Ariana Franklin
Categories: Mystery & Suspense , Fiction
The British writer Ariana Franklin was in Cincinnati on Tuesday as part of a pre-pub swing through the Midwest in support of her new novel, Mistress of the Art of Death.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a dinner hosted by her agent at Tellers that night. It was a very pleasant evening—Ariana was charming and graciously answered questions about her books, her interest in the Middle Ages, and her husband (film critic Barry Norman). And of course, it was lots of fun to chat about book-related stuff with all the Joseph Beth folks and the Enquirer’s Sara Pearce.
Coincidentally, City of Shadows, Ariana’s previous book, made it to Librarian’s Choice, our annual list of staff favorites. I haven’t read this “stunning novel of historical suspense” (in the words of our Fiction staff), but it’s on my nightstand at home so I’ll probably get to it soon. And yet…
I’m sorely tempted to dive into my crisp new copy of Mistress of the Art of Death--a suspense novel about Henry II set in 12th century England--because it looks just wonderful. Kirkus gave it a starred review and offered one of their classic pithy summaries: “CSI meets Canterbury Tales.” How can I resist?
A note of caution: It won’t be published until early February so you won’t find it in the Library yet or on bookstore shelves. Keep an eye on our catalog, though, because it will show up soon!
