Death and the Maiden

Mistress of the Art of Death

By: Samantha Norman, Ariana Franklin

Narrated by: Kate Reading

"Medieval-mystery writing at its best."—New York Daily News

At long last, the much-anticipated final installment in Ariana Franklin's popular Mistress of the Art of Death historical mystery series, set in Norman England.

England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft—sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the formidable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband . . . if they can find a man who will appreciate a woman with such unusual gifts.

When a friend in Cambridgeshire falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely, where her path will cross with Lord Peverill, a young aristocrat who would be a most suitable match for the young healer. But when Allie arrives, all is chaos. A village girl has disappeared—and she's not the first. Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished. When the body of one of the missing is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a monstrous predator is on the loose. Will her training and her stubborn pursuit of the truth help her find the killer . . . or make her the next victim?

A richly detailed, twisty thriller, Death and the Maiden is historical mystery at its finest—and a superb final episode in Ariana Franklin's much-loved, much-acclaimed series.

©2020 Samantha Norman (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

fantastic!

I'm so sad this is the end. A brilliant book. No matter how I have looked, i feel like i wont ever find a story like the one told in this series. Read from the Mistress Of The Art Of Death and fall inlove like i did!

Predictable ending

Enjoyed the history in this book as it filled in some of what I didn’t know about Eleanor of Acquatine. Knew the ending about half way through.

Good but predictable

I was so glad to read the last in this Ariana Franklin series. It was good but the story was lacking in depth and very predictable. Still it was a nice read.

A mesmerising historical story

The authors bring the fictional characters to real life. Their descriptions of places, people and actions are so defined the reader can envision them easily.

Twisted

I'm a bit slow so it took me until the third or fourth chapter to figure out this book ties into the Siege Winter. I do love the tie in.
Just when you think you know who the bad guy is, you feel it's someone else until you find out who the murderer really is.
The story ends somewhat abruptly and doesn't answer all your questions, but it's a good listen. Well worth the credit.

Perfect ending!

I loved this last book in the series. It was well done with a great surprise ending.

Fun story

The style was more focused on relationships with a lot of dialogue and detail. The murder and forensic side was lighter than other books; but, it was a good story that was told well. I would recommend this book.

Not ms. Franklins best work

This was too fine a series for it to end with this book. As one reviewer said, it was predictable and lacked the historical tidbits of the other books.

New generation of Dr of Death

I hoping for more adventures of the brave Adelia, find this story's protagonist is her daughter 20 years forward. There are not many historical revelations of little-known facts to keep the reader enthralled. Story itself was unfortunately, predictable.

Final novel was like visiting lifelong friends.

I’m so glad I listened to the final chapter of this exciting saga. At least twice, I snuck away from my daily chores to continue listening to the tale. I also gained an appreciation for the English countryside known as “the Fens,” and, because of this wonderful series, I hope to visit it some day. Thank you for giving this world traveler, who feels compelled to stay locally during this COVID era, an invigorating mental trip abroad in a bygone century.