Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar is the heroine of this mystery set in 1171 medieval England.
Not for a minute does this seem as unrealistic as it should.
Adelia, a medical examiner from Italy is ahead of her time. Quite far ahead actually. Women in medieval times were not doctors. They were not openly feisty, intelligent, belligerent, fearless, judgmental and accusatory. (One would like to think in private they could enjoy these delightful character traits – I do).
An adopted daughter of Italian physicians, Adelia is schooled as a doctor at the School of Medicine in Salerno. She studies death.When King Henry II requests that a doctor be sent from Italy to help solve a mystery involving the murders of local children in Cambridge, a trio arrives that has a hard time blending in with the crusaders and pilgrims of medieval England. Adelia, Simon of Naples (a prominent Jew) and Mansur (a Moor) are just marvelous. The reader likes them immediately even if the locals do not.
Medicine was at odds with the church at this time and Adelia must practice quietly though, “other doctors knew the use of Adelia’s work, and it was an open secret among the lay authorities.” This proves difficult in England as she gets involved in the proliferation of illnesses in town and becomes an object of derision to the powers-that-be.The Prior is horrified upon finding to whom he owes his life, “a woman, a woman …only indebtedness, the knowledge that without her ministration he would have died, had stopped him from ignoring her or stealing away…” We worry that she will be tattled upon. We worry that she will be unfairly treated. We worry that no one will see how lovely she is. We do not, however, worry that she will not prevail which makes the plot more fun than angst-ridden.
The central issues encircling the murders (which are really quite awful) are myriad and reflect upon all of the central characters. Religion, politics, equality – the usual triumvirate, all play to blur the lines of the basic plot which is the murders . Who is killing these children? Someone from the Church? The Jews? A Crusader?
Adelia studies the bodies to interpret the crimes. “ I am not here to pray for them [Adelia] said, I have come to speak for them.” Like Kay Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell’s brave forensic doctor), Adelia brings an objectivity to death that opens our eyes and makes the story more tolerable. As we learn to admire her forensic and deductive skills, we also witness her falling in love with a horse-faced child, a repugnantly stinky dog and a surprising man.Throughout the book, she tracks many plausible suspects and the conclusion is thankfully not obvious. The benefit of being kept guessing until the end is that trivial details are not ignored. You’ll regret skipping pages.
Adelia is quite the pistol and her tenacity is much needed at the awful climax when, “courage returned to Adelia. And hatred. And ferocity. No pain on earth could stop her.” We are right there in the horror with her and thank goodness for a happy ending.Phew! When you are done shaking off a veritable plethora of “willies”, you will realize that you have just read a rather good book.