Not very Christmassy I know, but I've had this audiobook on my iPod for a month and I only just got to finishing it now. It's good, though! It's the antidote to all the treacly goings-on of the season. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story of Adelia and her cohorts, Simon and Mansur, as they travel to Cambridge from Salerno by order of King Henry II to solve the mystery of four murdered children. Being a woman in the 1170s, her medical and forensic skills are not openly recognized so she must find ways to hide her activities lest she be deemed a witch. What a feisty, intelligent character she is, a feminist before her time. She's independent and speaks her mind and I liked her immediately, along with Gyltha the cook and Prior Geoffrey. Its a mesmerizing story with enough detail and historical drama to make it an interesting and engaging read (or in my case, 'listen') I have book two,
Serpent Tales, already on my TBR shelf for the new year, and, if that goes well, I hear there are one or two more books in the series for me to investigate after that. We'll see.
8 comments:
Thanks for the recommendation Trish, this one sounds very good.
This one's on the wishlist I sent to my mom for Christmas. I'm so glad you liked it -- fingers crossed I do too!
This one sounds different - I'll ee if my library has it next year. I know what you mean about not reading a 'Christmassy' book, Trish - I'm just reading something light from my TBR shelves, trying to reduce the number down even further - and it's a crime novel by an author I've not read before. (But I only have time to read at work at the moment - but should finish it before Christmas)
Sam & couchpotatocritic - I hope you like it too. It's one of those books that I kept glancing at over the years but never picked up until the time was right.
Tracy - Reading at this time of year needs to be uncomplicated, I think. And, yes! it's a great way to clear out some of the lingering lighter TBRs. Short stories are a good bet, too.
i see google ate my post, yet again! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
I hate when that happens!
I've had this book for quite some time and I know I really need to read it! I recently read that the author passed away so I'm not sure if the series was completed before her death. I'm still planning on reading this, but I wonder if they'll hire someone to finish the series.
What a shame that she's passed away. This first book actually works quite nicely as a stand alone story so I'm hoping the others will be similar.
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