More Death

I was going to call this "Death of a Series Part II" because the book series I want to talk about is another I will probably never finish. But that title just doesn't quite work. First of all, I do not want people to think that this series is in any way, shape, or form similar to Ms. Kenyon's work. They are as different as chalk and cheese. And secondly, I will most likely not be able to finish this series for an entirely different reason: the author died.

Ariana Franklin was her name. Well, her pseudonym. I read her historical thriller series called Mistress of the Art of Death. Brilliant books. Compelling. Suspenseful. Smart. Absolutely incredible. There were moments while reading these books that I stopped, looked around, and said in an astonished whisper, "Holy crap..."

my lovelies

Set in the late 12th century, they feature a medieval pathologist named Adelia Aguilar. Henry II is in dire need of an expert in deduction and the art of death. He summons the best and the best just happens to be a woman. However, in 12th century England any woman who possessed such knowledge would be condemned as a witch. So Adelia has to do her deducting and death arts in secret.

Side note: It is a fact that in Salerno (where Adelia is from), in the 12th century, there was a medical school that would also teach women.

book one

I could really go on and on about these books. There is so much I want to say but it would be spoilers. And these are books that should not be spoiled.

The woman really knew her history. Much of what she writes is historically accurate. The places, the people, the superstitions, the power the church had over everyone. All of it is based in fact. Lady knows her stuff.

And the characters! So brilliant. So complex and real and flawed in all the right ways. Adelia is just wonderful. She's strong, smart, and independent. But she is still a woman of her time. She knows the world she lives in and the rules she must live by. So she follows them, albeit begrudgingly. All the other characters too, I just love them. I really want to list them all, but that would take up far too much time and space.

book two

Also the crimes and mysteries in these books are just mind-boggling. They are complex, with the needed number of twists and turns to make it exciting without being convoluted. The crimes themselves are often quite gruesome. Some of this stuff I don't think even CSI would touch. But they are not so far-fetched that they could be considered impossible for the time period. It's a nice reminder that there have been depraved people all throughout history and it's not just a recent trend.

book three

But the intrepid Adelia always perseveres and finds the killer. It's never a happy ending though. How could it be? A person or two (or three or four) is always dead. Another dozen people are inevitably injured in some way. It's the 12th century for Pete's sake! People died of paper cuts back then. How many happy endings could there possibly be in such a time and place?

book four

Anyway, the point is, these books are fantastic. After reading the forth one (which of coursed ended on a huge cliffhanger) I popped online to see when the fifth would be out. And it was then I discovered there would be no fifth. Franklin had passed away... Two years ago! Two years ago and I had no idea. By that point I had been reading her books for at least four year.Well, needless to say I was devastated. An author who had just become one of my all time favorites was now gone. Also, I would now never know how Adelia and company escaped the assassins the Church of England had sent after them!

But then I found a ray of hope. Before Franklin's death she had started a stand alone novel that she was unable to complete. But her daughter took it upon herself to finish it. So maybe, just maybe, Franklin's daughter will write a fifth Mistress of the Art of Death novel as well. It's unlikely, but it's all I have.

Then of course there is the possibility that Franklin never intended to write a fifth book in the series. Perhaps she meant to have these characters' fates left unknown. I suppose that would be rather fitting and a good way to end the series.

But that doesn't stop me from wanting more.