In medieval Cambridge, England, four children have been murdered. The crimes are immediately blamed on the town’s Jewish community, taken as evidence that Jews sacrifice Christian children in blasphemous ceremonies. To save them from the rioting mob, the king places the Cambridge Jews under his protection and hides them in a castle fortress. King Henry I is no friend of the Jews-or anyone, really-but he is invested in their fate. Without the taxes received from Jewish merchants, his treasuries would go bankrupt. Hoping scientific investigation will exonerate the Jews, Henry calls on his cousin the King of Sicily-whose subjects include the best medical experts in Europe-and asks for his finest “master of the art of death,” an early version of the medical examiner. The Italian doctor chosen for the task is a young prodigy from the University of Salerno. But her name is Adelia-the king has been sent a mistress of the art of death. Adelia and her companions-Simon, a Jew, and Mansur, a Moor-travel to England to unravel the mystery of the Cambridge murders, which turn out to be the work of a serial killer, most likely one who has been on Crusade with the king. In a backward and superstitious country like England, Adelia must conceal her true identity as a doctor in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Along the way, she is assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, one of the king’s tax collectors, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. Rowley may be a needed friend, or the fiend for whom they are searching. As Adelia’s investigation takes her into Cambridge’s shadowy river paths and behind the closed doors of its churches and nunneries, the hunt intensifies and the killer prepares to strike again. [Shelfari]
What I Thought
This was excellent. I plan on reading the rest of the series for sure. It’s about a Mistress of Death sent to England in a time of witch hunts to search for the brutal killer of young children in Canterbury. A mistress of death is essential a medical examiner so it’s very much a CSI in ye olden times type of thing and it was successful! High body count, a good mystery, characters I really wanted to know and great atmosphere. I am sure that some of the historical facts are from other times, but the author really created an atmosphere of suspense. I’ve already got book 2 in the series lined up.
Rating: 
December 11, 2011 This entry was posted in Geekery. Bookmark the permalink.
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Hello! I'm Cassie. I love Totoro, peanut butter and getting lost in books. I hope to be a World Explorer when I grow up to combat my need to be a homebody. I think cooking, tea parties, local nomz and videogames are pretty much the best. You too? Let's be friends!
