A Murderous Procession

A Mistress of the Art of Death Novel

By: Ariana Franklin

Narrated by: Jill Tanner

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

National best-selling author Ariana Franklin resumes her Mistress of the Art of Death series with A Murderous Procession. In 1176, King Henry II’s daughter is set to marry the king of Sicily. But when several wedding guests are murdered during the procession, Adelia must uncover who is behind the killings and who is the killer’s real target.

©2010 Ariana Franklin (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

bratty so called heroine

While I love this series I can't help but dislike Adelia. She's a spoiled brat who at the end knows she is in danger yet she goes off on her own without a thought or care for herself or those who care about her. All this from a supposedly smart woman.

A terrific series

What made the experience of listening to A Murderous Procession the most enjoyable?

This is a fascinating period of history and these books do a great job of respecting historical fact while weaving a story around what is actually known.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adelia is a strong, intelligent woman who had to learn how to pursue her passion for medicine within the repressive constraints of her time.

What about Jill Tanner’s performance did you like?

The author does a wonderful job of giving the reader an insight into the late Middle Ages, making it more "real" than just the dates, names and events that are taught in history classes.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I enjoyed the narrator's performance.

Any additional comments?

I'm so sorry that the author has died and that there won't be more books in the series.

I love this series!

This was possibly the weakest link in the series so far, but I still have no regrets in purchasing it. I just love these characters and the twists and turns in the plot and their lives are gripping.

Death so Grand!

Franklin has done her research and does a great job of embellishment. As a history buff, I enjoyed the description and annotations of everyday life in those times. The twists and turns keep you hanging on and wanting more.
Jill Tanner does a great job as a narrator of these stories. Never bringing the present into her voice or intonations.
Hoping for more!

The reader makes a huge difference

I adore this series and always look forward to listening to the books. And yet this time, with the new reader, it took me longer to immerse myself in the story and get beyond the reader. She annoyed the heck out of me with the voice of Scary and I wanted to smack her and tell her that I'm not a 4yo and don't need the over dramatization. Every time the reader pronounced Adelia's friend Mansuer (sp?) I wanted for her to have listened to previous audio books so that the name was pronounced consistently. This was almost one of the books that was ruined for me simply by the reader. Ultimately however, the story won out and I was glad I finished it.

Can't believe she's dead!

I have really enjoyed this series! I do wish all the books had been read by the same narrator, but they all were very good, once I got passed the different name pronunciations. I think Adelia is my second-favorite heroine after Outlander's Claire! So when I finished this book that ended with... if not exactly a cliffhanger, then definitely leaving you wanting to know what happens next, I got on line to find out if there was a release date for #5 only to learn that the author is DEAD! Granted, she was 80, but STILL! I do realize it's fiction but I'm still left feeling like these characters are still out there having adventures but that there's nobody to tell me about them!

A disappointment, but an end

The saga of the Mistress of Death was taken over by another author, closely connected to Ariana Franklin. This story just didn't cut it. The main characters were so powerful in the beginning, and by the end of this, the fourth book, they became really uninteresting. I'm glad I finished the series but I wish it were much more satisfying than it was.
The reader was not engaging at all.

Fabulous Story

What would have made A Murderous Procession better?

I really enjoyed each previous book in the series. Unfortunately i did not find the narrator on par with the previous two. The characters were not distinct and I had to wait for the narrator to say who said what before I could tell what was going on. Very disappointing. If I had not enjoyed the series so much I would not have purchased this one.

What didn???t you like about Jill Tanner???s performance?

I did not think the narrator suited this book. The previous narrators gave a life to the characters and fleshed them out with tone, inflection and accents. I would not have purchased the book had it not been for it being the last of a great series. I found the narration took away from the experience and found that I just wanted to get through the book.