The Serpent's Tale (Mistress of the Art of Death, #2)

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The Serpent's Tale (Mistress of the Art of Death #2)

by Ariana Franklin, Kate Reading (Narrator)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 5,890 ratings · 736 reviews

Adelia is back in action! Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of medieval fiction in this enthralling historical novel, the second in the Mistress of the Art of Death series.

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Published January 31st 2008 by Penguin Audio (first published January 1st 2008)

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Feb 13, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, in-by-of-england, reviewed, mystery, fantasy-sci-fi, the-knights-who-say-meh

If you want to lecture me on the unfairness of women’s treatment in twelfth century England, I recommend offering a course on the subject at some local university and making it open to the public so that I might attend. But it is unlikely that I will appear. It is not a riveting topic because, after all, we all know it already. Gee, the church didn’t like women? Really? No kidding. Huh. That’s certainly news. Wonder why I hadn’t noticed before?

Amazing stuff this information. Did you know that we...more If you want to lecture me on the unfairness of women’s treatment in twelfth century England, I recommend offering a course on the subject at some local university and making it open to the public so that I might attend. But it is unlikely that I will appear. It is not a riveting topic because, after all, we all know it already. Gee, the church didn’t like women? Really? No kidding. Huh. That’s certainly news. Wonder why I hadn’t noticed before?

Amazing stuff this information. Did you know that wealthy women were bought and sold in marriage contacts without their consent? Did you know that most women, of a certain social sphere, were either married or joined a convent? Did you know the lower down you went in the social layers, the more autonomy women had? How about this one? Henry II, King of England, married to Eleanor of Aquitaine, had a mistress.

No kidding. A King had a mistress! You mean, he cheated on his wife with another woman and that the women didn’t like each other? No! Shocking. I won’t believe it.

I don’t mean to be annoyed. I can’t help it. When authors need to tell me the obvious, I feel like they don’t trust my ability to figure things out for myself. It is just as bad when they withhold information. And, unfortunately for Ariana Franklin, she has just committed both sins.

That said; there were interesting parts to this story, including how to find a path through a maze, and what a Christmas revel might have been like in 1172. She also presents us with a brilliant, analytical mind in the form of a woman doctor from Selarno, and if I hadn’t just recently read The Lions of Al-Rasan, I would probably be happy with her, but Kay has the better doctor in his book. Also, his wasn’t dragging around a baby and a smelly dog. The menagerie, the inconceivable concessions made to the doctor, who was pretending not to be a doctor, with a man pretending not to be able to speak the language, and both followed by an old woman with her English common sense, mixing with her betters… It was kind of like the Scooby-Do gang had been transported back to medieval England and no one noticed that the dog talked.

I am having trouble writing about this book because it was just so much nothing. Other than being annoyed at the little lectures, there wasn’t much of interest. The mystery was there, but flat. The descriptions good, the details appropriate, but no real strength of character to get me through it all. It was definitely a paint-by-numbers book: first I’ll introduce the characters, then I’ll trap them all with the murderer, and I’ll have the clever woman called a “witch,” and here I’ll add a reluctant ally. The final betrayal will come here. And I’ll make sure the whole thing is left hanging for a nice sequel to follow. When an author has some talent, the obvious numbers still visible through the paint is even more frustrating.

At this point, I feel I should excuse the author a bit. I probably wouldn’t have liked anything that I picked up yesterday, being sick, in an airport, and so unable to focus on anything that I asked the clerk if they had What Would Jane Austen Do. It must have been the fever, but I was thinking that if I’m going to be unhappy, why not be really unhappy? At least it might be funny for the sheer awfulness, and Ceridwen had just mentioned it, so it came to mind.

Unfortunately, the store that had put Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in the “Classics” section didn’t have it. What is the world coming to? When I want a self-help book ripping off the fame of a great author, not even the Atlanta airport can come through.
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Aug 06, 2008 LJ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1100s, england, female_author, historical, middle_ages_5th_cent-1558, mystery

THE DEATH MAZE (aka The Serpent’s Tale) (Hist. Mys-Adelia Aguilar-England-1172) – VG+
Franklin, Ariana – 2nd in series
Bantam Press, 2008, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780593056509

First Sentence: The two men’s voices carried down the tunnels with a reverberation that made them indistinguishable but, even so, gave the impression of a business meeting.

King Henry II refused to let Adelia Aguilar return to her home at the School of Medicine in Sicily so she is living in the fens with her baby daughter Allie,...more

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Aug 28, 2008 Donald rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an okay historial murder-myster-whodunit. The main problem is with the main character; I never liked her. She also has problems with what she believes; in one instant, she's giving a poor girl a cross necklace and in the other, she's saying things like she doesn't want anything to do with a God who allows [insert whatever it is she's railing against at the moment], but then later prays for God's protection. Confusing. The author also repeats herself ad nauseum. Yes, we know what the main...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Who knew one could find murder mysteries placed in twelfth century England? A very palatable way to learn history.

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Apr 20, 2010 Joyce Lagow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

The Serpent� s Tale[return]Ariana Franklin[return][return]2nd in the Adelia Aguilar of Salerno series.[return][return]After more or less accidentally successful in delivering a baby, Adelia is visited by one of her favorite people--Prior Geoffrey--whose thankless task is to escort the rebellious pathologist to a meeting with the Bishop of St. Albans--better known to Adelia as Rowley Picot, her former lover and father of her daughter, Allie. The meeting is contentious, since Picot is insistent th...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In an time that hasn't even conceived of fingerprints or DNA Adelia Aguilar is an expert in the science of death. Of course she must hide her expertise, pretending to be the assistant to her Arab assistant so as not to be branded a witch. This is, after all during the time of Henry II and his rebellious queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Adelia must find who killed Henry's favorite mistress. If it was the queen, England might once again be plunged into a terrible civil war. All signs point to the queen...more

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Jan 06, 2009 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

The Serpent’s Tale by Arianna Franklin is the second book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series set in Medieval England during the reign of King Henry I (Plantagenet). I am not providing details of the first book, Mistress of the Art of Death, or a summary of The Serpent’s Tale.

In The Serpent’s Tale the author conveys more a sense of delight in telling a tale of murder than in Mistress of the Art of Death, which I felt more a sense of dread and doom throughout, plus the child murders being...more The Serpent’s Tale by Arianna Franklin is the second book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series set in Medieval England during the reign of King Henry I (Plantagenet). I am not providing details of the first book, Mistress of the Art of Death, or a summary of The Serpent’s Tale.

In The Serpent’s Tale the author conveys more a sense of delight in telling a tale of murder than in Mistress of the Art of Death, which I felt more a sense of dread and doom throughout, plus the child murders being a very heavy subject it would have been difficult to impart lightness to it. I thought the second book in the series definitely had more elements of humor…I chuckled out loud many times throughout the book…I didn’t expect to do so.

It has been quite awhile since I read Mistress of the Art of Death…sufficient length of time between its reading and The Serpent’s Tale to have no expectations for the second book’s story. I expected to enjoy it less after a few reviews I had read seemed to prefer the first book, but I found the second story more thrilling and engaging…probably due to less description of the injustices done to dead bodies and Adelia’s forensic methods. The first story dealt with child murders so the subject material was more difficult to read in the first place, plus The Serpent’s Tale was more humorous. The Serpent’s Tale is more straight mystery without much of the interwoven “romance” between Adelia and Rowley present in Mistress of the Art of Death, though we are still quite aware of their feelings toward each other.

There were many nuances of thought and detail that added suspense and interest to the portrayal of Medieval England in this story. I appreciated rich descriptions of Godstow, the Thames, the tower, the winter climate; ideas of religion, forward thinking and feminism. Some might not appreciate that Adelia is now in this situation of having born a girl child out of wedlock and still having unresolved feelings for Rowley, now a Bishop, and employed in a profession such as hers. But I think the new plot element – Adelia having born a girl child (replacing Ulf in the first book) – is essential to balance the story, adding a softness to juxtapose the brutal nature of the murders Adelia investigates, and even Adelia herself, who struggles to balance the more analytical, unemotional facets of her personality, with emotional desires of home and love.

The book’s title is The Serpent’s Tale, ergo there must be a serpent…I guessed the identity of the murderer on page 272, only about 60 pages before the murderer is actually revealed. I’m amazed I reasoned it out, as there were a lot of oddball twists and turns as roadblocks, but there are a few clues pointing you in the right direction. The Serpent’s Tale has a really good suspenseful plot and then a great reveal and explanation. Arianna Franklin definitely left some loose ends that can be used in future stories…Will the “Serpent” return?...Does Adelia go back to her homeland?...What will happen with Rowley? For the last question King Henry tells Adelia that she will “Never be safe”. Trying not to give away too much of the plot here but King Henry’s statement allows for more interaction between Rowley and Adelia in the future.

Only a couple of things annoyed me. First that there was not a map of the area at the beginning of the book like there was in Mistress of the Art of Death. Second, the way Arianna Franklin treats the intimacy between Adelia and Rowley when he is waiting for her in her room at Godstow. I think the description was just too metaphorical…it surprised me and seemed so unnecessary when a more straightforward wording would have been better. Why must need cover up the physical affirmation of their feelings in all the mumbo jumbo? Anyways, this was only one very short paragraph in an otherwise superb story.

The author has hit her stride and I am very much looking forward to the third book, Grave Goods, due to be released in trade paperback February 3rd.

My Rating: 4.5

http://myobsessionwithbooks.blogspot....
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May 05, 2013 Robert J. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found myself unable to put this book down about half way through, finished it in one sitting. This is a much better book than the first book in the series, though you need to read that one to get the most out of this one, as there are many backward references and character developments. First, let's do away with the negatives: this is not history, most of the events are made up, as are almost all of the main characters. I seriously doubt Henry II would have (*very vague spoiler*) outstripped h...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Cj W rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, murder-mystery, romance

This book is pretty good.

I wish I had realized that it was the 2nd book in the series, and there-fore read the first book, you know, first, BUT, I digress.

I think that the beginning was kind of slow, but when it got to the investigations and all that, it was interesting.

The scientific writing was done really well.
I think that Ariana did a good job with keeping it scientific, but in simple enough terms as would befit someone who was just learning about the 'art of death' is the 1100's, and no...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Mollie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a GREAT read. Adelia Aguilar is called out of 'retirement' (she and her lover have a child and Adelia is caring for her) by King Henry II. It seems his mistrees, Rosamund Clifford, has been poisoned. Who did it? Was it Queen Eleanor of Aquitane? (she is one of my very favorite historical figures). Or was it some one else, or a cadre of someone elses, who want to throw England into a Civil War? Adelia is a woman DOCTOR. Not a nurse, not a midwife, but a DOCTOR (even though at the time th...more

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May 23, 2012 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin is the second book in the Mistress of the Art of Death Series, it takes you back into the world of Adelia, who is a young female doctor in England who specializes in the study of the death, and specifically for King Henry the Second, in how they were murdered. In this book she is summoned to find out who murdered the King's favorite mistress "Rosamund the Fair", according to popular rumor it is Eleanor the King's wife who is desperately jealous of the woman,...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Jeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

King Henry's mistress, Rosemund, has been poisoned and his wife, Queen Eleanor is being accused. Adelia, recruited by Rowley, must prove Eleanor's innocence before the country is brought to civil war.

In some ways, this seemed a much bigger story than Franklin's first book (Mistress of the Art of Death) because of the themes.

Franklin presents a very real, unromanticized look at the time and the people in it, including Thomas Becket and Queen Eleanor. She clearly illustrates how difficult it was...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: 3.5* of five

This mystery novel is the second outing for Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, Mistress of the Art of Death, in (reluctant) service to His Majesty Henry II Plantagenet, and based in and around Oxford.

It's a fun book to read, and Adelia is fun to spend time with. She's a character with a complete lack of history, as she's a foundling, and she's invented herself as a fish out of water as a result. She's simply not anyone's but her own, unlike most people.

Her new baby daughte...more Rating: 3.5* of five

This mystery novel is the second outing for Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, Mistress of the Art of Death, in (reluctant) service to His Majesty Henry II Plantagenet, and based in and around Oxford.

It's a fun book to read, and Adelia is fun to spend time with. She's a character with a complete lack of history, as she's a foundling, and she's invented herself as a fish out of water as a result. She's simply not anyone's but her own, unlike most people.

Her new baby daughter is a major player in the grim and sad events related in this book. Her daughter's birth has changed Adelia in ways she never anticipated (anyone who's had a kid knows this is true) and Adelia is forced on many occasions to change her actions to protect her child.

Rowley Picot, the baby-daddy, is a bishop now, at the behest of King Henry. He changes in some very major ways too, and the two former lovers are left to negotiate the new, strange territory that lies between them in some very believably confused and frustrated ways.

Henry, whom we met in "Mistress of the Art of Death", is here joined by his queen, Alienor of Aquitaine. She's portrayed in a way that I hadn't seen her before, as a *monumentally* self-absorbed woman; she's so often portrayed as a scheming politician, a vengeful fury, a siren from Hell; this woman is one I believe could have existed, she's so richly drawn.

Henry himself is given the unenviable position of betrayed man, left to twist by all those he trusted and loved. I think he's so sad. Others didn't see what he saw, so they simply did what suited them, what their greeds and lusts and selfishnesses prompted them to do; Henry was left with himself to trust, and that's an awful position for anyone to be in, still less a person of such great power as a king.

The famously murdered Archbishop Thomas a Becket is never seen here, but Franklin's unorthodox take on him left me chuckling, nodding, and thumbs-upping the pages. It's a minor, throwaway kind of thing, but like all really good writers, even those moments add something new to Franklin's characters and plots.

So I recommend this book to all mystery fans, to historical fictioneers, and to the orderly souls who need puzzles to solve. Why, then, do I leave this book, glad to have read it, with a sense that it's...wanting...in some significant way? I don't know how, exactly. It's a good book, and you'll like it very much, and there isn't a thing *wrong* with it. But it's just not as good as "Mistress of the Art of Death", and I don't know why.(less)

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Jul 29, 2011 Laurie added it · review of another edition

Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine were fascinating figures of their own time, the twelfth century, and they continue to be the subject of countless histories, biographies, and historical novels. The Serpent's Tail is a forensic thriller about an Italian woman who has been trained as a coroner by her adoptive father. She was called to England by King Henry in a previous story, and now has been summoned to solve the poisoning of Henry's mistress, fair Rosamund. It is obvious that Rosamund...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Mz. H rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I believe that I enjoyed this book more than the last, perhaps because the characters were already established and so there was less background and more action. Even when they were locked away and snowed in at the abbey, it continued to be entertaining. While these books certainly would not qualify and high literature, they are fun examinations of history and they are, most definitely, historical fiction, which the author readily admits too.

I know some other reviewers of the book scoff at the ap...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Rhiannon Ryder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book two of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series was an exciting read for a number of reasons. The first being that it wasn't involved in the great jam accident the first book was unlucky enough to be part of, and the second was we get to meet Henry's formidable consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
I know what you're thinking...Jam?
On the way to visit my mom, a couple of weeks ago, there was an explosion of Peach Vanilla Bean jam in my suitcase, the most unfortunate victim being my goo...more Book two of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series was an exciting read for a number of reasons. The first being that it wasn't involved in the great jam accident the first book was unlucky enough to be part of, and the second was we get to meet Henry's formidable consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
I know what you're thinking...Jam?
On the way to visit my mom, a couple of weeks ago, there was an explosion of Peach Vanilla Bean jam in my suitcase, the most unfortunate victim being my good friend Jenna's copy of The Mistress of the Art of Death (Well and my suitcase. Trust me, you don't want to have to scrub dried up, sticky jam from a suitcase. In the bathtub. In January.). Meaning I had to unstick each page from the ones before and after it, as I read. Very tedious, but it smelled nice.
So it was great joy to flip through the pages of The Serpents Tale without stickage.

In book one, the ground work is laid, characters are fleshed out and Adelia is held in England awaiting to serve Henry II whenever he next needs her. She's not thrilled by the situation, but the Fens, Gyltha, Mansur and Ulf make it more than she could have hoped for, and she finds herself at home in England. Until the Bishop of St. Albans, Rowley Picot bursts into her life again, demanding she throw herself into more dangerous situations in the name of the King. Rosamund Clifford, the Kings mistress, has been poisoned and Adelia must find the culprit before England dissolves into civil war as King and Queen use the death to further their dislike of each other to new and horrifying heights.

History is full of fascinating royal couples with strange and compelling dynamics, and Ariana picked well when she set Adelia's stories in England under Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. She does nothing but charming justice by putting words into their mouths and fleshing them out into people instead of history lessons. The Serpents Tale, which primarily deals with the royal couples tumultuous later relationship, also once again highlights many intriguing aspects of Medieval life including English winter weather in the time period, cloister life in a more modern Abbey, marriage laws and Christmas customs. Populating her story with just the right mix of Mystery, intrigue, wonderful characters and fascinating historical tidbits that she had me turning to book three as soon as I'd put down book two.

A great series I don't want to see end any time soon!

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Jun 28, 2010 Gail rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, historical, mystery

Book two in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series. Adelia's been run out of Cambridge by the jealous doctors. She's got a daughter, an infant. And she hasn't seen Ally's father, Rowley something, the Bishop of St. Albans, since King Henry II made him a bishop. She likes her peaceful life in the fens of Norfolk, but now the bishop is dragging her out of it to make her find out who has poisoned Henry's mistress Rosamund. If Henry blames the death on Eleanor, it could mean a new civil war, and...more

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Jun 24, 2009 Meredith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was, by the barest whisper, sufficiently curious about the heroine from "Mistress of the Art of Death" to get a copy of this from the local library. It's a fast read - I churned through it in about a day - but man. I was disappointed by its predecessor, and this one's not all that great either. Franklin's writing is more than a little ham-fisted at times, and it gets repetitive. Again, I wasn't too surprised when the big reveal came along at the end.

Also, I'm coincidentally in the middle of Al...more

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Jun 17, 2009 Yondalla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, kindle

First, this was a mystery book. Mysteries are rarely great literature, but the can be great reads. I like mysteries when I care about the main character(s) and find the mystery itself intriguing. I don't normally work hard at trying to figure out who did it. I am content to let it unfold. If for all my not trying I still figure something out that was supposed to be a big deal, I get annoyed.

I really enjoyed Mistress of the Art of Death. It was heart-pounding, OMG good. Not literature, but I lik...more

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May 17, 2009 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plantegent-fiction, mystery, season-winter

Adelia picks up a nemesis in Book 2 that will, I suspect, come back later in the series. She also develops a somewhat better working relationship with Henry II by the end of the book. Henry continues to shine - I liked the hypotheses that the fallout from Becket's murder taught him patience - a cruel patience, but still, patience.

Eleanor... she doesn't thunder off the page the way she should. Eleanor comes off as rather spoiled and self involved. Plenty of time is spent discussing the "Amazon" s...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Anmiryam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Still more adventure and mystery in medieval England. Well plotted, totally unbelievable, and utterly enjoyable. The flaw? Too little stage time for Henry II and Rowley Picot, the Bishop of Saint Albans. I hope to see more of them as well as Adelia, Gyltha and Mansur in the next book in the series.

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Jan 29, 2013 Malcolm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, orphan of Salerno and graduate of its great medieval medical school is as much an enigma in crime fiction as she must have been in 12th century England – but that she is existed is conceivable. To understand this, we need a slight detour into fairly obscure medieval history.

The later part of the 12th century was a time of turmoil in large parts of what we now know as France, England and the ‘Low Countries’ as various dynastic alliances struggled for control...more Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, orphan of Salerno and graduate of its great medieval medical school is as much an enigma in crime fiction as she must have been in 12th century England – but that she is existed is conceivable. To understand this, we need a slight detour into fairly obscure medieval history.

The later part of the 12th century was a time of turmoil in large parts of what we now know as France, England and the ‘Low Countries’ as various dynastic alliances struggled for control. It was also a time of significant intellectual turmoil and the gradual seeping into Christian Europe of the advanced scientific knowledge of Islamic Caliphate the extended into northern Spain. Among the most important of those scientific ideas were the major advances in medicine the emerged from the work of Cordovan born physician and Islamic philosopher, Ibn Rushd (known in Christian sources as Averroes); his Kulliat (also known as Generalities) was the predominant medical text of the era and remained so for several hundred years across Europe. Whereas much of this knowledge was barely known in northern Europe, the cross-roads that were the Mediterranean meant that this advanced scientific knowledge was well known in southern Europe and north Africa. Not only was this theoretical knowledge widely known, but Ibn Rushd designed a number of surgical instruments that remain in use, slightly modified, now. I make these points only by way of background, to note that they are little known outside the world of medical history (and am grateful to a PhD student of mine who is working on medieval health systems in the Caliphate to know even a little of this) and to recognise that Franklin’s Adelia Aguilar is a viable historical figure.

In her second of four historical outings Adelia find herself (again) in the midst of historical intrigue, in this case attempting to prove that Eleanor of Aquitane, wife of Henry II, did not murder Henry’s mistress Rosamund Clifford (the Fair Rosamund of folk tale). The stakes are high; if Eleanor were responsible civil war loomed large. Yet here Adelia struggles with the demands and emotional pull of motherhood (her daughter’s father, the Bishop of St Albans is, of course, hardly able to claim paternity) all the while unable to publicly perform her medical role for fear of witchcraft charges, so she has to hide behind the fraud that her friend and companion, Mansur bin Fayîî Al-Masaari Khayoun of Al Amarah (known as Mansur), sent with her the England by her adopted father.

At the centre of the story are a misogynistic church (that point was perhaps a little overdone) and a lust for power by members of the aristocracy and church hierarchy who set out to manipulate Eleanor and provoke civil war in England (there is nothing in the historical record to suggest there was an English rebellion) while supporting the (historically well documented) rebellion in France. Around this Adelia and her small cohort of people set out to solve two murders while snowed into Godstow Nunnery, just up-river from Oxford. In this sense this is almost a classic closed community mystery novel, although external factors, including Henry, are always on the horizon, risking a deus ex machina moment.

There is just enough verisimilitude here for the early medieval period to be convincing (although some of the critique of the church’s views on women are grounded in medieval thinking – the ideas of Julian of Norwich creep in), just enough of the modern tension and emotion to be engaging for contemporary readers while the central and many of the minor characters have depth and roundedness to be appealing. On top of that, the narrative has complexity, uncertainty and adventure. All together these make for an enjoyable and entertaining read. (less)

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Sep 25, 2011 Lauren Fidler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: authority-problems, chaucer-esque, close-your-eyes-do-it-for-england, creepy-medieval-sex-scenes, fighting, girl-detective, makes-me-wish-i-had-a-map, mother-daughter-drama, mystery, reluctant-hero, smutty-historical-fiction, a-lioness-in-winter

two things happened in this installment that made me incredibly happy:
1. ariana franklin only felt compelled to mention once or twice the unhappy tragedy of thomas becket and henry's "side comment" to his knights about getting rid of the bugger.
2. adelia's full name only gets mentioned twice

two of my biggest gripes about the first book in the series were the previously mentioned items that franklin threw in the reader's face any time there was a chance to do so. here, she seems to have learned...more two things happened in this installment that made me incredibly happy:
1. ariana franklin only felt compelled to mention once or twice the unhappy tragedy of thomas becket and henry's "side comment" to his knights about getting rid of the bugger.
2. adelia's full name only gets mentioned twice

two of my biggest gripes about the first book in the series were the previously mentioned items that franklin threw in the reader's face any time there was a chance to do so. here, she seems to have learned to temper herself a bit more (although, it was probably more because this book was more about eleanor than henry).

the sweetmeat:
1. adelia has mellowed considerably with the birth of her baby. i related to the breastfeeding thing: not so much the "negative vibe" crap (because, quite frankly, most of the time i feel compelled to nurse my infant because my boobs have turned into rock-solid pornstar tits), but more the decision (or, rather, the unwillingness) to wean on the part of the mother.
2. gyltha has grown on me considerably. not that i didn't like her in the first book, but that i definitely have a deep appreciation of her now.
3. eleanor - like a crazed peacock, eleanor descends on the plot. i loved her - she's totally batty, even childishly petulant at times, but brilliant and strong even in her maniacal need to get revenge on her husband. all the scorned women here can hold their own (to an extent) and it's nice to see in a plot that centers on the restrictions of the gender...plus, it's such a curious combination of traits...and it sort of works...so i'm making it a positive.
4. rowley-powley - both baby and father were not the obnoxious side plot i feared they'd be. in fact, franklin is particularly adept at making sure the reader doesn't hate rowley, even though adelia claims to.
5. the nod to julian of norwich - any good medieval scholar will appreciate the scene between the abbey's mother superior and adelia where the nun explains to the cynical italian about god the mother. the scene is a bit out of place, in a sense, but i like the attempt to infuse scholarship to a generic mystery.
6. the perpetual nod to the canterbury tales. here, we get a character who could be the squire (of course, he ends up dead for his love letters and wooin') and the lawyer (the squire's money-man and potential killer). keep that up - the books are more successful when you do so!

the deadly mushrooms:
1. poor dead and rotting rosamund the fair - gah! this was like a scene out of se7en. in fact, i thought for awhile that franklin was going to do a medieval ripoff of the movie because of rosamund's gluttonous depiction here (she didn't). rosie here is fat and dead. her corpse remains unburied for awhile...it gets...gross.
2. dakers - i never mind a subtle homage but dakers here is practically a total ripoff of "danny" danvers from "rebecca" (a character whose insanity and creepiness i totally love). i don't know - it felt sort of cheap to give her the same sort of treatment (almost down to the all-consuming fire, which dakers escapes death from)
3. henry II - i love henry, i really do. but the last scene with him felt...weird. i couldn't tell if franklin was trying to set up some bizarre "wooing" or what. it makes little to no sense to me that henry would insist on keeping adelia around england so rigidly and then "forget" to pay her (an omission that gets mentioned SEVERAL times). i don't know. it didn't resonate with me.
4. the mystery - the killers were SO predictable. even the "twist"...blech. i just wanted them caught already by the end.
5. the women-hate - i get it. the medieval era was not really the time for female empowerment. men fear and hate that which they don't understand (or, that which bleeds once a month). adelia's constant pondering of her gender dilemma seemed so inappropriate for the time period. more distracting than thought-provoking.
6. ulf - stop telling us how much you miss him and bring him back, gosh darn it!

3.5 stars for another fun but flawed adventure into CT spinoff land.(less)

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Sep 24, 2011 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good medieval mysteries read! Adelia and Rowley find themselves in turmoil as they try to solve the murder of Rosamund, a mistress of the king. Eleanor, the queen, is strongly suspected of having arranged the murder. A basket of mushrooms containing the death cap was delivered to the castle when the only person present is a simple servant who accepts it, knowing that Rosamund loves mushrooms. A snowstorm traps the suspects and Rosamund in a convent after Rowley disappears into an icy cold rive...more

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Jun 22, 2009 Sensitivemuse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I just finished The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. I've read her first book featuring Adelia Aguilar in Mistress in the Art of Death and really enjoyed that one. The Serpent's Tale however just wasn't as good in my eyes. There were two cases to solve and I was trying to see if they were related somehow and was trying to figure it out - which probably got me frustrated and made me not enjoy the book as I should have. Anyhow, as usual my guesses were wrong (I'm not that good at playing dete...more So I just finished The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. I've read her first book featuring Adelia Aguilar in Mistress in the Art of Death and really enjoyed that one. The Serpent's Tale however just wasn't as good in my eyes. There were two cases to solve and I was trying to see if they were related somehow and was trying to figure it out - which probably got me frustrated and made me not enjoy the book as I should have. Anyhow, as usual my guesses were wrong (I'm not that good at playing detective in mystery novels) and I was blindsided as who were the culprits. There were a few parts in the book that made me laugh - Glytha seems to be such a total character in this one. King Henry I find very likable, he seems to ooze charm yet is maddeningly difficult when Adelia wants to have her own way and yet can't because he's King and his word is law. What I liked the most out of this book was how Adelia seems to analyze the treatment of women in middle age England. It's a strange culture shock to her as she was raised and treated differently in Salerno. It comes to the point where she is so frustrated with the entire social system and you can't blame her for feeling this way. She can't even practice medicine openly for fear of being fingered as a witch. Yet in this story there seems to be a small analysis on all the women characters in the novel. Adelia, who can't do what she wants in this strange land she's in, Glytha who has a larger amount of freedom but is still considered a second class citizen because she's a woman, Queen Eleanor who does act like a Queen but even her word doesn't get obeyed all the time however has managed to become an icon for women (in some ways), Mother Edyve who bends the rules against a patriarchal church and Emma who suffers the most out of all of them (won't say, it's a spoiler) :) I just thought it was interesting that these women were all shown in a different perspective and light throughout the novel but the underlying point was, they were women and therefore in that society nothing much but just flesh to carry children and do housework.

All in all, a good book not as good as the first one but the ending was great! you get the thrill of a bad guy getting his due. It felt good reading it too. I would read the first one though, as some of the information in this one has background information found in the first. I'll be looking forward to the third one!(6 out of 10 for The Serpent's Tale)(less)

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Apr 02, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Any regular readers of my blog know that I am a fan of mysteries. While I choose more literary fiction when my brain can handle it, when I am super busy and stressed with work, home, and life in general a good mystery is like comfort food. The authors I tend to read write characters and stories that are predictable in the best sense of the word. Slipping into an Alex Delaware novel or a Myron Bolitar story is like putting on a comfy old pair of jeans. But sometimes a mystery writer will surprise...more Any regular readers of my blog know that I am a fan of mysteries. While I choose more literary fiction when my brain can handle it, when I am super busy and stressed with work, home, and life in general a good mystery is like comfort food. The authors I tend to read write characters and stories that are predictable in the best sense of the word. Slipping into an Alex Delaware novel or a Myron Bolitar story is like putting on a comfy old pair of jeans. But sometimes a mystery writer will surprise me, and I have to say that my last read was a pleasant surprise indeed.

I guess the universe must have sensed I was ready for something different, because instead of the usual formula mystery I picked up The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. I was intrigued by the premise, and I was right to be. Ms. Franklin blends modern mystery sensibilities with historical fiction in a new and ingenious way. Her heroine, Adelia Aguilar, is a doctor of the dead, trained by the illustrious medical school in Salerno-during the 12th century. It is a time of superstition and blind devotion to Catholicism for most people, but not for the forward thinking Adelia and her Saracen helper, Mansur. When Henry II's mistress, the Fair Rosamund, is poisoned, she uses her medical knowledge and fierce intelligence to discover who the murderer is-and to avert a civil war between Henry and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Having been interested in Eleanor of Aquitaine for her early feminism since my teens, I've read a fair amount on her life. It seems that Ms. Franklin is spot on with her historical accuracy. She deftly describes the contradictions of the time-blind faith in the superiority of Catholicism, coupled with bishops and priests having relations outside their vows of chastity; the plight of the poor against the noblesse oblige of the rich. It is almost as though Adelia herself is a visitor from our own time to this strange land of our cultural ancestors. So trapped is she by the assumptions and attitudes people have about both women and science that she must sacrifice the man she loves just to be allowed to continue her calling to medicine-a calling she can only fulfill by pretending to be the assistant of her Muslim friend. In that time of the Crusades, those ruling England would rather put their trust in an infidel who happened to be male than in a Christian female. Yet within this rigid social construct she is able to use her scientific mind in ways that mirror many modern forensic techniques-at least the ones that don't require 21st century technology. There is a lot going on in this novel, but despite the questions and challenges it raises for the reader it is not a difficult read. As this is actually the second novel in a series, I am going to go back and read the first, Mistress of the Art of Death, as there was some backstory I was obviously missing. If you haven't read Ariana Franklin before, I suggest you do the same. But either way, The Serpent's Tale is worth the time.(less)

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Apr 22, 2009 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

In April 2008 I read Mistress of the Art of Death, by the same author, a novel which dealt with Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, a native of Salerno, Sicily, trained one who can determine cause of death (and incidentally as a doctor), who ended up in 12th century England at the request of King Henry (I), who had requested an expert who could prove that the children being killed in York were not being killed by the Jews. In this volume, she is once again called into service to determine who...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an enjoyable series to read- but I suggest they are read in order so that confusion is minimized.
The book stays focused on the Adelia once again and there are several characters that also appeared in the first book. Once again, there is a mystery at the center of this plot, but chances are good you'll figure out the ending. So, a bit more intrigue would have been a good thing.
On the other hand, the reader is spoon fed some things and cutting back on that would be lovely. The unjust t...more

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Nov 20, 2009 Nancy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-or-something-akin-to-it

This was a rather crowded book. A lot of characters, some of whom did not seem to add to the story but did add to the volume. To be honest, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, maybe a little paring down with more focus on the interesting characters (including Gyltha and Mansur) and the relationship between Rowley and Adelia (which could do with some actual relating) would have appealed more to me as I got a little fed up with Adelia (she is somewhat unrelenting and dreary at times)and...more

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May 06, 2009 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, historical-fiction, mystery

In Mistress of the Art of Death, author Ariana Franklin introduced Adelia Aguilar, a 12th century physician with a speciality in what we now call forensic science. Franklin's obviously thorough research and excellent writing skills were put to good use in the creation of Adelia, her friends, her world, and the "case" she is called upon to resolve.

In The Serpent's Tale, those research and writing skills are still evident, but the people and places they are meant to describe are thin shadows of th...more

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About Ariana Franklin

Ariana Franklin was the pen name of British writer Diana Norman. A former journalist, Norman had written several critically acclaimed biographies and historical novels. She lived in Hertfordshire, England, with her husband, the film critic Barry Norman.

Note:
The Death Maze (UK) is published as The Serpent's Tale in the US.
Relics of the Dead (UK) is published as Grave Goods in the US.
The Assassin'...more

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Books by Ariana Franklin

Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1)

Grave Goods (Mistress of the Art of Death, #3)

A Murderous Procession (Mistress of the Art of Death, #4)

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“A daughter,' Rowley scooped up the child and held her high. The baby blinked from sleep and crowed with him. 'Any fool can have a son,' he said. 'It takes a man to conceive a daughter.” — 29 people liked it

“I yield to nobody in my admiration for God, but he's no good in bed.” — 13 people liked it

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