Hide this

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Serpent's Tale (US) / The Death Maze…
Loading...

The Serpent's Tale (US) / The Death Maze (UK) (2008)

by Ariana Franklin

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Mistress of the Art of Death (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,129676,587 (3.88)171

None.

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

English (65)  Italian (1)  German (1)  All languages (67)
Showing 1-5 of 65 (next | show all)
This is a 12th century mystery with a compelling heroine. Adelia Aguilar, who was trained as a pathologist, has to disguise her knowledge for fear of being called a witch. This novel is interesting and well-written, and it does a good job of dramatizing the various roles of medieval Englishwomen. King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are among the characters. ( )
  astrologerjenny | Apr 25, 2013 |
This is a 12th century mystery with a compelling heroine. Adelia Aguilar, who was trained as a pathologist, has to disguise her knowledge for fear of being called a witch. This novel is interesting and well-written, and it does a good job of dramatizing the various roles of medieval Englishwomen. King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are among the characters. ( )
  astrologerjenny | Apr 24, 2013 |
I will pick up just about any book and give it a chance. I will read horror stories about a lot of things. I drew the line today though. In the very first chapter a woman threw a live cat in a vat of boiling water and closed the lid. It screeched. Why am I drawing the line here? I've read worse about humans. I think I must like animals more. I don't think that says anything good about me but I don't care. I've convinced myself the rest of this is just drivel I don't need to hear.

Also this line might not have been drawn on a different day in different circumstances but that's just your dumb luck Ariana Franklin. ( )
  E.J | Apr 3, 2013 |
I enjoyed this second outing for Adelia, mistress of the art of death, as she investigates the death of Henry II's mistress, Fair Rosamund, and becomes embroiled in a rebellion by Eleanor of Aquitaine. Still not as good as City of Shadows, and marred by consistent grammatical errors. ( )
  auntieknickers | Apr 3, 2013 |
The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin
Book #2 in the Mistress of the Art of Death
4 Stars

Synopsis:
A forensic scientist in medieval times, Adelia Aguilar finds herself embroiled in another case of murder and politics when King Henry II's mistress is poisoned. Adeila must discover the murderer's identity before she and her loved ones are caught up in the civil war that threatens to break out between Henry and his rebellious wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Review:
Gets off to a slow start but increases in pace and tension and packs a huge wallop at the end. Adelia is one of my favorite characters. Her intelligence and fierce independence are awe inspiring and I really enjoy reading about her love/hate relationship with Rowley Picot, now the Bishop of Saint Albans.
The political machinations that constitute the basis for the murder plot may be a little confusing at times, especially for those unfamiliar with English history in that period. Nevertheless, the basic motives of greed and ambition come through quite clearly. I must say that the identity of the assassin caught me by surprise. He turns out to be the one character I never suspected.
Recommendation: An interesting and entertaining read. I am eagerly looking forward to the next one. ( )
  Lauren2013 | Apr 2, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 65 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ariana Franklinprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Frąc, CezaryTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gębicka-Frąc, MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rijsewijk, Erica vanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Timmermann, KlausTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wasel, UlrikeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Yoshizawa, YasukoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Series (with order)
Canonical title
Original title
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to the English one.
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
To Dr. Mary Lynch, MD., FRCP, FRCPI, consultant cardiologist. My literally heartfelt thanks.
First words
The two men's voices carried down the tunnels with reverberations that made them indistinguishable but, even so, gave the impression of a business meeting.
Quotations
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to the English one.
"Dum vivimus, vivamus," he said. "Let us live while we live. I subscribe to the Epicureans." - "Do you know the mortality rate among Epicureans?"
Eleanor leaned forward, cupping her ear again, then stood back. "Demons? Belial?." She turned to her audience. "The woman threatens me with Belial. My dear, I married him."
Henry swived more women than most men had hot dinners. "Literally, a father to his people," Rowley had said of him once, with pride.
Life was sacred; nobody knew that better than a doctor who dealt with its absence.
That didn't get any applause either, but from somewhere deep into the congregation, someone farted. Loudly. The men-at-arms turned their heads this way and that, looking for a culprit. But, though a shiver swept though the crowd, every face remained stolid. How I love the English, Adelia thought.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
aka The Death Maze
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Publisher series

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

Book description
The Fair Rosamund, mistress of King Henry II, has died a suspicious death -- and the king thinks his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, may be behind it. If Eleanor really is guilty, the result could be all-out civil war in England. Henry must summon medical examiner Dr. Adelia Aguilar, "mistress of the art of death," out of retirement to uncover the truth.
Haiku summary
Lovely Rosamund
Lies poisoned; did jealous Queen
Eleanor do it?
(passion4reading)
Doctor to the dead
Adelia must prevent
All-out civil war.
(passion4reading)

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0399154647, Hardcover)

Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of historical fiction in the enthralling second novel in the Mistress of the Art of Death series, featuring medieval heroine Adelia Aguilar. Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison-and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund's murder is probably the first move in Eleanor's long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth. Adelia is not happy to be called out of retirement. She has been living contentedly in the countryside, caring for her infant daughter, Allie. But Henry's summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king's trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans, who is also her baby's father. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan's home, in a tower within a walled labyrinth-a strange and sinister place from the outside, but far more so on the inside, where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia's investigation is cut short by the appearance of Rosamund's rival: Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken captive by Eleanor's henchmen and held in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is holed up for the winter with her band of mercenaries, awaiting the right moment to launch their rebellion. Isolated and trapped inside the nunnery by the snow and cold, Adelia and Rowley watch as dead bodies begin piling up. Adelia knows that there may be more than one killer at work, and she must unveil their true identities before England is once again plunged into civil war . . .

(retrieved from Amazon Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:03:46 -0400)

(see all 7 descriptions)

Ordered by Henry II to establish the possible role of Eleanor of Aquitaine in the poisoning death of Henry's mistress, a reluctant Adelia Aguilar joins forces with her infant daughter's father, the Bishop of St. Albans, during the investigation.

» see all 5 descriptions

Quick Links

Swap Ebooks Audio
14 avail.
172 wanted
5 pay6 pay

Popular covers

Rating

Average: (3.88)
0.5
1 2
1.5 2
2 10
2.5 8
3 71
3.5 40
4 146
4.5 25
5 75

Audible.com

Three editions of this book were published by Audible.com.

See editions

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

Help/FAQs | About | Privacy/Terms | Blog | Contact | LibraryThing.com | APIs | WikiThing | Common Knowledge | Legacy Libraries | 81,912,384 books!