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

Ariana Franklin

Discussion: January 2020: Thriller

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January 2020: Thriller

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By Anita · 1 post · 36 views

last updated Jan 01, 2020 07:02AM

My Sister, the Serial Killer - 4 stars
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last updated Jan 24, 2021 04:27PM

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What Members Thought

Aug 28, 2010 Lori Elliott rated it it was amazing

Really enjoyed this... LOVE anything pertaining to Henry II!!! Lookin forward to reading the rest of the series!!!

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Jan 17, 2015 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, concierge, strong-women, england, religion, historical-fiction, mystery, medicine, series, audio

Book on CD performed by Rosalyn Landor

Someone is murdering children in 12th-century Cambridge England. The Catholic residents immediately blame their Jewish neighbors, and to save them from mob rule, the Jews are placed under the protection of the king. But this effectively stops much commerce in Cambridge, and Henry II needs the taxes he typically receives from the Jewish community. He appeals to his cousin, the king of Sicily, to send one of the medical experts from the university at Salerno – ...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, book-club-read, era-medieval, forensics

The first chapter did not thrill me, but I soldiered on ... and it gets SO much better after page 10!!! And, happily for me, this seems to be my June book club pick - bonus!

I really really enjoyed this book. Blurbs on its back compare it to CSI and Kay Scarpetta, and I really think those comparisons do it a disservice; I found it to be much weightier fare. It was a page-turner, yes, but it was dense and, well, weightier - graver, pithier, more serious, more interesting - it had gravitas. Kathy R The first chapter did not thrill me, but I soldiered on ... and it gets SO much better after page 10!!! And, happily for me, this seems to be my June book club pick - bonus!

I really really enjoyed this book. Blurbs on its back compare it to CSI and Kay Scarpetta, and I really think those comparisons do it a disservice; I found it to be much weightier fare. It was a page-turner, yes, but it was dense and, well, weightier - graver, pithier, more serious, more interesting - it had gravitas. Kathy Reichs writes some great forensic mysteries (although I didn't especially love her last two, but that's besides the point here) with a lot of very realistic detail on how Dr Brennan finds clues in/on the dead bodies. But yet somehow the murders are treated as sort of "oh well, this person died, now let's get to the good part of finding out whodunnit!" Whereas in this book, I really felt the awfulness and sorrow of the losses. I'm not quite sure how she did it, but I'm impressed.

Other pluses: Loved the realistic details of life during the 1100s; this book did a great job of adding in what seemed like realistic dialect, but not going so far that it was impossible to understand. I enjoyed the mystery and I completely guessed wrong at who was the murderer, and I liked how wrong I was. And most importantly, GREAT characters. Great main characters and great secondary characters. I was mostly able to keep all the secondary characters straight, and I was impressed with how well Ms Franklin was able to flesh them out, without making it obvious that she was doing it. And I just loved Adelia – she was odd and somewhat charming without being obviously extravagantly eccentric. I guess I really like how Ms Franklin was able to achieve so much without making it obvious that she was trying really hard.

On the minus sides: I did confuse a few of the characters: Joscelin and Gervase, Gilbert and Geoffrey - in the first case two knights, in the second two religious men – so right there is potential confusion, but then she goes and picks names that are soooo similar. Why did she choose those names?? But that was minor. My biggest sticking point with this book was, and the reason I can’t give it five stars: no matter how great the realistic details were, the protagonist’s thoughts were completely modern, and that often took me right out of the book, especially toward the end, when the superfluous romance developed –I just didn’t feel this is the way things would really happen back then.

...more

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Aug 19, 2009 Phair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, historical-mystery

Hurrah- a medieval CSI. Wonderful period descriptions & characters, good pace, great sense of danger, clever detection, interesting relationships, a look at women's issues. Ending left door open for more investigations. AND an excellent reader. Excellent.

November 2010: re-read for f2f book discussion. This time I read the print version and was amazed at how much I had forgotten apart from the overall feel. It was still very compelling with so much about history, society, medicine. Love her char ...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Booknblues rated it it was ok

Shelves: medieval, mystery, series

It grieves me to give this book such a lukewarm review as a had read a later book in the series, Grave Goods and quite enjoyed it, so I was quite excited to read the first one of Arianna Franklin’s series, Mistress of the Art of Death.

I work as a preschool teacher and find the common use of the theme sensationalized pedophilia/murder in literature offensive. This overused theme was not even well done in this book, though it loosely stems from a case of William of Norwich, not Cambridge.

We are in ...more

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Oct 12, 2013 Bluebird rated it liked it

Shelves: medieval, historical-mystery, library-audio

3 ½ stars.
audio version

12th Century female doctor from the University of Salerno is sent to Cambridge, England to investigate the deaths of several children. A bit gruesome at times. Great characters—I especially loved the portrayal of Henry II. I really enjoyed this historical murder mystery and thought the narration by Rosalyn Landor was excellent. It would have been 4 stars for me, but the modern language and idioms sprinkled throughout as well as the doctor possessing medical knowledge well ...more

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Jan 19, 2020 Kimber rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, murder, abuse, grief, gritty, poverty, dark, violence, survival, social-issues

When four 12th Century Cambridge children go missing and then are found murdered, the Christian residents of Cambridge accuse the Jewish residents of the crime and resort to violence without ascertaining the facts. King Henry II protects the Jewish residents by sequestering them in a castle fortress, which keeps them safe but completely disrupts any ability to live their normal lives. King Henry requests aid from his cousin, the King of Sicily, in the form of a master of the art of death – a ter ...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Tien rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, england, mystery

Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar is a Mistress of the Art of Death. In another word, she is a forensic doctor. Temperance Brennan in medieval England, indeed, with a mouthful of a name! She, unlike Temperance Brennan, though was described as ‘dumpy’ and ‘plain’ yet she is in a way still attractive to men and precious to others around her.

Found on abandoned as a baby on Mt Vesuvius and adopted by doctor parents, she found herself attracted to the medical profession and talented in the forensi ...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Ladyslott rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2007, favorite, women, series, england, medieval, forensic-mystery

Mistress of the Art of Death is a gripping story of a serial murderer in Medieval England. Think CSI meets Kay Scarpetta during the crusades.

Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar is the mistress of the art of death; an early day forensic scientist. Educated by her father at the medical school in Salerno Adelia is sent by the King of Sicily to aid his cousin Henry II in finding out who is killing the children of Cambridge. Along with Simon of Naples, a “spy” and Mansur, an Arab eunuch who acts as her body ...more

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Apr 02, 2010 Kristal rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, historical-fiction, 2010-reads, forensics, forensic-science, medieval

Set during the 12th century, you are introduced to Adelia, a "doctor to the dead". Dispatched by the King of Italy from the University of Salerno to medieval Cambridge to investigate the gruesome death of four children, Adelia is forced to hide her true identity and attempt to blend in with the provincial English folk.

There are a number of other characters involved in the investigation and each is slowly with just the right amount of suspense to keep you guessing as to who the actual killer is. ...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Jgrace rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, jgrace, read-in-2010, women-writers, judithg, mystery, audio, horror, series, brit-lit

Mistress of the Art of Death – Arianna Franklin
3 stars

This is the first book in a series of medieval mysteries featuring Adelia Aguilar, doctor of Death. Adelia travels from Salerno at the request of King Henry I. The books introduces a number of colorful characters as Adelia and her companions try to solve the horrific torture and death of several children. Although I have serious doubts about much of the historical accuracy of the story, it was entertaining enough in the setting and character ...more

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