Ariana Franklin

The monks of Glastonbury have discovered two strange skeletons buried in their graveyard - one is tall, the other small and delicate. Are these the remains of King Arthur and Guinevere? King Henry II, on hearing of the discovery, demands evidence that the legendary Arthur is dead in order to stop his belligerent Welsh subjects believing that their Once and Future King will return to lead them against him. And it is his Mistress of the Art of Death, Adelia Aguilar, who he calls upon to examine the bones. But someone doesn't want the skeletons identified - and is prepared to kill in order to prevent it.

Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of historical fiction in the enthralling second novel in the Mistress of the Art of Death series, featuring medieval heroine Adelia Aguilar. Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison-and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund's murder is probably the first move in Eleanor's long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth. Adelia is not happy to be called out of retirement. She has been living contentedly in the countryside, caring for her infant daughter, Allie. But Henry's summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king's trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans, who is also her baby's father. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan's home, in a tower within a walled labyrinth-a strange and sinister place from the outside, but far more so on the inside, where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia's investigation is cut short by the appearance of Rosamund's rival: Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken captive by Eleanor's henchmen and held in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is holed up for the winter with her band of mercenaries, awaiting the right moment to launch their rebellion. Isolated and trapped inside the nunnery by the snow and cold, Adelia and Rowley watch as dead bodies begin piling up. Adelia knows that there may be more than onekiller at work, and she must unveil their true identities before England is once again plunged into civil war . . .

Since solving a particularly nasty case of child murder using her forensic skills, Adelia Aguilar is deemed too valuable to send back to the School of Medicine in Salerno. Instead, King Henry II has decided to keep her in England. This is bad news for Adelia. But at Henry's court, terrible things are happening.

On hearing of the discovery, King Henry II demands evidence that the legendary Arthur is dead - he needs to stop his belligerent Welsh subjects believing that their Once and Future King will return t

The "richly detailed, almost indecently thrilling" (New York Times) follow up to The Serpent's Tale. When a fire at Glastonbury Abbey reveals two skeletons, rumor has it they may belong to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. King Henry II hopes so, for it would help him put down a rebellion in Wales, where the legend of Celtic savior Arthur is strong. To make certain, he sends Adelia Aguilar, his Mistress of the Art of Death, to Glastonbury to examine the skeletons. At the same time, the investigation into the abbey fire will be overseen by the Bishop of St. Albans, father of Adelia's daughter. Trouble is, someone at Glastonbury doesn't want either mystery solved, and is prepared to kill to prevent it . . .

Tess Garritsen calls this one my favorite book of the year! In 1176, King Henry II sends his daughter Joanna to Palermo to marry his cousin, the king of Sicily. Henry chooses Adelia Aguilar to travel with the princess and safeguard her health. But when people in the wedding procession are murdered, Adelia and Rowley must discover the killer's identity, and whether he is stalking the princess or Adelia herself.

Adelia Aguilar is to accompany 10-year-old Princess Joanna on her thousand-mile journey to marry the King of Sicily. They must take with them the legendary sword Excalibur.And so Adelia sets sail with the golden princess and her lavish procession of nobles, musicians, servants, laundresses, grooms, luggage and treasure. But when members of the procession begin to die and it looks as though Adelia is to blame, there are dangerous accusations of witchcraft.Meanwhile one traveller, armed with a brilliant disguise and a personal vendetta, has been watching Adelia all too closely. He wants Adelia dead . . . but he wants her to suffer first.

Inglaterra, año del Señor de 1171: en Cambridge aparece el cadáver de un niño horriblemente asesinado. Otros muchos han desaparecido. Los judíos, directamente acusados de estos crímenes por la todopoderosa jerarquia catolica, buscan refugio entre los muros del castillo para evitar las iras de los soliviantados ciudadanos.Al rey Enrique esta situacion dista de complacerle: necesita a los judios para llenar sus arcas y debe encontrarse al verdadero culpable para aplacar al pueblo, que ha elevado a la categoria de santo al niño asesinado.Para esclarecer la situacion aparecen en Cambridge un reputado doctor, Simon de Napoles, acompañado de una misteriosa mujer de origen arabe, Adelia Aguilar, y de un enigmatico hombre, Mansur.La especialidad de Adelia, doctora en la celebre escuela de medicina de Salerno, es el estudio y la diseccion de cadaveres. Se trata de una maestra en el arte de la muerte, algo que debe disimular cuidadosamente si no quiere correr el riesgo de ser acusada de brujeria.Las investigaciones conducen a Adelia hasta el ultimo rincon de Cambridge. Encontrara amigos que la ayudaran y hallara el amor... pero tambien tendra que luchar denodadamente con un terrible asesino dispuesto a seguir matando y con las supersticiones y prejuicios de los habitantes de la ciudad.

In Cambridge, a child has been hideously murdered and other children have disappeared. The Jews, made scapegoats by the all-powerful Christian clergy, have been forced to retreat into the castle to avoid slaughter by angry townspeople. Henry, King of England, is displeased. The Jews provide a large part of his revenue and therefore the real killer must be found, and quickly. A renowned investigator, Simon of Naples, is recruited and he arrives in town from the continent accompanied by an Arab and a young woman, Adelia Aguilar. There are few female doctors in twelth century Europe, but Adelia is one of them, having qualified at the great School of Medicine in Salerno. What's more, her speciality is the study of corpses; she is, in fact, a mistress of the art of death, a skill that must be concealed in case she's accused of witchcraft. Adelia's investigation takes her deep into Cambridge, its castle and convents and in a medieval city teeming with life, Adelia makes friends and even finds romance. And, fatally, the attention of a murderer who is prepared to kill again...

Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of historical fiction in the enthralling second novel in the Mistress of the Art of Death series, featuring medieval heroine Adelia Aguilar. Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison-and the king''s estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund''s murder is probably the first move in Eleanor''s long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth. Adelia is not happy to be called out of retirement. She has been living contentedly in the countryside, caring for her infant daughter, Allie. But Henry''s summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king''s trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans, who is also her baby''s father. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan''s home, in a tower within a walled labyrinth-a strange and sinister place from the outside, but far more so on the inside, where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia''s investigation is cut short by the appearance of Rosamund''s rival: Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken captive by Eleanor''s henchmen and held in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is holed up for the winter with her band of mercenaries, awaiting the right moment to launch their rebellion. Isolated and trapped inside the nunnery by the snow and cold, Adelia and Rowley watch as dead bodies begin piling up. Adelia knows that there may be more than one killer at work, and she must unveil their true identities before England is once again plunged into civil war . . .

À dix ans, la princesse Jeanne, fille dHenri II dAngleterre, est envoyée en Sicile afin dy épouser le roi. Adelia Aguilar, la seule médecin en laquelle Henri II ait confiance, accompagne la princesse

Original, atmospheric and genuinely moving . . . captures the imagination and does not let go Giles KristianIts 1141 and freezing cold.Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, is horrified to stumble across a little girl close to death. She has been attacked, just one more victim in a winter of atrocities. Clutching a sliver of parchment, she is terrified - but Gwil knows what he must do. He will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And together, they will hunt down the man who did this to her.But danger looms wherever they turn. As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, of murder - and of a small piece of parchment with a terrible secret to tell, the cost of which none of them could have imagined . . .An absorbing re-creation of the 12th Century . . . this is a fast-moving story of humbler folk caught up in cruel battles Independent________Readers are gripped by Winter Siege:Unputdownable . . . The characters were brought to life in seconds. Superb! *****Mediaeval mystery at its best . . . Loved it *****A rip-roaring, swash-buckling romp of a book *****

Id like to crown Ariana Franklin Queen of the Historical Mystery! TESS GERRITSENThe King of England has called upon his Mistress of the Art of Death - anatomist and doctor Adelia Aguilar - to accompany 10-year-old Princess Joanna on her thousand-mile journey to marry the King of Sicily. They must take with them the legendary swordExcalibur.And so Adelia sets sail with the golden princess and her lavish party of nobles, musicians, servants, laundresses, grooms, luggage and treasure. But when members of the procession begin to die and it looks as though Adelia is to blame, there are dangerous accusations of witchcraft.Meanwhile one traveller, armed with a brilliant disguise and a personal vendetta, has been watching Adelia all too closely. This secret assassin wants her dead . . . but he wants her to suffer first.An excellent medieval mystery, full of colour and tensionCHOICE________Readers are enthralled by The Assassins Prayer:Great characters and a gripping plot packed full of historical detail *****Masterly . . . A mixture of history, mystery, a poignant romance and a gripping plot *****A totally engrossing medieval tale *****

Tess Garritsen calls this one "my favorite book of the year!" In 1176, King Henry II sends his daughter Joanna to Palermo to marry his cousin, the king of Sicily. Henry chooses Adelia Aguilar to travel with the princess and safeguard her health. But when people in the wedding procession are murdered, Adelia and Rowley must discover the killers identity, and whether he is stalking the princess or Adelia herself.

An exhilarating whodunit and my favourite book of the year. TESS GERRITSEN1176- The monks of Glastonbury have discovered two skeletons buried in their graveyard - one is tall, like that of a warrior, the other small and delicate. Are these the remains of King Arthur and Guinevere?On hearing of the discovery, King Henry II demands evidence that the legendary Arthur is dead - he needs to stop his belligerent Welsh subjects believing that their Once and Future King will return to lead them against him.So, he calls upon his Mistress of the Art of Death, the anatomist Adelia Aguilar, to examine the bones. But someone doesnt want the skeletons identified - and is prepared to kill in order to prevent it...Franklin is one of the very best creators of medieval whodunits.GUARDIAN________Readers are captivated by Relics of the Dead:Brilliantly executed and with edge-of-your-seat suspense *****The history is skilfully woven into the racing story . . . Thoroughly enjoyable *****The attention to detail is superb, and will certainly keep you enthralled and entertained *****

The national bestselling hit hailed by the New York Times as a "vibrant medieval mystery...[it] outdoes the competition." In medieval Cambridge, England, Adelia, a female forensics expert, is summoned by King Henry II to investigate a series of gruesome murders that has wrongly implicated the Jewish population, yielding even more tragic results. As Adelias investigation takes her behind the closed doors of the countrys churches, the killer prepares to strike again.

The "richly detailed, almost indecently thrilling" (New York Times) follow up to The Serpents Tale When a fire at Glastonbury Abbey reveals two skeletons, rumor has it they may belong to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. King Henry II hopes so, for it would help him put down a rebellion in Wales, where the legend of Celtic savior Arthur is strong. To make certain, he sends Adelia Aguilar, his Mistress of the Art of Death, to Glastonbury to examine the skeletons. At the same time, the investigation into the abbey fire will be overseen by the Bishop of St. Albans, father of Adelias daughter. Trouble is, someone at Glastonbury doesnt want either mystery solved, and is prepared to kill to prevent it...

The follow-up to Mistress of the Art of Death- in the national bestselling series hailed as "the medieval answer to Kay Scarpetta and the CSI detectives." When King Henry IIs mistress is found poisoned, suspicion falls on his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The king orders Adelia Aguilar, expert in the science of death, to investigate-and hopefully stave off civil war. A reluctant Adelia finds herself once again in the company of Rowley Picot, the new Bishop of St. Albans...and her babys father. Their discoveries into the crime are shocking- and omens of greater danger to come.