A Murderous Procession

A Mistress of the Art of Death Novel

By: Ariana Franklin

Narrated by: Jill Tanner

National best-selling author Ariana Franklin resumes her Mistress of the Art of Death series with A Murderous Procession. In 1176, King Henry II’s daughter is set to marry the king of Sicily. But when several wedding guests are murdered during the procession, Adelia must uncover who is behind the killings and who is the killer’s real target.

©2010 Ariana Franklin (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

The end of a fantastic series?

I loved all four of the "Mistress of the Art of Death" books and really can't say enough wonderful things about them all. This one was different, as others have stated, and I felt a little thrown off by the change. As for the comments on Adelia's change in focus, I felt like she had decided that she wanted her life to take a different turn than she had been following.

But these books are what I think of as "re-reads" and I'll probably listen to all of them many more times.

Unfortunately, Ariana Franklin (Diana Norman) passed away in January 2011, which makes this book even more poignant. I don't cry over books, but I have to say the end of this one really broke my heart in more ways than one.

Such a great story

But such a poor narration. After Rosalyn Landor and Kate Reading, to have Jill Tanner is a bit of an insult. Ms. Tanner is as dreadful as some but it is too bad to not have a better performance. A terrific story.

This is an awesome series!!!

The Ariana Franklin _Mistress of the Art of Death_ series is just outstanding. This one switched narrators on me, but once I got used to the new voice, I liked her just as well.

EXCELLENT UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION TO THE SERIES

Though we will have no more tales from this amazingly talented author for her having passed, the unforeseen conclusion to this series could not be more fulfilling. Such a loss for her family—and readers. Much gratitude for many hours of beautiful escape amid the medieval years.

Love all Araina Franklin

I have listened to all four in the series so far. The first "Mistress in the Art of Death" was narrated by Rosalyn Landor. She did a wonderful job. When I saw the next two "Grave Goods" and "The Serpents Tale" had changed narrators ot one of my favorites Kate Reading. Every single narration I thought was done very well and Ariana Franklin writes a wonderful historical novel. This one "A Murderous Procession" had a new narrator Jill Tanner. I was a little skeptical at first, I did listen to the sample, and decided to purchase. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the narration was done. I recommend all the books in the series. I know that some people get used to a certain narrator when a series is being read, and I really do understand. That is why I always try to listen to the sample Audible provides. .

Great series

I wish Audible would put these in order, though. The first in the series is Mistress in the Art of Death. Second is The Serpent's Tale; third is Grave Goods; fourth is Murderous Procession. The books, consumed in the correct sequence, develop the main characters quite well and each story line is totally satisfying.

I'm hoping for a sequel, soon.

The narration was a big disappointment. The voice Kate Reading gives her characters helps to create them. That element of the story was sadly lacking with this narrator. However, the story was as captivating as her others.

Frustrating

I really enjoy the "Mistress of Death" books. Adelia is a terrific character full of contradictions. She has ethics and principles and will hang onto them even at peril to her own life. For me, her behavior in this book is out of character. In this book, for the first time, Adelia is selfish and puts the people she loves at risk. Not for any good reason either. I confess to being worried enough while listening to seek out some spoilers. When an author writes such a change into a main character just as a plot device I worry they are going to do other odd things. She didn't, whew!
The actual mystery was pretty good. Despite the spoilers telling me how easy it was to figure out who the really bad guy was, I didn't and was very surprised. Then again, there were more than a few bad guys. I'm eager to read the next book despite my problems with this one.

Excellent

This whole series is a delight. The careful research is enlightening while not slowing down the story at all. Fun, delightful characters-totally worth the listen.

Good Story...

This was another good story in the series, but like some other readers I was a tad disappointed with how clumsily the murderer was revealed to actually be, and how abruptly the story ended. But perhaps the most disappointing aspect was the narrator, who I just couldn’t seem to connect with. I too, disliked her pronunciation of various words and the ridiculous way she handled the portions of the story that dealt with “Scary.” Otherwise, however, I do wish that the series didn’t have to end. I miss Ms. Norman and will enjoy revisiting the entire series again and again!