Mistress and the Art of Death is first book of in this series from Ariana Franklin. I didn’t quite know what to expect – a pure historical fiction or a paranormal mystery? It’s actually more akin to a modern murder mystery simply set in 12th century Cambridge. Four children have been murdered and the English community, rife with religious prejudice, blames the ghetto-ized Jewish community. Henry II is forced to step in and quarantine the Jewish people in a nearby castle. Lest they be lynched by the Catholic and Church of England zealots. To catch this brutal killer, he sends for a clever deductionist named Simon to bring an autopsy expert from Salerno. However, much to Simon’s surprise, the medical expert is a woman (oh my!) named Adelia. As a lady of science, she has devoted her life to the medical profession excelling greatly in the study of the dead. This will not do in polite England, so Simon, lets the community believe Adelia’s manservant, Mansur is the doctor, while she a mere nurse assistant.
They make the long journey to England and meet a clever man named Sir Rowley Picot. He is just as determined to locate the killer as they have personal history. He insinuates himself into the investigation raises Adelia’s suspicions initially. Adelia, Simon and Mansur set up a base in one of the Jewish families house. She also insists on seeing patients, as the community seems to rely mostly on prayers and blessed objects to cure people! She is a dedicated doctor and finds this blind faith quite illogical. This certainly ruffles the feathers of the nearby monastery and convent. The town is a hot bed of religious superstition that they must carefully navigate in order to solve the case. It doesn’t help matters that the sly Sir Rowley is arousing romantic notions in her head! Their attraction grows as they get closer to finding the killer. Everything comes to a head when another child close to Adelia is kidnapped.
I rather enjoyed this Vaginal Fantasy pick, even though I had no idea what to expect. My favorite characters were Glytha, the local cook appointed to host at Adelia and Simon’s house. She’s abrupt and cuts straight to the heart of things. I also liked her grandson, Ulf, who becomes their ears in the community, which is vital as most people won’t open up to them. Albeit there were no sexy times until the final chapter, it proved satisfying enough. I enjoyed that her passionate desire for Sir Rowley never made her lose her independent spirit. I’m certainly up for the next book to see how the romance continues. I’d recommend this book for fans of historical romances and mysteries.
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