Name: Mistress of the Art of Death
ISBN: 9780399154140

Ariana Franklin

Mistress of the Art of Death

Surprising. I really enjoyed it, and although I may not read the other books in the series, I'm glad I read this one.

Kiersten

Colleen

3 Stars
 
*A slow but resourceful Historical Mystery that could have used better character development*


I've had terrible luck with female detectives in historical fiction. I want to love them, but it rarely work out. Mistress of the Art of Death was my latest attempt. Although it certainly was not as flailing as other attempts, I still didn't love it.

The premise of the story was essentially to take elements of a modern forensic thriller and set it in Medieval England. After a series of child murders, King Henry II asked his cousin the King of Sicily for his finest "master of the art of death," an early version of the medical examiner. Instead, he made the controversial choice of sending a woman. Adelia set out to solve the murders while trying to conceal her purpose enough to be executed for witchcraft – because we’re talking about the enlightened times when a woman with an education was “unnatural” enough to get accused of being a witch.

The plot was interesting as was the setting. But the characters were hard to connect with. It was seriously over halfway through the book before I felt the slightest investment in them. And that's far too long to establish character connections. Adelia was too closed off and snobbish. There were far too many reminders that her full name was Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar. And she had an obnoxious habit of talking about herself in the third person.

I will also mention that there was quite a bit of crudity and graphic content including the violence against children. Although it was not over the top graphic, I would not recommend it to sensitive readers.

The setting was well-researched and interesting. I’m always on the lookout for Historical Fiction that strays off the over-trod path of WWII novels. 


  “Man hovers between Paradise and the Pit,” Gordinus told her cheerfully. “Sometimes rising to one, sometimes swooping to the other. To ignore his capacity for evil is as obtuse as blinding oneself to the heights to which he can soar.”

The other characters were underdeveloped (probably for the purpose of obscuring the murderer). The romance also came completely out of left field. I was literally like, "wait; he's supposed to be a love interest?? We're supposed to like him?" Now, I did like them eventually, but as I mentioned, it took too long for the characters to develop. And while the mystery wrapped up satisfactorily, I wasn't content with where the characters ended up. So although I enjoyed the book overall, it will probably be a while before I read the sequel.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Connor 

This is easily the most disturbing mystery I've ever read (listened to? Shoutout to overdrive's audiobook collection), but it was also AMAZING, so it balances out. 

(Seriously though--not for the faint of heart. My word.)

Christine Bruce

Rhonda Roy

Sonia Grgas

Michael Cowell

Aubrey Hicks

Barbara

Melany Gironelli 

Emily Glasier

Kali Olson

Leah

Erin Wales

Pam Sartain

Stephanie Burns

Lea de Sousa

In Cambridge a child has been hideously murdered and other children have disappeared. The Jews, made scapegoats by the all-powerful Christian clergy, have been forced to retreat into the castle to avoid slaughter by angry townspeople. Henry, King of England, is displeased. The Jews provide a large part of his revenue and therefore the real killer must be found, and quickly. A renowned investigator, Simon of Naples, is recruited and he arrives in town from the continent accompanied by an Arab and a young woman, Adelia Aguilar. There are few female doctors in twelth century Europe, but Adelia is one of them, having qualified at the great School of Medicine in Salerno. What's more, her speciality is the study of corpses; she is, in fact, a mistress of the art of death, a skill that must be concealed in case she's accused of witchcraft. Adelia's investigation takes her deep into Cambridge, its castle and convents and in a medieval city teeming with life, Adelia makes friends and even finds romance. And, fatally, the attention of a murderer who is prepared to kill again...

Lisa Miller

Joe Woods

Chris

Silke

Mistress of the Art of Death

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