Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (Review #241)

“In Cambridge, four children have been murdered. Wrongly accused of the crimes, a small community of Jews threatened by Catholic mobs is given sanctuary by Henry II. To assist in proving their innocence, he summons an expert in the science of deduction and the art of death. She is Adelia, a prodigy from the Medical School of Salerno, and an anomaly in a medieval world, who is forced to conceal her identity and her purpose from England’s grave superstitions and condemnation. One man willing to work with her is Sir Rowley Picot. His personal steak in the investigation makes him an invaluable ally - and in Adelia’s eyes, a suspect as well. From navigating Cambridge’s perilous river paths to penetrating the dark shadows of the Church, Adelia’s investigation will not only reveal the secrets of the dead, but in time, the far more dangerous ones buried in the living.”

Review:

Okay, let me start by being honest. I honestly thought this was going to be a lighthearted kind of whodunnit murder mystery. I don’t know what gave me that impression to be honest, but boy was I shocked to discover that this was in fact, not. This is dark, I mean the murdering of children isn’t exactly a light read but man! And more than just the case at hand, but also the backwards mindsets of people during this time. I mean so much performance has to be done by our characters, or else they risk being killed. 

This was more than a murder mystery this was true historical fiction and while I did struggle to begin this (I think honestly getting used to the language and cadence of it was my main trouble), it was still a compelling story and a creepy one at times too. I mean there were moments that could truly keep you up at night. There was also just a light sprinkle of romance as well, which at first I thought, “YES!”, but upon reflection I think the story would’ve been fine without. Our dear Adelia is a woman of science and has no time for petty squabbles for her heart! The dead speak to her and she must listen!

Anyways, an overall enjoyable read and I look forward to continuing the series of mysteries that follow our Mistress of the Art of Death. As always, let me know your own thoughts and feels down below in the comments!