num_pages: 384
description: A chilling, mesmerizing novel that combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of historical fiction. 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 II 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 . .
language: English
title: Mistress of the Art of Death
titlecomplete: Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1)
characters: Sir Rowley Picot, Abbess Joan, Adelia Aguilar, Mansur (Mistress of the Art of the Death), Ulf (Mistress of the Art of Death), Simon of Naples, Gyltha, Henry II of England, Sir Joscelin of Grantchester, Sir Gervase, Prior Geoffrey, Sister Veronica
genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Historical Mystery, Crime, Medieval, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Fiction
ratings_count: 39546
places: England, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
series: Mistress of the Art of Death
awards: awardedAt: 1199174400000
name: Macavity Award
category: Sue Feder Historical Mystery, awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award
publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons