The Assassin's Prayer

I enjoy this mystery series for its strong female protagonist and its setting during the reign of King Henry II, but unfortunately, this installment fell short. King Henry charges Adelia Aguilar with watching over his daughter Joanna's health during her procession to Italy to meet her future husband. Things start going wrong right away, and the reader is almost immediately clued into the presence of a figure from the previous book, who was presumed dead. It took forever to identify the evildoer in their midst, and the reveal felt anticlimactic. The development of Adelia's storyline kept me interested and left me hanging off the cliff, so I will definitely return for the final book in the series.

So I didn't realize until I found it on GoodReads that this is a middle book a series. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy to just jump into as Murder in Chinatown, so I'm giving up.

That said, I absolutely loved the opening. It started out with an intense free-for-all soccer/football/rugby game that everyone got wrapped up in. It was a great scene! There also was a pretty good diverse cast of characters--the main character was a Sicilian woman, her partner-in-medicine was an Arab eunuch, and there was definite differentiation between the different groups of people living in England. But I just couldn't jump on board with characters that had a lot of history when I didn't know anything about them, was a bit put off by the fact that show more Excalibur just appeared out of nowhere, and was disgusted to find that while a bishop's affair was condoned a gay couple was shoved to the forefront as the villains--and the fact that they'd been lovers was the first thing mentioned about them. They better have had a decent showing earlier in the series.

For the record, the reason I am putting this down is because it's a later installment in a series and I can't get on board in the middle. It has nothing to do with the "fact" that, as some random sexist old guy on the subway said, "Women don't write the best murders." Ugh! show less

In this fourth installment of the Mistress of the Art of Death series of medieval mysteries, King Henry II of England commands Adelia to accompany his ten year old daughter, Princess Joanna, on her trip to Sicily to marry it’s king, William II. He trusts both her medical knowledge and her skill at mysteries to keep his daughter safe from harm. At first elated to be returning to the country where she was raised, her elation turns to despair when Henry tells her that he will be keeping her daughter Allie in England to insure Adelia’s return. At best, the trip will take months and Adelia has no wish to be separated from her daughter for so long. There is no denying a king his wishes, however, and Allie and her nurse Glytha are left in show more care of Queen Eleanor. But Joanna is not the only treasure to be kept safe on this journey; Henry is secretly sending the sword Excalibur to William. Not just valuable for its jewels, it represents England and the possessor would have a strong rallying point. Given how Henry’s sons kept trying to take the throne from him, that even could be fatal for him. And what no one realizes is that also on this trip is Adelia’s sworn enemy, one who wishes her both disgraced and dead.

Odd, unpleasant events begin to happen before the group even sets out. At first they seem like accidents, but things get more suspicious. And as the group starts to think of the events as deliberate, they also find that the only one with known motive is Adelia… and they could have only been done by witchcraft. With the Inquisition just getting started, this could lead to a very bad end for Adelia- and it almost does. No one- except nature- makes an attempt on Joanna’s life, but Adelia is in constant peril right up to the end.

This novel is darker in tone than the first three. Europe is falling under the Inquisition and the Christian Crusaders are trying to elimate Moslims. Even Sicily, where Adelia was raised and educated, is falling to prejudice. Women will no longer be allowed to be doctors. Mixed marriages will no longer be allowed. This is as horrifying to Adelia as her own flesh and blood enemy is, and it’s something that she cannot cure. Franklin backs up her mystery stories with solid historical research.The action in the book never lets up, and the cliffhanger ending leaves us screaming “No, no, no!!!” and hoping that book five comes out very soon. show less

The fourth "Mistress of the Art of Death" mystery in the ongoing series, this book was a grave (!) disappointment. To my *intense* irritation, Franklin chose to reveal the identity of the murderer for sure and certain on p19.

I ask you...page nineteen...what in Satan's name (appropriate to the case, here, as Scarry-the-Satanist is the killer) possessed her to do that?! And what addlepated editor thought it was a good idea?!

One whole star off for that.

I was still reeling from that blow when I got the next one: Road trip! Another outing for the Mistress of the Art of Death, traipsing off to do Henry's bidding, only this time it's to Sicily. Yes, that Sicily, the true home of Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, and the home of her beloved show more parents! Only Henry, not being any sort of a fool, keeps Adelia's and Rowley's daughter in the care of Eleanor as a hostage for Adelia's safe return to England and his service.

Now the last time there was a road trip, remember, was Adelia sloshing to and fro in frozen fenlands, to not much purpose. Now we have her on an international trip. My spirits sank into my sandals. Another half star off.

So I trudge on through the book, depressed because I already know who killed all the dead folk that keep appearing, and irked every time I see italics because that's Scarry-the-killer being shoved at me, and only keeping on with the reading because I like the story...the factual wedding procession of Henry and Eleanor's daughter Joanna to William d'Hautville's Kingdom of Sicily.

The adventures of Adelia, Ulf, Mansur, and some new characters who will feature prominently in future books, as they encounter Cathars, Catholics, and Countesses who help, hinder, and attempt to murder them, kept me turning pages. I wasn't happy about it, but I was doing it. "Every series has its duds," I explained to my dog as she demanded that I put the book down and pet her at 2a last night. "Just have to power through this one." The dog was unimpressed. She bit the dust jacket.

Then we get to Sicily. The wedding of resolute little Joanna and feckless, pretty William was nicely rendered, and the descriptions of Palermo were a joy. Then came the last chapter, a chase scene like the one that climaxes the movie "Charade", which is an all-time favorite of mine. Events unspool, there is a shocking, shocking attempted murder, and the end of the book is just dazzlingly exciting. I put back a tenth of a star. But damn the woman! This could have been a four-and-a-half star read, if she'd just left the whole Scarry-talks-to-us thing in the bin where it belonged!

*aaargh* read the damned thing if you're already in the series, but otherwise save yourself from the agonies of the immersion into the twelfth century, so complete and so fully absorbing...read Agatha Christie instead, she never even feints at fairness to her readers. show less

This is the fourth in a series of 12th century mysteries by veteran author Ariana Franklin (who also has written under the name of Diana Norman). Her main character is Sicilian-born Adelia Aguilar, a trained physician who is sent to Henry II's England in response to the latter's request for someone with the skills to cure illness and investigate mysterious deaths. Over the eight or so years covered in the previous books, Adelia has built a new life for herself and her young daughter, when Henry announces he wants her to travel back to Sicily, this time in the train of his daughter, Princess Joanna, who is going to marry the king.

The problem? An enemy from Adelia's past, now playing a new role, will be among the large party of nobles show more and clergy -- and he won't stop at anything to exact his revenge on her, even if it means taking the lives of others. Adelia's narrative is the main one in the book, but Franklin occasionally lets the reader glimpse the inside of the mind of "Scarry" as he plots, Machiavelli-like, Adelia's downfall. It's also great to try and figure out which one of the princess's entourage is the figure from Adelia's past, who she herself can only recall as a dimly seen figure dressed as an outlaw in the forest.

This is a historically fascinating read, as the journey and Adelia's adventures take her through not only Norman France but south to Aquitaine and then to the Languedoc, just as the Cathars are beginning to be persecuted for heresy, before reaching its climax in Palermo. This meets my test of being a "thumping good read", and while the first book in this series is excellent, I found myself enjoying this one more, simply because of the fascinating backdrop of Joanna's real-life journey to Sicily. I wouldn't recommend reading this without having read previous books, however, as too many plot and character details will be obscure. 4.5 stars. show less

Well, she has done it again, another fabulous historical thriller by Ariana Franklin! Mistress of the art of death and medical doctor, Adelia Aguilar is sent on another mission for the king, Henry the II. This time she must accompany Henry's ten year old daughter, Joanna, in a royal procession across Europe to Palermo to marry the King of Sicily. She is responsible for Joanna's health during the journey. Adelia is heartbroken as she must leave her own small daughter behind but Henry's request is an order. It is 1176 and there is an uneasy truce between Henry and his rebellious son, Richard( later Richard the Lionheart) who rules Aquitaine. But there is a murderer in the group seeking revenge and as they travel, suspicious deaths begin show more to occur.
At that time Sicily was ruled by a Norman king and the story takes place during the brief but glittering rule of Norman kings in portions of southern Italy. Palermo was a thriving metropolitan city where Latin, Greek, Arab and Jew lived together in relative peace. The posionous intolerance of the Latin Catholic church was however begining to wreak havoc in the peace and prosperity of this society. Another historical novel that takes place in Palermo during this time period is The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth published in 2006. It is an excellent read (see my review).
Fans of Ariana Franklin will revel in this newest addition to the adventures of Adelia Aguilar. show less

This was my favorite so far in the Mistress of the Art of Death Series. Perhaps historical purists would have a problem with the premise -- a female Sicilian physician in the service of Henry II of England is sent by him to accompany his daughter to Sicily for marriage -- but I don't care. I imagine the speech is insanely anachronistic. I still don't care. I care about these characters and what happens to them and Franklin tells a great tale. The crimes don't seem too contrived or implausible. Here's hoping Franklin has a lot more adventures in store for Adelia.