I so enjoyed Mistress of the Art of Death that I had to reread the next two books in this series. And wouldn't you know it, they were just as wonderful the second time around!
“Fair Rosamund”, Henry II’s mistress, has died a painful death from poison, and his estranged wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine is the prime suspect. Fearing that Rosamund’s death is the first move by Eleanor to usurp his power, he summons Adelia Agular from her retreat in the fens of England to learn the truth. Not at all happy to be summoned, Adelia has no choice but to leave the country, and with her infant daughter Allie, and friends Gyltha and Mansur, goes to meet with the King, and Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans and the father of her child. Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan’s home, a tower within a walled labyrinth known as The Serpent’s Tale. Its courtyard is littered with odd implements. Inside one of the rooms, they make a grisly discovery. But soon after they arrive, so does Eleanor of Aquitaine with her retinue. Rowley and Adelia are taken captive and rowed by boat to Oxford. On the trip, Rowley jumps overboard, and Adelia is certain he has either drowned or frozen to death. Trapped in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is staying until her rebellion begins, she suspects there is more than one killer, but cannot prove anything as the extreme snow and cold keep them inside. But she must find who the killers are before Eleanor launches her attack against Henry and plunges England into civil war. Full of great historical detail, and featuring a fearless woman ahead of her time.
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