Sunday 3 May 2009

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: The Death Maze - Ariana Franklin


BOOK BLURB:

Twelfth-century anatomist, Adelia Aguilar must once again examine the dead as gruesome events are beginning to unfold...Henry II's favourite mistress, Rosamund Clifford, has been poisoned - and, rumour says, by his jealous wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. If Henry believes the stories, England will be torn apart as King battles Queen. In a race against time to prove Eleanor's innocence, and with a dangerous assassin on the loose, Adelia has never faced greater danger. The armies that might cause civil war lie behind her. The icy winds of a dreadful winter blow around her. And ahead she must brave the thorns of the impenetrable labyrinth that surrounds Fair Rosamund's tower, and decipher the mystery of the dead woman who lies frozen within.


REVIEW:

If you haven't read the original novel by Ariana then where have you been. Fans of Crime novels have not only raved about this authors writing style but also the effortless ease with which history is seamlessly bound in without coming over like an info dump. Here we have the second novel within the series and its one that really doesn't let up the pace.

Brought from her retirement in the country where she's bringing up her young daughter, the "mistress of death" is returned to investigate the death of the King Henry II's Mistress. But the chief suspect is Henry's wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, the famed mother of Englands greatest king, Richard the Lionheart. But who's the killer, Henry or Eleanor or someone behind the scenes. A great read that will keep you glued to the last page.

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