The Serpent's Tale

The next book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series is another great medieval crime tale of Sicilian doctor Adelia Aguilar and her on-again, off-again beau Rowley, now the powerful Bishop of Saint Albans. Henry II (Plantagenet), King of England and his obstinate wife, Eleanor of Aquitane, are warring again. Henry calls in his special investigator Adelia to solve the murder (by Death Cap mushroom) of his lover, Rosamund, in her tower. The obvious suspect is the Queen herself, retaliating against a royal lover. The unlikely medical investigator Adelia enters a world of double-crossing lords, Catholic backlash against the killing of Thomas a Becket, unfaithful sons, and mercenaries to apply her scientific knowledge in a baffling case. With her faithful friend Gyltha, and her baby daughter Allie (is it Rowley's?), Adelia again risks her safety and reputation as a healer to get mixed up in royal intrigue. A fascinating character in a historical context I love!