Ariana Franklin

Ariana Franklin's Relics of the Dead is the third in her series about Adelia an early version of a forensic scientist set in the 12th century. In this episode Adelia is summoned by Henry II to try and identify whether two skeletons unearthed in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey are King Arthur and his queen. Needless to state the the task is far from easy and whatever her final verdict is there will be repercussions.

The Fens near Cambridge are getting too hot to hold Adelia so she welcomes the new commission especially when she is able to renew her friendship with Lady Emma Wolvercote and her small son and the Bishop of St Albans the father of her own small daughter. Adelia travels in the direction of Glastonbury with Emma and her entourage until she is diverted to meet King Henry in Wales. They agree to meet up later but Emma disappears and Adelia fears for her safety. So as well as identifying skeletons she has to try and locate her friend.

This is every bit as exciting as the two previous books with excellent characterisation and brilliant dialogue. This author is often criticised because she has people speak in modern English - minus 21st century references - but as she explains in her comprehensive note at the end of the book it would be impossible to write the dialogue in Old English, or Latin or Norman French which would have been the languages in use at the time. I have no problem with this and to me it brings the whole era to life as I can relate to the characters more easily. I enjoyed this story and it is good to see historical fiction set in unusual eras.

Books read

It's a good thing I've got at least 100 unread books to attack as this enforced leisure is giving me plenty of time to read.

Books finished in the last few days include:

Martin Edwards - The Arsenic Labyrinth - the third in his Lake District series involving Daniel Kind - Oxford historian who has moved to a cottage with his girl friend Miranda; and DCI Hannah Scarlett - head of the cold case review team. Hannah is reluctantly re-visiting a 10 year old missing person case which may or may not be a murder. Daniel is looking for a new historical subject to write a book about as his savings are dwindling. The result is a densely plotted mystery involving a murder from 50 years previously as well as the disappearance of Emma Beswick 10 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next in the series.

Frances Garrood - Dead Ernest - a poignant and amusing story of a marriage and how Ernest's widow deals with his sudden death. Annie tells her story to the local vicar - Andrew - whilst getting to know her grand-daughter - Ophelia. It is a common story - farm girl in war time falls pregnant and is forced into an unwelcome marriage by her parents fearing for their standing in the community. The author brings a wealth of compassion and understanding to the story and the characters come to life on the page. Ernest is far from being all bad and both he and Annie are victims of their upbringing and their circumstances.

Currently reading - Arianna Franklin's - The Mistress of the Art of Death - just as good as The Death Maze. Larger than life characters and flashes of humour. I think it's the humour that has attracted me to this author's two books. Historical fiction often lacks a spark of humour. These two books show it is possible to write historically accurate fiction but not have the characters take themselves too seriously. Added to which it is set in my beloved Fens - though in the 12th century.

Another 4 weeks off and a good book

I've been to see my GP today who asked me how long I think I need off. I suggested 4 weeks to which he seemed happy to agree. As he said, there's a huge difference between pottering around at home and stopping when it hurts and being at work where you can't just take breaks when you feel like it. He says he's going to put on the certificate when I go back that I am not to do repetitive work and not lift things which are too heavy etc. That's going to be fun as most of the files I work on are thick and heavy and I have to go through boxes of records - bank statements, receipts etc. Then there's spreadsheets and typing letters . . . . It will be interesting to see how they manage to sort it.

Meanwhile the manager we had back in May before she got temporary promotion sent me a get well card having just heard about my misfortunes - which was a nice thought.

I have just finished reading Ariana Franklin's 'The Death Maze' - historical crime with humour. Feisty women and larger than life men with warts and all. It's set in the reign of Henry II and centres on the murder of Rosamund Clifford - Rosa Mundi - Henry's mistress and involves Adelia who has trained as a doctor, trying to unmask the murderer and putting her own life in danger in the process. Her lover is a Bishop who she refuses to marry and who is involved in the investigation. Brilliant sparkling dialogue and excellent characters and plot. I loved it.