This is the third book in this medieval mystery series (the first ones being Mistress of the Art of Death and The Serpent’s Tale); but while I enjoyed reading it, it is not quite the equal of the other two books, possibly because it ends with an eye towards yet another book. However, it does have a good bit of medieval Crime Scene Investigation in it, plus tunnels and lepers, so it’s still a great read.
It is the Year of our Lord 1176, with King Henry II of England fighting Welsh rebels whose battle cry is “King Arthur Lives!”; he hears of a rumor that a dying monk in 1154 saw a vision of Arthur being buried in the graveyard of the abbey of Glastonbury. Two skeletons were promptly dug up by order of the King, but King Henry would like to prove that the skeletons are indeed those of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, or at least prove that they do not belong to someone else, so that he can deprive the Welsh rebels of their mythical king
Therefore, the King calls once again upon the services of Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, Salerno-born expert in causes of death, who is sent with her entourage (her Arab eunuch and protector Mansur (who is the nominal ‘Doctor’ in her investigations, while she acts as his interpreter), her longtime friend and servant Glytha, and her child, four-year-old Allie) to Glastonbury to investigate the skeletons. Along the way, Adelia travels with Emma, a friend of hers from the previous book (The Serpent’s Tale); but on her arrival in Glastonbury, she finds that Emma and her group, who were due to arrive before her, apparently never arrived at all. Adelia is thus investigating the skeletons found in Glastonbury (which is a ruin, the abbey and town having burnt to the ground the previous month), and the disappearance of her friend. She is assisted in these investigations by the Bishop of St. Albans, who is in the area, and with whom Adelia has had some rather intimate dealings in the past.
There is also murder most foul in this book, and swords, and tunnels, and those lepers; but I felt that the story was not as well put together as it could have been; from a purely subjective standpoint, I had guessed one of the plot elements rather earlier than I should have, given my usual level of denseness and the level of writing that I have come to expect from this author. However, with presumably another book in the pipeline. perhaps the author can return to her previous stellar quality.
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