THE SERPENT'S TALE

Author: Ariana Franklin ISBN: 9780425225745 2/2009 HISTORICAL/SUSPENSE Publisher: BERKLEY

Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison-and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund's murder is probably the first move in Eleanor's long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth. Adelia is not happy to be called out of retirement. She has been living contentedly in the countryside, caring for her infant daughter, Allie. But Henry's summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king's trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans, who is also her baby's father. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan's home, in a tower within a walled labyrinth—a strange and sinister place from the outside, but far more so on the inside, where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia's investigation is cut short by the appearance of Rosamund's rival: Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken captive by Eleanor's henchmen and held in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is holed up for the winter with her band of mercenaries, awaiting the right moment to launch their rebellion. Isolated and trapped inside the nunnery by the snow and cold, Adelia and Rowley watch as dead bodies begin piling up. Adelia knows that there may be more than one killer at work, and she must unveil their true identities before England is once again plunged into civil war . . .

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I can say this much right off the bat about THE SERPENT'S TALE: This is the first time I've gotten less than two chapters into a book before I was off hunting up and buying its predecessor, MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH. What an original, spellbinding, story this is, featuring suspense, mystery and even a bit of romance set into a captivatingly dark and murky historical backdrop. I loved this book, but even more I loved it's lead character, the inquisitive and passionate Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, and all the secondary characters that surround her throughout this adventure. There wasn't a weak personality in the bunch.

To say that I became totally immersed in this story about a Medieval woman who is sort of the modern day equivalent of a forensic scientist/pathologist, is putting it rather mildly. When Fair Rosemund, mistress of King Henry II dies from poisoning, Adelia is commanded by the king to find the murderer... or murderess, as the case may be. Re-paired with Rowley, her former lover, the father of her daughter and now a Catholic bishop, the sleuthing begins in earnest. Was it the recently escaped Queen Eleanor who did the deed, or could it have been someone else? And for what reason?

Besides the mystery and surprise turns here and there, the relationship between Adelia and Rowley quickly got my attention. It was obvious the two still cared for each other, even as Adelia is determined to go her own way and pursue her own goals, while Rowley has taken the mantle of the church and uttered an oath of celibacy after Adelia's earlier refusal to marry him. The pull between these two isn't over, though, and I'm looking forward to finding out more when the next title in this series, GRAVE GOODS is released in March.

Overall, if you're a fan of historical fiction that's mixed with mystery, suspense and a little bit of romance, written by an author who captures the heart and soul of the Medieval Ages and its people, both the good and bad, then Ariana Franklin's THE SERPANT'S TALE is one book you won't want to miss!

Nancy Davis