A Murderous Procession

February 1, 2010
In Franklin's well-paced fourth Mistress of the Art of Death novel (after Grave Goods
), Henry II of England assigns his trusted doctor friend, Adelia Aguilar, who studied at the School of Medicine in Salerno, Italy, to accompany his 10-year-old daughter, Joanna, on Joanna's wedding procession to Sicily, where the girl is to marry Henry's cousin, William II. Along the way, the clever and brave Adelia has to not only contend with the dangers facing the princess but thwart a diabolical and conniving assassin named Scarry, who bears Adelia a murderous grudge. The suspense rises as members of the royal party start to die unnatural deaths as they journey across Europe. At times, Franklin, who's obviously done a lot of research into the period, in particular into the House of Plantagenet, overexplains or lapses into pedantic description. Still, both fans of historical fiction and mystery readers will be rewarded.

In a precise, melodious voice, Jill Tanner portrays Adelia Aguilar, a Sicilian forensic pathologist, and her Moorish traveling companion, Mansur. The pair are part of a procession to Sicily to provide medical services and advice to the Princess Joanna, daughter of Henry II of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is to marry King William II of Sicily. Tanner keeps the many details straight and twists her tongue with ease around the polyglot language of this twelfth-century world. The story focuses on a series of attempts on Adelia's life, even before the procession sets off across France, so half the story revolves around escaping various attempts on her life and chasing after the conspirators. Tanner expertly delivers the intrigue amid a tapestry of medieval European life. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine