deep, but some interesting things to think about in terms of how women were limited by their gender.  Readermom68 | Oct 6, 2009 |  It has been a long time since I read a mystery that has drawn me in so completely. I enjoyed the wonderfully varied characters, and especially loved the history the author incorporated into the story. The 1100's is not 'just' a basic backdrop for the story, but instead is richly detailed and pulls the reader into the story as much as the characters and plot. Ariana Franklin weaves history and fiction together in this novel almost seamlessly. After reading this book I immediately went out to get the next book in the series. (  ) dcolby | Sep 9, 2009 | I was both delighted and entertained by Ariana Franklin's "Mistress of the Art of Death" After reading some other reviews of the book, I realized that some readers were less than pleased with the plausibility of a woman in the role of a forensic investigator. In addition, the romance between Adelia and Rowley bothered the more feminist readers, who disliked the fact that she went all "girly" when he came into the picture and she was able to sort out her feelings. Despite what may be considered flaws by some, I can only say that I fully enjoyed this suspenseful novel. The characters were fully fleshed and the scientific and medical facts provided an intriguing background to the mystery of the murdered children. I know that I like a book when I can't stop reading and turning pages even when it's time to cook supper or get up for work. If you like mystery, suspense, forensics and a feisty main character, you will like this book. I was thrilled to find out that there are more books in the series. Right now I am reading another book by the same author, although not one that is part of the series featuring Adelia. ( ) mmignano11 | Sep 9, 2009 | The author does, I think, a great job of spending just enough time bolstering the ridiculous premise - essentially, female forensic anthropologist (obviously not called that) solving crimes in the twelfth century - to make it plausible enough that we know she (Franklin) is aware of the ridiculousness of it, and then is like, "Okay, got that? We're running with it," and the running-with-it works. I really did like this. However, dog lovers BEWARE. I had a Very Bad Feeling upon the introduction of a canine character, and that feeling turned out to be completely justified. Which means I will never re-read this book, or, for that matter, anything else by this author. atheist_goat | Aug 28, 2009 | This is the very popular book about Adelia, a woman doctor who traveled to Cambridge, England from Solerno, Sicily in the 12th century as part of an investigative team looking into the disappearance and death of several local children. Adelia is specially trained to examine bodies and interpret clues as to the timing, location, and circumstances of death. The story is fabulous - very suspenseful, fast paced, interesting characters and setting. The historical aspect is a little suspect in that Adelia and her close companions are strangely modern in their attitudes about women and religion and in their understanding of disease and medicine. However, the rest of the setting conveys the feeling of the middle ages - the role of the church in society, the importance of the crusades, the hardness and filth of life, the fear of plague - even if it isn't completely accurate. I loved it. (  )1  sjmccreary | Aug 27, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0399154140, Hardcover)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 . .(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:17 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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