Death and the maiden /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Superb...an appropriate homage"--Marilyn Stasio, New York Times

The much-anticipated final installment in Ariana Franklin's popular Mistress of the Art of Death historical mystery series, finished by the author's daughter after her death.

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.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

Norman and coauthor Franklin deliver the final entry in their Mistress of the Art of Death series set in the English Fens in the twelfth century. Adelia is a gifted local healer and physician. Her daughter, Allie, is determined to follow in her footsteps and is already a promising healer herself. But her parents' priority is for her to wed. When Adelia is called to Ely to nurse her old friend Lady Gyltha, she agrees to go but then breaks her ankle. Allie begs to go instead, and Lady Penda, Gyltha's sister, promises that she will find a husband for Allie if the girl is allowed to stand in for her mother. In fact, Penda already has a candidate in mind: the rich, handsome Lord Peverill. Penda also promises to keep Allie safe, given that several girls have disappeared recently, turning up dead weeks later. Once in Ely, Allie befriends Hawise, a local girl, and, as planned, falls for Lord Peverill. But when Hawise disappears, Allie vows to find her friend before Hawise suffers the same fate as the other missing girls. This is a fascinating, page-turning historical mystery, with dashes of twelfth-century politics and religion, intriguing period ambience, charismatic characters, and a completely unexpected ending. Highly recommended.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Ariana Franklin is a pen name used by Diana Norman. She is a British author and journalist writing historical fiction and non-fiction. She was born in Devon, England. She is married to the film critic Barry Norman. (Bowker Author Biography)