Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poisonâ??and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. 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. But Henry's summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king's trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of Saint Albans, who is also her baby's father. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan's home where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia's investigation is cut short by the appearance of Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken to the nunnery at Godstow. Isolated and trapped, Adelia watches as dead bodies begin piling up. The murders are somehow connected with Rosamund's demise. 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. . . . From the Compact Disc edition.… (plus d'informations)
A great follow-up to the Mistress of the Art of Death! Loved seeing some of my favorite characters from the first installment, even if only briefly. Adelia, Glytha, Mansur, and Rowley all grew so much in the year since the first book yet were still themselves. Even Henry II-lofty and real-showed another side of himself. Also loved meeting some new characters, even if some of them were dead. One of the things I admire about Franklin is her ability to integrate historical figures with fictional ones. The historical figures of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are definitely larger than life, but they don't feel untouchable to the reader. It's a good balance.
The murders in this book (double mystery!) shocked in a different way compared to the first book. I was still gripping the book in anticipation! I will say this book felt a little slower and was a little more anti-climatic compared to the first book. Part of that was because there wasn't as much comedy or romance to break it up when the sleuthing stalled. Here's to hoping there's more of this in the third book! ( )
I adored Mistress in the Art of Death. I WANTED The Serpent's Tale to be just as riveting. Instead the author crafted a less intriguing mystery in favor of developing Adelia's character. Personally, I'd have preferred more mystery with my character tale. ( )
Adelia Aguilar is an Italian doctor in service to King Henry II, specializing in post-mortem examinations (this premise is fully developed in the first book in this series, Mistress of the Art of Death). When King Henry’s mistress Rosamund dies suddenly, Adelia is called upon to determine the cause of death. En route to Rosamund’s remote castle, Adelia and her companions find themselves examining the circumstances of another death. The two situations appear unrelated, but are they? Danger lurks behind every corner. This book delivers a good mystery and some interesting history. ( )
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais.Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
To Dr. Mary Lynch, MD., FRCP, FRCPI,
consultant cardiologist.
My literally heartfelt thanks.
Premiers mots
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais.Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
The two men's voices carried down the tunnels with reverberations that made them indistinguishable but, even so, gave the impression of a business meeting.
Citations
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances allemand.Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
"Dum vivimus, vivamus," he said. "Let us live while we live. I subscribe to the Epicureans." - "Do you know the mortality rate among Epicureans?"
Eleanor leaned forward, cupping her ear again, then stood back. "Demons? Belial?." She turned to her audience. "The woman threatens me with Belial. My dear, I married him."
Henry swived more women than most men had hot dinners. "Literally, a father to his people," Rowley had said of him once, with pride.
Life was sacred; nobody knew that better than a doctor who dealt with its absence.
That didn't get any applause either, but from somewhere deep into the congregation, someone farted. Loudly. The men-at-arms turned their heads this way and that, looking for a culprit. But, though a shiver swept though the crowd, every face remained stolid. How I love the English, Adelia thought.
"It's bad luck to see your bridegroom before the wedding," Adelia said vaguely. - "I wouldn't want to see him after," Gyltha said.
This was a tale reeking of the cardinal sins and Father Paton preferred humanity in the abstract.
"Mansur, I'm going to bring that man down." The Arab bent his head. "Let us pray that Allah wills it." - "He'd better."
"You bastard," she said. - "True to an extent," he said, picking her up. He chucked her onto the nearest bed and planted himself on top of her. "Ma and Pa married eventually. I remember exactly, I was there."
"I've seen snowmen with more defensive acumen than Wolvercote."
"Tell them to go after him. Will they catch him?" - "They'd better," he said. "That's a bloody good horse."
"I wouldn't absolve the swine anyway," Henry said to Adelia. "Even the Lord'll have to think twice."
Derniers mots
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais.Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
All she could see now was the Plantagenet three-leopard pennant fluttering as the barge rounded a wooded bend, but the king's voice carried cheerfully over its trees: "You're never going to be safe."
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poisonâ??and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. 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. But Henry's summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king's trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of Saint Albans, who is also her baby's father. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan's home where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia's investigation is cut short by the appearance of Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken to the nunnery at Godstow. Isolated and trapped, Adelia watches as dead bodies begin piling up. The murders are somehow connected with Rosamund's demise. 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. . . . From the Compact Disc edition.
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