Cheryl R. (Spuddie) -
Helpful Score: 1
#3 "Mistress of the Art of Death" historical mystery. Adelia Aguilar, a doctor who must hide her profession because she is a woman in 1176 England, is summoned once again by King Henry Plantagenet. He requests that she (and the Moorish "doctor" Mansur who is actually her assistant) go to Glastonbury Abbey to inspect the bones of two people whose coffin was displaced during an earthquake. He wants her to find that these bones are the bones of Arthur and his queen Guinevere so that rebel Welsh will submit to his kingship at last and stop fighting him, hopes set on Arthur 'The Once and Future King' saving them.
Along the way, Adelia and her party encounter brigands, and she later comes to find out that her traveling companion Lady Emma, did not make it to her destination--the home of her dead husband's mother, but disappeared somewhere on the trail. Frantic, Adelia attempts to find Emma while still doing the King's bidding, hoping that this favor will set her free from his service. But what if she cannot in good conscience state that the bones are Arthur and Guinevere's? The King will be most displeased.
I really enjoyed this one more than the last entry in the series--the reader was excellent, the characters so well drawn and climbing up my list of favorite casts of 'motley crew' of the protagonist. The mystical elements of Glastonbury and the whole Arthurian legend also added a bit of special interest for me to this chapter of Adelia's life. Looking forward to the next in this series very much!
Along the way, Adelia and her party encounter brigands, and she later comes to find out that her traveling companion Lady Emma, did not make it to her destination--the home of her dead husband's mother, but disappeared somewhere on the trail. Frantic, Adelia attempts to find Emma while still doing the King's bidding, hoping that this favor will set her free from his service. But what if she cannot in good conscience state that the bones are Arthur and Guinevere's? The King will be most displeased.
I really enjoyed this one more than the last entry in the series--the reader was excellent, the characters so well drawn and climbing up my list of favorite casts of 'motley crew' of the protagonist. The mystical elements of Glastonbury and the whole Arthurian legend also added a bit of special interest for me to this chapter of Adelia's life. Looking forward to the next in this series very much!
