Grave goods - BookWyrm

No cover — Grave goods (2009, Thorndike Press)

English language

Published Sept. 8, 2009 by Thorndike Press.

ISBN:: 9781410415011
OCLC Number:: 295046344

(2 reviews)

Combining the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of medieval fiction, New York Timesbestselling author Ariana Franklin returns with the third title in the Mistress of the Art of Death series.England, 1176. Beautiful, tranquil Glastonbury Abbey one of Englands holiest sites, and believed by some to be King Arthurs sacred Isle of Avalonhas been burned almost to the ground. The arsonist remains at large, but the fire has uncovered something even more shocking: two hidden skeletons, a man and a woman. The skeletons height and age send rumors flyingare the remains those of Arthur and Guinevere?King Henry II hopes so. Struggling to put down a rebellion in Wales, where the legend of Celtic savior Arthur is particularly strong, Henry wants definitive proof that the bones are Arthurs. If the rebels are sure that the Once and Future King will not be coming to their aid, Henry can stamp …

Combining the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of medieval fiction, New York Timesbestselling author Ariana Franklin returns with the third title in the Mistress of the Art of Death series.England, 1176. Beautiful, tranquil Glastonbury Abbey one of Englands holiest sites, and believed by some to be King Arthurs sacred Isle of Avalonhas been burned almost to the ground. The arsonist remains at large, but the fire has uncovered something even more shocking: two hidden skeletons, a man and a woman. The skeletons height and age send rumors flyingare the remains those of Arthur and Guinevere?King Henry II hopes so. Struggling to put down a rebellion in Wales, where the legend of Celtic savior Arthur is particularly strong, Henry wants definitive proof that the bones are Arthurs. If the rebels are sure that the Once and Future King will not be coming to their aid, Henry can stamp out the insurgence for good. He calls on Adelia Aguilar, Mistress of the Art of Death, to examine the bones.Henrys summons comes not a moment too soon, for Adelia has worn out her welcome in Cambridge. As word of her healing powers has spread, so have rumors of witchcraft. So Adelia and her household ride to Glastonbury, where the investigation into the abbey fire will be overseen by the Church authoritiesin this case, the Bishop of St. Albans, who happens also to be the father of Adelias daughter.

4 editions

airdog reviewed Grave goods by Ariana Franklin

Review of 'Grave goods' on 'GoodReads'

3 stars

I'm not a specialist of the period the book is set in (the reign of Henri II) but it seems to me difficult to believe that an English king of that period would put his faith in the knowledge of a woman (especially a foreign woman coming from Spain) with an Arab assistant, no matter how much that woman would have proved to him.

But I was nevertheless easily able to put aside this rather incongruous aspect of the novel and greatly enjoy reading on.

The plot is well written and from page to page never lets you down by getting Adelia and her friends out of one difficult situation only to put her in another one right away. With the main character we bounce from an escape from forest villains to miraculously surviving an attempt to bury her to being saved from certain drowning and so on.

And while …

I'm not a specialist of the period the book is set in (the reign of Henri II) but it seems to me difficult to believe that an English king of that period would put his faith in the knowledge of a woman (especially a foreign woman coming from Spain) with an Arab assistant, no matter how much that woman would have proved to him.

But I was nevertheless easily able to put aside this rather incongruous aspect of the novel and greatly enjoy reading on.

The plot is well written and from page to page never lets you down by getting Adelia and her friends out of one difficult situation only to put her in another one right away. With the main character we bounce from an escape from forest villains to miraculously surviving an attempt to bury her to being saved from certain drowning and so on.

And while it's not really difficult to guess who the culprits are there are some nice twists to the plot that keep the interest going.

All in all, a book I would gladly recommend to anyone interested in a good plot and a nice medieval setting.

airdog reviewed Grave goods by Ariana Franklin

Review of 'Grave goods' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I'm not a specialist of the period the book is set in (the reign of Henri II) but it seems to me difficult to believe that an English king of that period would put his faith in the knowledge of a woman (especially a foreign woman coming from Spain) with an Arab assistant, no matter how much that woman would have proved to him.

But I was nevertheless easily able to put aside this rather incongruous aspect of the novel and greatly enjoy reading on.

The plot is well written and from page to page never lets you down by getting Adelia and her friends out of one difficult situation only to put her in another one right away. With the main character we bounce from an escape from forest villains to miraculously surviving an attempt to bury her to being saved from certain drowning and so on.

And while …

I'm not a specialist of the period the book is set in (the reign of Henri II) but it seems to me difficult to believe that an English king of that period would put his faith in the knowledge of a woman (especially a foreign woman coming from Spain) with an Arab assistant, no matter how much that woman would have proved to him.

But I was nevertheless easily able to put aside this rather incongruous aspect of the novel and greatly enjoy reading on.

The plot is well written and from page to page never lets you down by getting Adelia and her friends out of one difficult situation only to put her in another one right away. With the main character we bounce from an escape from forest villains to miraculously surviving an attempt to bury her to being saved from certain drowning and so on.

And while it's not really difficult to guess who the culprits are there are some nice twists to the plot that keep the interest going.

All in all, a book I would gladly recommend to anyone interested in a good plot and a nice medieval setting.

Subjects

Henry -- II, -- King of England, -- 1133-1189 -- Fiction
Glastonbury Abbey -- Fiction
Women forensic pathologists -- Fiction
Large type books