By Rafael A. Hernandez
Would it be such a crime to have writers stay consistent in ALL of their publications? I still claim The Mistress of the Art of Death series as my favorite mystery series as it combines the relevance of historical events with mind teasing and nerve tensing mystery, all encompassed by a relatable female protagonist. The most current chapter in the series, Grave Goods, has took a slight turn for the average. By comparison to the first two books in the series, this third chapter proves itself to be the worst (thus far). Of course this novel does retain some merit established by its predecessors, there is just simply too much underwhelming narration and too many character inconsistencies for the reader to enjoy the book without feeling hampered.
Grave Goods starts off once again chronicling the activities of Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, medical doctor and medieval era coroner. Under the protection and employ of King Henry Plantagenet, Adelia is pulled from her new home in England and sent to investigate the possible discovery of King Arthur’s and Queen Guinevere’s remains. With her four year old daughter Allie, confidant Gyltha and Saracen best friend Mansur, Adelia goes to the fabled land of Glastonbury to apply her medical knowledge to the ancient skeletons. As she proceeds with her investigation all forms of disturbances take place. Everything from murderous forest bandits, suspicious clergymen to a presumed dead heiress become the obstacles which Adelia and her entourage must overcome.
Once the plot of Grave Goods gets into full stride, readers (especially those familiar with the series) will begin to see how Adelia has changed as both a protagonist and family figure. It seems that she is less an astute physician and more of a concerned mother and friend; the latter qualities being very admirable but not necessarily toward the narrative’s mystery. Adelia’s skills as a doctor prove dampened by the mystic aspect of Glastonbury and her own sentimental investments to those around her. Unfortunately when Adelia is truly pressed with serious investigation, it seems that more luck becomes her beacon and less her own skills. Her own stream of consciousness admits to the belittling of her once sharp abilities.
An apparently good and bad quality of this novel is its frenzy of subplots and how they reconvene at the finale of the book. The fact that Franklin has created such a complicated series of events is impressive. Unfortunately, the satisfaction of seeing these plots come to fruition (like Adelia’s characteristic prowess) is belittled by dozens of tangled pages consisting of average storytelling that keep the reader from being too involved. By the time the reader reaches the resolution they may consider the thought, “Do I really care anymore?”. Aspects of the story with Adelia’s lover and comrade Rowley Picot would have been more effective if he simply was present for most of the story. It is regrettable to see one of the more involving characters be absent for nearly half the novel. Furthermore, his involvement in the narrative is little more than a mechanism for Adelia to find emotional (and sexual) relief. But this in turn only makes Adelia into a slightly stronger damozel in distress.
It would be too much a validation to say that lovers of the series would like Grave Goods. The novel does try to illustrate how a potentially explosive mystery can affect even the most hardened protaganist, especially one who is in royal service as well as being charged with motherhood. For the more sympathetic reader, Grave Goods is a display of a woman’s ability to survive through religious, political and violent adversity while still caring for those she loves- as such, this novel is a delight to read and a testament to human fervor. Conversely, as a mystery this book falters and is merely a stepping stone into the next iteration of the series. Franklin did achieve a fairly compelling series thus far but Grave Goods is definitely not the high point.
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