I enjoyed this book. I think Ms. Franklin did a wonderful job of weaving the story into the historical backdrop. Some historical fiction can become weighted down and lose the story but I think she does a good job keeping a balance. The contrasts and comparisons she provided between the different female characters highlights the limited freedoms that women had, especially as their social stature increased. It made me glad to be a woman born of this time.

A very good read, but not great. Ms. Franklin again immerses us in medieval England during the reign of Henry II in which his lover, Rosamund, is murdered and Queen Eleanor is accused. Adelia is, of course, dragged from her child rearing (actually she drags the kid with her) and tasked with finding the murderer before the country boils into yet another civil war; all in the worst winter in recent memory. No small trick.
The plot, however, is slow and somewhat contrived for the first three quarters of the book and builds reasonably well to a less than satisfying conclusion. More disappointing still is the apparent dulling of Adelia’s forensic knowledge and her inquisitive edge, or so it seemed. Perhaps it is difficult to write a tale that shines in the shadow of The Mistress of the Art of Death with its inherent novelty and surprise. Still, I look forward to the third book in the series, confident in Ms. Franklin’s prosaic abilities and her mastery of the 12th century.
I would still recommend the book and await the third. ( )

The second book in the Adelia mystery series tells the story of the death of Rosamund, the King's mistress. It is generally believed that Queen Eleanor played a part in her death and Adelia is sent to get to the bottom of it. Along the way she stumbles upon another set of murders that may or may not have to do with Rosamund's. It's quite a tangle to try and unravel for her.

This book does not quite live up the first. While the mystery(s) were intriguing they did not quite unfold in as smooth a manner. The books opens with a scene that does not involve Adelia, and it disappointed me a bit to have part of the killer's identity given away in such a manner so early on.

Adelia continues to grow as a character and we see how she reacts to motherhood and the potential danger to her child as she comes closer to finding the killers. I throroughly enjoyed the characters of the King and Queen, they are written in a way to be larger than life but done so in a way that makes them believable and natural.

Overall a good read, but I hope the third book is more in the style of the first. ( )

Second in the mystery of the art of death series. Adelia, a woman doctor who specializes in the causes of death, is still being held in England by King Henry II, who finds her too valuable to part with. She has found a great love. They have parted, but she is left with a baby daughter she adores.

Henry's mistress, Rosamund, has died from eating deadly mushrooms. His wife Eleanor is blamed for it, and the country is again on the brink of civil war - not good news in a country that endured 13 years of such a war less than twenty years previously. Adelia must find who killed Rosamund and quickly. Meanwhile the country is undergoing the most severe winter weather in memory, and it strands Adelia in Godstow Abbey with Eleanor and her fighters... and one among them in the murderer.

I adored the first book, and this one is also excellent. The only reason I didn't rate it quite as highly is that the first volume had the added value of novelty. But the second book absolutely does not suffer the "software slump" syndrome in which an author's second in a series disappoints after a great first volume.

More, more, I want more! ( )

Very slow paced until about three fourths of the way through the story. The ending comes in a rush. Adelia seems much more whiny and complaining in this story than in the first. The sense of history and peeking into the lives of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquiline is much stronger in this novel. However, either book would work for a discussion group. ( )