A Plague On Both Your Houses (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
My rating: 3.5 stars. A good start to a series with room for improvement. I think I like Matthew, but there is not a lot of character development. The plot doesn't really go anywhere either - you won't learn anything before Matthew does. An awful lot of dead bodies in the first chapter, and that is before the plague hits! I'm not sure I was convinced by the final reveal, but it was a good twist. Where I thought the book shined was in the author's depiction of the plague, though there were times I felt like she tried a little too hard to include everything she learned in her research. Still, I would read more of this series.Book description: A Plague on Both Your Houses introduces physician Matthew Bartholomew, whose unorthodox but effective treatment of his patients frequently draws accusations of heresy from his more traditional colleagues. Besides his practice, Bartholomew teaches medicine at Michaelhouse, part of the fledgling University of Cambridge. In 1348, the inhabitants of Cambridge live under the shadow of a terrible pestilence that has ravaged Europe and is traveling relentlessly towards England. Bartholomew, however, is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse, a death University authorities do not want investigated. His pursuit of the truth leads him into a complex tangle of lies and intrigue that forces him to question the innocence of his closest friends, even his family. And then the Black Death finally arrives.Series info:Chronicles of Matthew Bartholomew series 1. A plague on both your houses-------------------------------2. An unholy alliance3. A bone of contention4. A deadly brew5. A wicked deed6. A masterly murder7. An order for death8. A summer of discontent9. A killer in winter10. The hand of justice11. The mark of a murderer12. The tarnished chalice13. To kill or cure14. The devil's disciples15. A vein of deceit16. The killer of pilgrims17. Mystery in the minster
I'm a big fan of historical detective novels so I decided to try out this medieval series from Susanna Gregory, in which the hero is a physician.I was left in two minds about the book, which suffers from the classic 'first book' syndrome: the premise is good, the ideas are fine, but the plotting is a little weak and it's easy to see the cogs moving behind the page.The good points: the setting. The Cambridge colleges make for a fine backdrop to the murder and death going on. Bartholomew is an interesting central character, flawed and very human, and one who I'd like to read more of. There's also a great, if underused, supporting character called Cynric. The atmosphere is spot on and the filth and grime of the period gets in your nose. The plague stuff is horrific and completely believable - as well-portrayed as in another historical novel I read, YEAR OF WONDERS.The bad points: the murder mystery. Far too big a cast here, with lots of interchangable characters clearly set up as victims, either of murder or plague. The pacing isn't too hot, with mystery after mystery building up through the first three quarters to be all hurriedly explained at the climax. Too much of the 'explaining villain' stuff where a bad guy holds off acting while giving a ten-page explanation of why he did what he did. It just feels laborious. Although there's plenty of excitement and intrigue pre-denouement, the eventual explanation is a little pat, and the villains's motivations not entirely believable.Still a good first effort though, and I'm sufficiently impressed to want to try others in the series.
What do You think about A Plague On Both Your Houses (2003)?
An enjoyable read and a good historical setting. I really started to get a feel of how terrifying it might have been living through the Black Death. The main character Matthew Bartholomew is likable enough but I did start to feel that he needed a sidekick in whom to trust and discuss things with, although i guess that was part of the story that he was really on his own with no-one to trust. A couple of things lost this book a star - firstly I felt that this book needed a few historical notes at the end of the book, as other such novels often do, explaining a little of the history of the University system in these times as I found myself confused by the structure of Colleges, Hostels, and Commoners, etc. As this was a main point of the intrigue of the novel I could have done with a little explanation of how it worked. Also, what happened to Gray? He seemed like an interesting character who possibly could eventually be Bartholomew's sidekick but he was built up with a bit of intrigue only to pretty much vanish at the end of the book - did Matthew keep him on? Hopefully some of this will be expanded on in further books.
—Wayne Farmer
It is 1348 and the plague is hitting hard. All Brother Bartholomew wants to do at Cambridge is teach and take care of his needy patients. However, the Black Death is not the only death to be found. There are murders to be solved. Brother Bartholomew does not know who to trust so keeps his own counsel but that causes him to even distrust the people he loves. Who are the murderers and why are they causing so many problems? Will the Black Death kill them too?This book was given to me by a friend because she liked it so well. It is a great read that starts out a little slow but becomes a page turner in short order. The characters are great and very believable. A must read for those who like historical fiction and death and mayhem with puzzles to be solved and people to be rescued!
—Linda
I had read this book before. Don't know why I did it again. I must be slipping. One main feature of this story is the Black Death coming to Cambridge, England late in 1348. The death toll from that was terrible, many of the characters herein having died from that. A lot of others were murdered. In the epilogue others were executed for treason.Poor physician Matthew Bartholomew doesn't know who he can trust, not even Brother Michael who is his bosom buddy and fellow detective in subsequent volumes in the series.As usual in this series the plot is extremely complicated. Almost everybody has secrets (for reasons good and bad).A lot of the characters are called simply the Bishop, the Chancellor, the Sheriff, etc., and there is no author's note. Gregory remedies this in the second volume "An Unholy Alliance'.Interesting for the description of the Black Death and its consequences.
—Richard Stueber
