‘Mistress of the Art of Death’ by Ariana Franklin
Published by Bantam Press May 2007.
ISBN 978-0-593-05649-3

Simon of Naples and Adelia Aguilar arrive in England in 1170 to investigate the horrible murder of a child.  This has been blamed on the Jews of Cambridge who have had to retreat to the safety of the castle after the deaths of some of their number. The King, Henry II, wants the part of his revenue that the Jews provide re-established, so the real murderer must be found.   Simon’s companion, Adelia, is a very unusual woman - she is a qualified doctor from the School of Medicine in Salerno and is a mistress of the art of death, i.e. she specialises in the study of corpses. 

It does not surprise the reader that in the medieval world the female Adelia must disguise her skill as a doctor and that a male companion must pretend that he is the expert.  The death of one child has been followed by other children’s deaths of equal horror so Adelia’s task is daunting and unpleasant.  She is, of course, a woman of determination and principle who fights her way through to an understanding of the perverted nature of the murderer.  Events overwhelm her in her search for this individual but she finds allies.  Characters of great richness inhabit this tale and it rises to a series of shattering climaxes before all is explained.   This is a first historical mystery by Ariana Franklin and it does not disappoint.  There is a hint at the end that other adventures may follow.
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Jennifer S. Palmer