Mistress of the Art of Death

A Novel

By: Ariana Franklin

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The national best-selling hit hailed by the New York Times as a "vibrant medieval mystery...[it] outdoes the competition."

In medieval Cambridge, England, Adelia, a female forensics expert, is summoned by King Henry II to investigate a series of gruesome murders that has wrongly implicated the Jewish population, yielding even more tragic results.

As Adelia's investigation takes her behind the closed doors of the country's churches, the killer prepares to strike again.

©2007 Ariana Franklin (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"A fabulous read...irresistible." (New York Daily News)

"Vivid and engaging...succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime thriller. [A] terrific book...with a dozen twists." (Diana Gabaldon, Washington Post)

"One of the most compelling, suspenseful mysteries I've read in years." (New York Times best-selling author Sharon Kay Penman)

Cadfel with a kick

Sure, it's another medieval tale of mysterious murder, but it's well done. I enjoyed the pieces of verity and the story. If you don't go looking to dislike it, you'll enjoy it more than you expect. The portrayal of the king of england is especially pleasant as well as the reality of how justice was performed (more or less) in a time when it was new. At it's heart, it's a who dunnit with a little more sensetivity.

You too will learn to love Henry II

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

An enjoyable story

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Nice twists and turns and an unexpected romance. Your heart will break at the ordeals suffered and survived by these characters.

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

Awesome read. Lovely voice - do not get attached, they change the narrator

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I learned more than I knew before about Henry Plantagenet

Excellent

Stands out from the crowd of mysteries and historical fiction. Very good writing, memorable characters and doesn’t feel like I’ve heard it before. Well done.

Good read, not outstanding

This is a pretty good read and the story isn't bad but it's definitely not in the same class of historical fiction as C.J. Sansom, Umberto Eco, Robert Harris or Ken Follett. It turns into a pretty lurid bodice ripper towards the end, which is a pity, but I guess a lot of the ladies will enjoy it for that. Even so, it's a lot better than Ruth Downie, and the narration is excellent.

Excellent

I agree with the other positive posts about this book. I also agree with the analogy to Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta. I thought that was a positive since I love her books! If you like Cornwell and want a different "twist" you will love this book.

Thoroughly Enjoyed

What did you love best about Mistress of the Art of Death?

I love a smart, complex, difficult female lead. Well done! I'm looking forward to the next one !

Story is good, best narrator ever!

I always feel guilty giving 4-stars for a book I really enjoyed. I love historical medieval themes, huge plus for such an atypical but likable protagonist.

The narrator - I’m planning to listen to everything she’s done; I’ve never followed a narrator before! I can’t imagine anyone else making this book as pleasurable as it was, and am sure I would prefer the audio over the “book” version because of her talents. Thank you for such a good read!

Loved it

I understand why this book has received so many great reviews. It is SO good. Great mystery and and interesting look at midevil life. So sad that science wasn't able to continue on its proper path. We could be so much farther ahead.

Stuff of nightmares

Turn the clock back to 12th century England. Henry II is king and he has considerably less power compared to the Catholic Church. He is still smarting from the whipping he received after Thomas Becket s death.

Now he has another problem; four of Cambridge s children have been gruesomely murdered. The Jews have been accused and are in the castle protected from the rioting townspeople. His friend suggested he request of the King of Sicily a doctor of death. Hence Aldelia Agulare arrives in Cambridge to investigate.

Her investigation leads to the darkest side of the Church and England's aristocrats. WARNING: the murders involve
1. children
2. torture
3. highly sexual themes
4. final descriptions are explicit
If you are in the least offended, don't get the audio book. The print book may be easier to handle.

As other reviewers have noted, the b book contains anachronisms beyond the ones the author mentioned. I don't think they detracted from the story, but you may be continually annoyed.

The description are richly detailed and I learned about English history I didn't already know from other sources (Lion in Winter).

The narrator was fantastic!! I could listen to her all day.

I will be listening to her other books in this series.

Fine Story

Even knowing that there was some major anachronisms in this book, I was dragged into this tale and, willy-nilly, enjoyed it very much.

Ok-- the medieval Body Farm in Salerno was a bit much. But still, I found I could grin at the concept and go on reading an interesting twist on the familiar medieval story of William of Norwich, a young tanner's apprentice discovered slain in a wood with signs of violent death. The story is known from the writings of Thomas of Monmouth. William is made into Peter of Trumpington, whose murder sets in motion a series of events that cause Henry II to send for a Master of Death from the learned physicians of Salerno in order to set matters to right in Cambridge.

Simon of Naples, a fixer, and the titular Mistress of the Art of Death arrive in England in time to join with a group of pilgrims returning to Cambridge from the shrine of Thomas a Becket and the adventure begins.