The national bestselling hit hailed by the New York Times as a "vibrant medieval mystery...[it] outdoes the competition."
In medieval Cambridge, England, Adelia, a female forensics expert, is summoned by King Henry II to investigate a series of gruesome murders that has wrongly implicated the Jewish population, yielding even more tragic results. As Adelia's investigation takes her behind the closed doors of the country's churches, the killer prepares to strike again.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great historical fiction, a medevil Kay Scarpetta:
i love this book. It was a fun read, plenty of suspense (scary in places), and great plot. I had the book for over a year and finally read it. I am glad I did! I will be reading more Ariana Franklin.
21st-century time traveller pretends to be 12th-century doctor:
I thought the idea of this book had real promise but I feel very disappointed by it, not to say downright cheated. Okay, the basic premise of the medical faculty at Salerno studying forensic science is a bit far-fetched, and the idea that even the most naïve professor would despatch a female representative to England even more so. But I was prepared to suspend my disbelief for the interest of seeing how a 12th-century medical scientist might have operated, dealt with an epidemic, solved a forensic... more info
This Mistress Works Masterfully:
My book has a food stain and a nipped page from turning it too fast. That's how good it is. Just couldn't put it down to eat or sleep. In this precursor to `The Serpent's Tale' (which I read first), Franklin combines a powerful exploration of politics, religion, and crime that is set in Henry II's England after Thomas á Becket's murder. Although Becket's death is an underlining and subtly referenced topic, it is the murder of children that brings Ariana to England as a medieval CSI-like investigator.... more info
Decent historical fiction, but lacking character depth:
There are quite a few excellent historical mystery writers out there now (CJ. Sansom and D. Liss and I. Pears to name a few), so the bar for "succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime thriller" to rephrase the Washington Post review -is high. This book didn't quite get there for me. First though, it is not a boring read, and the time period comes nicely to life, which is no small achievement. There is a lot of promise for a series I think, and I'll probably check out book number two to see... more info
