Grave Goods by Ariana FranklinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series and I enjoyed it much more than the second. Adelia can be a bit much, but I do like the idea that there were strong, educated women even in Henry II's day. There is less of the the Adelia-Rowley romantic tension in this one and that is probably why I liked it more than the second book. The mystery this time is also better. In this trip through time Adelia is trying to determine whether a dying monk's vision was indeed Arthur and she is trying to find the dear Emma from the second book who has disappeared. The ends get mostly tied up at the close and Ms. Franklin again does her best to promote Henry II as more than just the king who called for the death of a bishop.
Ariana Franklin (a.k.a Diana Norman) did another wonderful job of fitting in her story more or less with historical fact. Yes, she did bend a few dates, but I forgive that for the sake of the story. I also very much enjoy her writing style. Of course, slipping in the first chapter of the fourth book was a nasty trick. I stayed up much later than I should have and now I need to get another book! Yes, it is an effective device.
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