Grave Goods (Mistress of the Art of Death)

Mysterious, mystical, medieval Glastonbury is the setting for Grave Goods, in which the female doctor and "mistress of the art of death", Adelia, is ordered by King Henry II to examine the bones unearthed by the fire that destroyed the Abbey. Why? Because Henry wants the skeleton to be that of his illustrious predecessor, the once and future King Arthur. The Welsh keep rising up against Henry, and when it's proved that Arthur is truly dead, will give up their quest to hold their land for Arthur rather than Henry. Trekking to Glastonbury is no easy task, and it provides the material for numerous subplots that vie for Adelia's attention. Her personal story develops further also, as she reunites with the father of her young daughter, now the Bishop of Wells. Grave Goods is filled with medieval detail and atmosphere, and there's plenty of danger to keep the action moving.

There's been a strong trend lately to merge historical fiction with detective mysteries, and this is one of the stronger offerings in this blended genre. Though the plot is, of course, very important, this is a character driven series with vivid portrayals. Adelia herself is a "modern" woman with a first rate intellect and a good heart, very much her own person. And in this outing, she has a lot of decisions to make. Looking forward to the sequel in this well written and researched series.

The year is 1176 and King Henry II of England is battling the Welsh. In his quest to win over Wales, he must prove that the legendary King Arthur is, in fact, dead. A recent fire at the Glastonbury Abbey, the legendary site of Avalon, has revealed two caskets with dead bodies inside. Are they the famous king and his wife Guinevere? To prove that the bones do belong to the once and future king, Henry asks Adelia Aguilar to examine the remains so Wales will recognize the legitimacy of his reign.

Adelia has been on the road to Glastonbury with her friend Emma when she receives the King's summons. Upon returning to the region, however, she finds that Emma and her entourage have disappeared. Combine that with the mystery of a fire at the Abbey, an earthquake, strange dreams, and a group of ruffians who claim innocence, and Adelia has more than she knows what to do with. In her job of determining whether or not the bones are Arthur and Guinevere's, she also finds out how the Abbey caught fire, manages to corner a group of highway robbers, and uncover a mad murderess.

The third novel in Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series (after "A Serpent's Tale"), "Grave Goods" has a unique combination of elements that were missing in the previous two works - namely, the irresistible legend of King Arthur and Excalibur. However, like its predecessor, it lacks the true intrigue of "Mistress of the Art of Death". While I am always glad to see Adelia's friends Gyltha and Mansur, her fellow investigator Rowley, and her daughter Allie, I miss the other characters that were fleshed out so well in the first novel and who only make brief appearances in this one.

To fully understand this book, you need to have read the two previous novels. Because the characters from each novel overlap into the next (and their stories carry on as well), I would have been lost without the others. Though the mystery in this one isn't quite as juicy, the legend of Arthur makes up for it. A good read indeed.

This is a really great historical and the first that I have read in the series.

Adelia Aguilar, is a medieval woman who practises medicine in England, in the year 1176. She uses as her cover, an Arab named Mansur, since women who practised any time of medicine at this time in history would have been burnt at the stake for witchcraft.

She is summoned to the king of England, Henry II Plantagenet, to determine if a grave that has been found at Glastonbury Cathedral, containing remains of two people could be that of King Arthur and his Guinevere.

Once she begins her travels to Glastonbury, there are many different mysteries in addition to the King Arthur and Guinevere legend to decipher. Where has Adelia's travelling companion, Emma, disappeared to enroute to Glastonbury?. Who has destroyed the town of Glastonbury with a fire?

There are many different mysteries that Adelia solves before the story ends. I really enjoyed the different angles to the story and the romance of the King Arthur legend.

I also found that Ariana Franklin is the author, Diana Norman, who wrote the Makepeace Hedley series which I enjoy very much. This is a good summer read and I am going to order the remaining book in the Adelia Aguilar series.

I fail to see why people give one star when they are not even rating the story. They are rating the condition of the book they received or the fact that they never got it. And why are they putting this on Amazon when Amazon has nothing to do with them not getting the book or the condition? They are from other providers. We are here to rate the novels themselves not service or product condition. If you have a problem with service take it up on the site from which you ordered from.

With that said I think this was a wonderful novel and I look forward to the next. By the way King Arthur lives.

I really like how she portrays her characters. The good guys are good and the bad guys (or ladies) are definitely bad. Wonderfully diverting books. I've enjoyed the three I've read so far.

As always, a wonderful evocation of 12th century England. It is a pity that the 5th (and final) book, published posthumously, is not available in softcover.

The third in the Mistress in the Art of Death series, Grave Goods, continues to provide the intrigue and strong female characters readers expect, while adding a bit more romance in the telling - a good balance without too much compromise.

Can't really say but I have really enjoyed this series, I highly recommend if you enjoy History. Well weird History😂

Really good read, well written

I'm reading it now - so far - its terrific.