Grave Goods

I love this series and this third book was as good as the other two. Think Bones in the time of Beckett! (For non-TV and non-movie people: Tempe Brennan in the reign of Henry II).

This is another great installment in The Mistress of the Art of Death series and every inch as good as the original book. Intertwining a 12th century forensic mystery for Adelia to solve along with murder for personal gain, a relationship that seems never to be AND elements of the fabled Arthurian legend, this latest chapter in the adventures of Adelia Aguilar and company makes for an enjoyable and quite addictive read from first page to last page. Mysteries abound, riddles solved, redemption found, revenge sought; this is quite a busy book, but never once does Franklin lose the reader. It's all very tightly plotted and no stone is left unturned or happening left unresolved. Ariana Frankly is heading to the top of my favorite authors list. I eagerly look forward to her next book, whether it be a continuation of this series or a completely new character and setting altogether. Highly recommended!

This third book in the 'Mistress of the Art of Death' series finds the Salerno trained forensic physician Adelia Aguilar dispatched to the newly destroyed Glastonbury Abbey by Henry II to investigate a pair of skeletons that Henry hopes will turn out to be King Arthur and his queen. Once there, Adelia becomes entangled with a most charming, if odorous, group of rogues who are attempting to prove the innocence of one of their deceased brethren. Add to this her friend Emma who has gone missing, a saintly abbot, an innkeeper who faints from fright when meeting Adelia, an isle of lepers, haunting dreams, and, of course, Rowly, bishop of St. Albans and father of Adelia's daughter, Allie. If there are more delightful literary characters than Franklin's Adelia, Rowly, and King Henry II, I can't think who they are. I would say that characterization is her strong point; however, her historical research is meticulous (though it never burdens the reader) and her plotting is expert. So what's not to like? If you haven't read Franklin, by all means start with the first book in the series; the characters actually develop and their relationships change. And keep in mind that Franklin is Diana Norman; the books written under the Norman name are worth a look too.

This is the third book in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series, and it is as good and exciting as its two predecessors. Once again our protagonist, at the command of King Henry II, is on a journey. This time her task is to determine whether bones discovered in the ruins of Glastonbury abbey are those of King Arthur and his wife. Legend had it that Arthur was transported to Avalon(Glastonbury) where he sleeps until awakened to lead the Welsh people against their enemies. Henry is plagued by constant uprisings in Wales, and if these bones can be certified to belong to Arthur, the Welsh will not be able to rely on his aid in their fight. Of course, there is much more going on in the book than this bare outline. We meet the usual assortment of interesting people, all of whom are well drawn characters, and we become quite interested in what happens to them. There are murders, kidnappings, arson, fights, secret tunnels, leper islands, love trysts, and just general mayhem. Everything appears to turn out for the best, but the last paragraph gives a very broad hint concerning what may happen in the next book in this excellent series. I for one can hardly wait until it is published!

I was completely shocked to learn that Ariana Franklin, author of my beloved "Mistress of the Art of Death" series, was actually Diana Norman, with whom I had a more complicated reading relationship. But in spite of her extremely favorable view of Henry II and the one book she wrote I kind of hated, there was no way I was missing out on this novel. "Grave Goods" the third Mistress of the art of death novel. King Henry is having some issues with Celts. Specifically rebellions Celts who use the semi-sacred name of King Arthur as a reason to fight. So when a Welsh bared tells him of a vision his uncle the monk had of Arthur's burial on the monastery grounds at Glastonbury (Avalon) Henry is eager to give a reason to the Celts to stop fighting. But only person he knows can tell him anything about the two skeletons in the single grave (presumed to be Arthur and his queen) that was dug up. And she's not happy about it. After four years of living in the Cambridge fens Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, qualified Doctor of the medical school of Salerno-known as Adelia, is getting chased out. The fiction she and her Arab protector Mansur maintained that allowed her to practice as a Doctor and help the English has made them popular with the townspeople. So popular the other doctors want them out. And an accusation against an Arab and a woman in the twelfth century was easy to do. So Adelia leaves her beloved fens and strikes out with Emma (The young girl forced into marriage in the last book "The Serpent's Tale") Lady Wolvercote as she travels her dead husbands lands and claims them for her baby son. But Adelia is soon snatched off the road with Emma and taken to the King. Given her assignment, she is sent to Glastonbury. Adelia may be a mistress of the art of the death but even she can't tell much about skeletons. And being on the magical grounds of Avalon is making everything strange-Adelia is having vivid dreams of the long lost to legend king and queen and strange happenings are afoot at the burned down Abby. And most troubling of all-Emma and her entourage have vanished into thin air. Adelia is very good at her job-but with more mysteries pilling up by the minute and a less than helpful (and more and more pompously religious in the face of his old lover) Rowley Picot, Bishop of Saint Albans hanging around and distracting her it just may be more than even she can handle. Can she solve the mystery of the two skeletons, make King Henry happy, find her friends and unearth what is so secret about the Abbey all while keeping her daughter and friends safe? I'm not sure I would call this the best book in the series so far, because I see them as all pretty equal (after re-reading the first two books in preparation for this new novel I take back much of my earlier view on the second novel-it needed a much more careful reading than I gave it the first time), maybe with the first one leading the pack because of its excellent adrenalin producing ending.