Mistress of the Art of Death - Ariana Franklin, Historischer Thriller

 
Unwiderstehlich spannend und zugleich lehrreich entführt uns 'Mistress of the Art of Death' in das mittelalterliche Cambridge. Hier wird nicht nur ein grausamer Mord aufgeklärt, sondern auch die Rolle der Frau in einer von Männern dominierten Welt hinterfragt. Unsere Heldin, Adelia Aguilar, ist nicht nur eine brillante Ärztin, sondern auch eine Meisterin der forensischen Wissenschaften. Zwischen Klostermauern und Burgzinnen erlebt sie Abenteuer, die so manchen Ritter erblassen lassen würden. Freundschaft, Liebe und tödliche Gefahren sind die Zutaten dieses historischen Epos. Und während Adelia mit der Inquisition flirtet, flirtet sie auch mit der Gefahr – und vielleicht auch mit der Liebe? Zehn Sätze können kaum die Faszination dieses Buches einfangen, das mit jeder Seite tiefer in die dunklen Gassen des Mittelalters zieht.

 
Pressestimmen "a vigorous evocation of medieval life in all its richness and squalor and an attention-grabbing thriller." (BBC History magazine)"Entertaining, well researched and well written." (JOANNE HARRIS)"Great fun! Franklin succeeds in vividly bringing the 12th century to life with this cracking good story. Expertly researched, a brilliant heroine, full of excellent period detail." (Kate Mosse, author of LABYRINTH)"...a morbidly entertaining novel that outdoes the competition." (NY Times)"a skilful blend of historical fact and gruesome fiction." (Publishers Weekly) Kurzbeschreibung In Cambridge a child has been hideously murdered and other children have disappeared. The Jews, made scapegoats by the all-powerful Christian clergy, have been forced to retreat into the castle to avoid slaughter by angry townspeople. Henry, King of England, is displeased. The Jews provide a large part of his revenue and therefore the real killer must be found, and quickly. A renowned investigator, Simon of Naples, is recruited and he arrives in town from the continent accompanied by an Arab and a young woman, Adelia Aguilar. There are few female doctors in twelth century Europe, but Adelia is one of them, having qualified at the great School of Medicine in Salerno. What's more, her speciality is the study of corpses; she is, in fact, a mistress of the art of death, a skill that must be concealed in case she's accused of witchcraft. Adelia's investigation takes her deep into Cambridge, its castle and convents and in a medieval city teeming with life, Adelia makes friends and even finds romance. And, fatally, the attention of a murderer who is prepared to kill again... Über den Autor und weitere Mitwirkende Ariana Franklin was born in Devon and, like her father, became a journalist. Having invaded Wales dressed in combat uniform with the Royal Marines for one of their military exercises, accompanied the Queen on a royal visit, missed her own twenty-first birthday party because she had to cover a murder, she married, almost inevitably, another journalist. At this point she decided that staying married was a good idea so she abandoned her career in national newspapers and has settled down in the country to bring up two daughters, study medieval history and write. THE MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH is her first historical thriller.

 
Besonders interessant ist, dass die Protagonistin eine der wenigen weiblichen Ärzte im 12. Jahrhundert ist.