Book Review: The Serpent's Tale

Reviewed By: Lynn Harnett

The Serpent's Tale     Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Ariana Franklin
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical   Forensics   Woman Main Character
Series: Mistress of the Art of Death
Berkley, Feb. 2009 (paper)

A mysterious assassin and an agonizing poisoning kick starts Adelia’s second appearance – an investigation into the death of Henry Plantagenet’s (probably mythical) mistress Rosalind.

Rosalind’s horrible death brings Henry’s Queen, the elegant, scheming and wealthy Eleanor of Aquitaine, to her hated rival’s pillaged estate where Adelia saves her life and is rewarded by being attached, willy-nilly, to Eleanor’s entourage.

But a massive blizzard intervenes, postponing Eleanor’s rebellion, and driving them all to take refuge in a quiet, well-run nunnery where murder runs rampant.

Motherhood and the torturous romance with Rowley nearly derail Adelia’s determination to expose a ruthless killer (or two) but she perseveres through a maze of clues and misdirection to a climax of high drama. Eleanor is not quite as sharp as Kate Hepburn’s portrayal in “The Lion in Winter,” but she’s younger and possibly more vain.

Deliciously ghoulish and blackly humorous, with some vividly miserable winter scenes, this is a perfect novel for a snowy evening when you can thank your lucky stars you’re not stuck in a sledge on the frozen Thames or huddled on a bed of straw in a draughty barn.

Lynn Harnett

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Lynn Harnett

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