ariana franklin mistress of the art of death series

Rowley may be a needed friend, or the fiend for whom they are searching. Along the way, she is assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, one of the king's tax collectors, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. In a backward and superstitious country like England, Adelia must conceal her true identity as a doctor in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Adelia and her companions-Simon, a Jew, and Mansur, a Moor-travel to England to unravel the mystery of the Cambridge murders, which turn out to be the work of a serial killer, most likely one who has been on Crusade with the king. But her name is Adelia-the king has been sent a 'mistress' of the art of death. The Italian doctor chosen for the task is a young prodigy from the University of Salerno. Hoping scientific investigation will exonerate the Jews, Henry calls on his cousin the King of Sicily-whose subjects include the best medical experts in Europe-and asks for his finest 'master of the art of death,' an early version of the medical examiner. Without the taxes received from Jewish merchants, his treasuries would go bankrupt. King Henry II is no friend of the Jews-or anyone, really-but he is invested in their fate. To save them from the rioting mob, the king places the Cambridge Jews under his protection and hides them in a castle fortress. The crimes are immediately blamed on the town's Jewish community, taken as evidence that Jews sacrifice Christian children in blasphemous ceremonies. In medieval Cambridge, England, four children have been murdered. A chilling, mesmerizing novel that combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of historical fiction.

Ariana franklin mistress of the art of death series