Tangled Web UK Review June 2008
Mistress of the Art of Death by
Ariana Franklin
pbk out March 08
(Bantam)
at £7.99
This outstanding novel won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award in 2007 and is now out in paperback. Set in England in 1171, it tells the story of an Italian physician, Adelia trained at the famous School of Medicine in Salerno and skilled in the study of corpses - an art that must be practised in secret for fear of being accused of witchcraft. In Cambridge children have been murdered, the Jews are being scapegoated and live in fear for their lives. King Henry II (eager not to lose money) wants to get to the bottom of the affair and asks the King of Naples to send help. Adelia, her Arab guardian Mansur and investigator Simon of Naples journey to England. The portrayal of medieval life is terrific, the wealth of detail finely handled. In making Adelia an outsider, Franklin can freely comment upon the peculiarities and particularities of English life and compare them to the more civilised society in Italy. There is much more to savour here as well: an intriguing plot, fascinating characters who are humanely drawn - and Franklin finds some delightful comedy in their interactions.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
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