Mistress of the Art of Death is a work of historical fiction that appeared in 2007. The first book in a series, it’s a murder mystery set in medieval England, during the reign of Henry II. To read my other recent book reviews, please check out:
Antoninus, Son of Rome, by Brook Allen
Dying of Whiteness, by Jonathan Metzl
Opium and Absinthe, by Lydia Kang
Mistress of the Art of Death is the story of Adelia Aguilar, a female doctor from Sicily. The setting is 12th century England. The last book I read about England in this era, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, turned out well. So, I decided to read this book and hope for a repeat.
A mistress of the art of death is what we today would call a forensics expert. Adelia studies dead bodies to draw conclusions about the circumstances of death. This Sicilian doctor travels to England with a pair of companions when Henry II of England requests help from the King of Sicily. Someone has murdered several children near the town of Cambridge. Somewhat predictably for a European kingdom in the Middle Ages, local people blame the Jews. King Henry wants to know the truth, although his reasons are self-interest rather than compassion for Jews in general.
The Mistress of the Art of Death in Action
Adelia’s skills include more than conducting autopsies. She, her Jewish companion Simon of Naples, and Mansur, an Arab eunuch, use logic and evidence to try to find the killer of the children. This is among the themes of Mistress of the Art of Death; the novel idea of people in the Middle Ages using logic and reason rather than religion or superstition to investigate a crime. The multicultural nature of Adelia’s party is another theme. Sicily and the Salerno medical school were cosmopolitan places, especially compared to England. The exchange of cultures and ideas in Salerno contributed to the growth of logic and reason.
A few more characters enter the story. The local prior, some rabble-rousing townspeople, a tax collector, a handful of knights, the prioress of a nunnery, and a woman from the fens near Cambridge. Some die. One is the killer.
Adelia must unravel the mystery, find the killer, and survive her investigation, hopefully clearing the name of the local Jews in the process. She’ll face other temptations, too, namely, the possibility of falling in love.
Thoughts on Mistress of the Art of Death
My enjoyment of the book was up and down. At points, I found the writing engaging and very enjoyable. Franklin’s portrayal of King Henry II was fun. Although he appeared in only the first and last two chapters, I probably enjoyed him the most. Henry was clever and had an ironic sense of humor. The killer was well-disguised until the right time, and the killer’s crimes were rather heinous. The person dies in an appropriate way, and the reader will be glad to see the killer go.
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I did not enjoy other parts of the book as much. Sometimes the writing style didn’t flow very well. While I understood the motivations of most of the characters, one felt badly underdeveloped. The death of another character didn’t seem particularly realistic, given their qualifications and the method of the murder. Likewise, the way Adelia falls for one suitor felt sudden and rushed.
One historical thing I questioned was the role of the Crusades in this story. It takes place in 1187. The Second Crusade was forty years in past while the Third Crusade hadn’t happened yet. Cambridge seemed to have an awful lot of recent Crusaders nonetheless. Yes, people sometimes went to Palestine in between the main crusades, but this seems to have been extremely popular among the people of Cambridge. I was also curious about how Henry II and the King of Sicily were on such good terms that one could request help from the other. The reader never learns this during the story, but it seems rather important.
Final Score
Like several books I’ve read this past year, we’re looking at 7 out of 10 here. At times, Mistress of the Art of Death was quality reading entertainment. At others, it felt lacking. If you really like mysteries or novels of the Middle Ages, you may enjoy it more than I did.
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As always, I welcome constructive and polite discussion in the comments section. Thank you for reading!
Interesting, Rob. I actually have read quite a few medieval and early modern mysteries. I don’t know if you have read Ellis Peters’ Bother Cadfael series or Eco’s The Name of the Rose, but these works sprang to mind. You bring up an interesting aspect concerning the Crusades. There were some battles that took place the year you mention (the siege of Jerusalem, for instance), but I’m not sure if many English soldiers were involved. I’m also curious if Eleanor of Aquitaine (Henry’s queen and an important historical figure) appeared in the book at all.
No Eleanor in this story. I think she shows up in the 2nd book of the series.
Anyone crusading in Jerusalem in 1187 was unlikely to also be in England – the distance was a long ways to travel.
I’ve got The Name of the Rose somewhere, and someday I’ll get around to reading it.