Mistress in the Art of Death: Ariana Franklin

This book started out where I would be unsure if I liked it, but ended up being very good. There are a lot of characters to introduce that will eventually come together, which is why it started out slow. The book opens with a party coming back to England from a crusade. The bishop is unable to go to the bathroom and is in agony when Adelia, a woman doctor- unheard of at the time in England aids him. She has to remain under the cover of being a helper to the "DR" who is actually her body guard, but since he is a male, that is the deception. The other deception is that she and her 2 co-travelers have been sent with her to determine who is killing the children in this village. The Jewish population has been blamed and is locked in the castle for their own protection. As the three lead separate inquires, Simon, the Jewish detective in the group, is murdered. The other two are not sure where to go with their inquires. A man Adelia falls in love with is also trying to solve the mystery and is seriously injured. Shortly afterwards the little boy Adelia had showing her around is kidnapped. Adelia ponders something the child had said to her about it being the river that takes the children. She hops on a boat with some nuns taking things up river and finds the lair. An old chalk mining hole. She is then tossed into it by one of the nuns and realizes a man from the crusade and the nun were working together. She saves the boy and confesses her love.