by Esther Erman
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
The premise of Rebecca of Salerno is that it is a continuation of the story of the healer Rebecca from the classic novel Ivanhoe. Since Ivanhoe, the man she loves, married another woman, Rebecca swears off men and vows to devote her life to the healing arts. She hears from family friend Rafael about a medical school in Salerno that allows anyone, regardless of gender or religion, to study there.
With her life as a healer in Salerno falling into place, she finds herself in the missile of a murder mystery. A rabbi is accused of killing a crusader, but Rebecca is convinced he is innocent. She and Rafael work to clear his name and find the real culprit.
What I love about this book is that it drew me in from the start. The writing is engaging and well-paced. You get the background information you need in clear, concise, and interesting manner. It even starts with a bit of a mystery that is created by the format itself. It is written as if it is a letter from Rebecca to her daughter explaining her past. However, she starts out with the part about how she vows to never marry. It makes you want to find out how she ended up with a child. Did she end up finding love? Did she end up marrying without love, just to please her parents and community? Or, scandal of scandals (during the time of the crusades at least) have a child out of wedlock? And to top it all off, who killed that crusader? You have to read it to find out!
Thank you to BFF, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Bukie's Books 