The Serpent's Tale

I little behind in reviews this week. Actually got through more than one book! It's nice to be inbetween semesters at school.

The Serpent's Tale by Ariana FranklinThe second book in the Adelia mystery series tells the story of the death of Rosamund, the King's mistress. It is generally believed that Queen Eleanor played a part in her death and Adelia is sent to get to the bottom of it. Along the way she stumbles upon another set of murders that may or may not have to do with Rosamund's. It's quite a tangle to try and unravel for her.

This book does not quite live up the first. While the mystery(s) were intriguing they did not quite unfold in as smooth a manner. The books opens with a scene that does not involve Adelia, and it disappointed me a bit to have part of the killer's identity given away in such a manner so early on.

Adelia continues to grow as a character and we see how she reacts to motherhood and the potential danger to her child as she comes closer to finding the killers. I throroughly enjoyed the characters of the King and Queen, they are written in a way to be larger than life but done so in a way that makes them believable and natural.

Overall a good read, but I hope the third book is more in the style of the first.

3.5/4