![]() ![]() The Jews are, in effect, the kingdom’s bankers. ![]() Henry has need of the Jews because Christians are barred from the practice of lending money with interest. One prosperous moneylender has already been killed by a mob as the novel opens, his co-religionists are under royal protection, waiting out the hysteria behind castle walls. The victims were all children, and a hue and cry has been raised against the Jews of the region, in accordance with the allegations of blood libel. Mistress of the Art of Death starts out with a convoluted premise: at the request of England’s King Henry II, the King of Sicily has sent a deputation to Cambridge to investigate a series of murders. My reservations evanesced as I fell under the spell of Rosalyn Landor’s reading. As I often do in cases like this, I decided to try the audiobook. But two people whose opinion I value highly urged me to give it another shot. I was bothered mainly by the tone, which seemed ironic, with an overlay of slapstick thrown in for good measure. The first time I tried to read this novel, I didn’t make it past the first three or four pages. ![]() Januat 2:19 am ( Book review, Historical fiction, Mystery fiction) Mistress of the Art of Death, by Ariana Franklin ![]()
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