Mistress Of The Art Of Death

Oct 29, 2024 9:28 PM

Author:Ariana Franklin,Diana Bishop

Winner of Best Historical Crime Novel 2007

In Cambridge a child has been hideously murdered and other children have disappeared. The Jews, made scapegoats by the all-powerful Christian clergy, have been forced to retreat into the castle to avoid slaughter by angry townspeople.

Henry, King of England, is displeased. The Jews provide a large part of his revenue and therefore the real killer must be found, and quickly. A renowned investigator, Simon of Naples, is recruited and he arrives in town from the continent accompanied by an Arab and a young woman, Adelia Aguilar.

There are few female doctors in twelth century Europe, but Adelia is one of them, having qualified at the great School of Medicine in Salerno. What's more, her speciality is the study of corpses; she is, in fact, a mistress of the art of death, a skill that must be concealed in case she's accused of witchcraft.

Adelia's investigation takes her deep into Cambridge, its castle and convents and in a medieval city teeming with life, Adelia makes friends and even finds romance. And, fatally, the attention of a murderer who is prepared to kill again...

Reviews

A vigorous evocation of medieval life in all its richness and squalor and an attention-grabbing thriller.

—— BBC History magazine

Franklin is one of the very best creators of medieval whodunnits writing today

—— Guardian

Great fun! Franklin succeeds in vividly bringing the 12th century to life with this cracking good story.

—— Kate Mosse

A morbidly entertaining novel that outdoes the competition.

—— New York Times

Exhilarating... I want to crown Ariana Franklin Queen of the Historical Mystery!

—— Tess Gerritsen

Entertaining, well researched and well written

—— JOANNE HARRIS

Great fun! Franklin succeeds in vividly bringing the 12th century to life with this cracking good story. Expertly researched, a brilliant heroine, full of excellent period detail

—— Kate Mosse, author of LABYRINTH

A skilful blend of historical fact and gruesome fiction

—— Publishers Weekly

Terrific... Wonderfully plotted. It's a historical mystery that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime-thriller

—— Diana Gabaldon , WASHINGTON POST

...A morbidly entertaining novel that outdoes the competition

—— NY Times

Delightfully original

—— LITERARY REVIEW, June 2007

Brilliant...A ripper, peopled with vivid characters.

—— THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

The deserved winner of this year's Ellis Peters Historical Dagger is a cunningly plotted tale set in medieval Cambridge. A serial killer is at large, and the Jews are blamed. Henry I offers protection because he needs the money. He sends a medical examiner - a master of the art of death - to find the killer. Great stuff

—— THE OBSERVER

Gruesome and compelling

—— Evening Standard

Norwegian star Jo Nesbo has obliterated most of his Scandinavian rivals in the bestseller stakes, with The Leopard published in paperback this week... The uncrowned king of Norwegian crime fiction is Jo Nesbo. Books such as The Redbreast (2000) and his imposing novel The Snowman have propelled Nesbo to the heights. Apart from its narrative finesse, his work also provides a coolly objective guide to fluctuations in Norwegian society. There is also a universal feeling that his work is more strikingly individual than that of most of his Scandinavian colleagues... Harry is a lone wolf, a chronic alcoholic separated from his wife and child but in touch with the zeitgeist of his country. And Nesbo gives us a sharp picture of Norwegian society in flux, crammed with relevant detail - as you might expect from an ex-freelance journalist, particularly where the role of the media is described

—— Barry Forshaw , Independent

Nesbo has a skill for dispatching his victims with increasing inventiveness, and he barely lets you draw breath before delivering a virtuoso torture and death scene in the opening chapter

—— Shortlist

The plot is intriguing, and Nesbo's writing is as taught as ever

—— Sunday Times

It's fascinating to discover, from the incident details, what it is like to live for much of the time in a world under snow... Nesbo writes beautifully

—— Jessica Mann , Literary Review

There are passages [which are] so anatomically gruesome...that they can only be properly read through the gaps between protecting fingers

—— Prospect

Norwegian star Jo Nesbo has obliterated most of his Scandinavian rivals in the bestseller stakes, with The Leopard published in paperback this week...The uncrowned king of Norwegian crime fiction is Jo Nesbo. Books such as The Redbreast (2000) and his imposing novel The Snowman have propelled Nesbo to the heights. Apart from its narrative finesse, his work also provides a coolly objective guide to fluctuations in Norwegian society. There is also a universal feeling that his work is more strikingly individual than that of most of his Scandinavian colleagues...Harry is a lone wolf, a chronic alcoholic separated from his wife and child but in touch with the zeitgeist of his country. And Nesbo gives us a sharp picture of Norwegian society in flux, crammed with relevant detail - as you might expect from an ex - freelance journalist, particularly where the role of the media is described

—— Independent

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