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The Serpent's Tale (Mistress of the Art of Death), by Ariana Franklin
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The follow-up to Mistress of the Art of Death- in the national bestselling series hailed as "the medieval answer to Kay Scarpetta and the CSI detectives."
When King Henry II's mistress is found poisoned, suspicion falls on his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The king orders Adelia Aguilar, expert in the science of death, to investigate-and hopefully stave off civil war. A reluctant Adelia finds herself once again in the company of Rowley Picot, the new Bishop of St. Albans...and her baby's father. Their discoveries into the crime are shocking- and omens of greater danger to come.
- Sales Rank: #504197 in Books
- Brand: Berkley Trade
- Published on: 2009-02-03
- Released on: 2009-02-03
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.20" h x .90" w x 5.10" l, .75 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 416 pages
- Great product!
From Publishers Weekly
Set in 12th-century England, Franklin's mesmerizing second historical delivers on the promise of her first, Mistress of the Art of Death (2007). When Rosamund Clifford, Henry II's mistress, is poisoned, Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar must draw on her formidable forensic skills to try to uncover the killer. The prime suspect is Henry's estranged wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who once plotted to overthrow the king. Adelia reunites with Rowley Picot, now a bishop as well as the father of Adelia's child, and the two set out on a dangerous journey, during which they brave a blizzard and Eleanor's band of ruthless mercenaries. Franklin, the pen name of Diana Norman, brings medieval England to life, from the maze surrounding Rosamund's tower to the royal court's Christmas celebration, with ice skating on the frozen Thames. A colorful cast of characters, both good and evil, enhance a tale that will keep readers on edge until the final page. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"A deliciously dark and effective concoction of historical fiction, suspense, romance, adventure and forensics."
-Miami Herald
"An irresistible novel."
-New York Daily News
"A brilliant tapestry of medieval life and death."
-Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Imaginative."
-Chicago Sun-Times
About the Author
Ariana Franklin is the pen name of British writer Diana Norman. A bestselling author and former journalist, she lives in England with her husband, the film critic Barry Norman.
Most helpful customer reviews
53 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
"Hell Hath No Fury...
By Gary Griffiths
...like a woman scorned." And there are more than a couple scorned women running around in "The Serpent's Tale", another fine thriller from Ariana Franklin set in Plantagenet England.
Back from Ariana Franklin's unique and inventive "Mistress of the Art of Death" is the resourceful Adelia Aguilar, a student of the period's fledgling medical sciences in Sicily's opened-minded University of Salerno which allowed a - gasp - woman to be trained in these arcane arts. After successfully solving the serial murders of children in "Mistress", the guileful King Henry II decides to keep poor Adelia around for a while, just in case the need for her services should arise again. Adelia is not happy, pining for Sicily's warmer climates and attitudes, while caring for her newborn daughter in an unusually frigid English winter.
But when Henry's mistress, "the fair Rosamund" is poisoned, it is feared to be murder at the hands of the redoubtable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, threatening to plunge England into another Civil War. Adelia is summoned by the King to travel to the tower in which Rosamund was cloistered to investigate the facts surrounding Rosamund's death in an attempt to determine if Eleanor was indeed involved.
As with "Mistress", Franklin plays a little loose with the history, as Rosamund was admittedly more legend than historical record. But this in no way detracts from another great yarn, steeped in the culture, mores, and ignorance of a time when stubborn religious doctrine trumped science and the course of history was directed - and recorded - by the Church. The research is impressive and the pace lively - Franklin has a knack for embellishing her plots with interesting side stories, Rosamund's Tower's labyrinth and man trap notable here. Stranded in the blizzard-ravaged deep freeze of Oxfordshire, life inside the Godstow Abbey is vibrantly rendered with well drawn characters in vivid - and miserably cold - settings. And while there may be some liberties taken with Rosamund-lore, the politics of the brilliant and volatile Henry II and his rebellious wife and sons provide a compelling and credible backdrop to this terrific yarn.
So where's the fifth star? As remarkable a character as Adelia is, "The Serpent's Tale", despite some great moments of suspense and delicious morbidity, fell just a bit flat, dragging in places and somewhat overburdened with the dysfunctional relationship between Adelia and Rowley, her daughter's father, now a Bishop forbidden to marry. The love element in the story just didn't do it for me - probably a guy thing - and Adelia seemed to mope and moan to the point just short of being annoying. But hey - I quibble - this is terrific historical fiction, a great follow up to a fresh approach to the period novel, and a great primer for 12th Century England. If you haven't discovered Ariana Franklin and her wily Adelia yet, your missing a fun and illuminating read.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
"I've had enough of rebellion."
By E. Bukowsky
The five page prologue of Ariana Franklin's "The Serpent's Tale" may be the best part of the book. An assassin who calls himself Sicarius ponders his tradecraft. For him, killing people is strictly business; he is annoyed with clients who make a big production out of the preliminaries. They insist on donning silly disguises, and demand that he meet with them in remote and drafty locales. He would prefer to conduct the necessary transactions without so much fuss, but human nature being what it is, assassins must be patient with their customer's peccadilloes. After this tongue-in-cheek introduction, the author indicates that a serious dispute may be brewing between King Henry II and his irate Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Precipitating the rift is the suspicious death of Henry's mistress, Rosamund Clifford, who died after eating poisonous mushrooms.
Caught in the middle of what could potentially result in a civil war is our heroine, the brilliant and unconventional Adelia Aguilar, originally of Salerno, Italy. Adelia has a baby girl, Allie, but she refused to wed the child's father lest she be forced to give up her identity and profession. Although she would like to take her daughter back to her sunny homeland, she has been commanded by the King to stay in England so that he can take advantage of her medical skill and expertise in investigating deaths, both natural and unnatural. Adelia still loves Allie's father, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of Saint Albans, but marriage is out of the question. Her top priority is to learn the identity of the person who orchestrated Rosamund's death; unfortunately, she is repeatedly thwarted by a determined and stealthy killer.
The plot is initially intriguing. Could Rosamund's agonizing death have been an accident? Perhaps someone picked the mushrooms not realizing that they were lethal. Adelia, who is as observant as she is intelligent and intuitive, examines the evidence and uses her keen powers of deduction to conclude that Rosamund was indeed murdered. A series of complicated events, including a persistent snowstorm, place the main characters behind the walls of Godstow Abbey, where they are forced to while away the time with Queen Eleanor and her entourage. More killings ensue, and Adelia fears that she and her friends may be next on the assassin's hit list.
At Adelia's side is the devoted Mansur, a Saracen who speaks with her in Arabic and pretends to be a doctor, while she acts as his assistant and translator for show; Glytha is a loving friend who tends to Allie while Adelia is busy risking her life; Rowley is loyal to Henry and cares for Adelia but feels constrained by the demands of his new role as bishop. Queen Eleanor, a proud and still striking woman, bitterly resents her husband's faithlessness. The secondary characters include bloodthirsty mercenaries, a formidable and resourceful group of nuns, and a young woman who is betrothed to a monster.
Franklin has a delightful sense of humor and a refreshing forthrightness. She captures the spirit and atmosphere of life in medieval England, a time when the underclass was completely at the mercy of the rich and powerful. Alas, "The Serpent's Tale" falters badly in the second half; for long stretches, very little happens. The conclusion is somewhat anticlimactic and lacks the spice of the opening pages. Although the novel takes place in the twelfth century, Franklin inserts a modern sensibility into the narrative that is a bit jarring at times. In addition, the bad guys are one-dimensional and rather dull; a boring villain is always a fatal flaw in a mystery. By the time all of the myriad threads are finally unraveled, many readers will feel exhausted rather than exhilarated.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Five Stars
By Robert N. Cantara
This was part of a great series...
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