Another random find at the library. I was in the mood for something light and went to look at the Phillipa (Philippa?) Gregory books my branch had. Well, I've read them all, but Susanna Gregory was right next to her. I was a bit hesitant, because the description of Matthew Bartholomew of a doctor ahead of his time reminded me of Mistress of the Art of Death, which is a book I disliked for ever so many reasons, one of the them being that the main character had a thoroughly 21st century sensibility, which I found galling and, frankly, a cop-out. But there was nice balance here. Yes, Bartholomew had Arab-derived (or modern) ideas about hygiene and the spread of disease, but he still fit with his times. He wasn't wasting my time raging against the machine he hardly would have realized existed. The only reason I gave it three stars instead of four is that the mystery was over-the-top complicated.(Also, I'm bummed to see this is book #2, as I don't like reading a series out of order. The cover of the edition I had stated "The first chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew." I guess that explains some of the obscure references to earlier events in the life of the character.)
Published: 31/12/1998Author: Susanna GregoryRecommended for: fans of historical fictionIn this book we get to go on the second adventure of the 'Matthew Bartholomew' series of stories. Matthew Bartholomew is a physican with amazing ideas that are far advance for his time (two years after the Black Death) who ends up trying to find out who the killer is before he strikes again, he is joined by his friend the portly monk Brother Michael. We go on the hunt with them to find out who the killer is, eavesdrop on a secret conversation in an abandoned church, end up on a chase on horse back to try to save their lives. Susanna Gregory is an incredibly talented author who engages with the reader and draws them into the mysteries she creates, the characters that feature in the novel are all very well described you get a real sense of who they were and what it was like for them to live at that time. This is a perfect book for fans of historical mystery fiction!
What do You think about An Unholy Alliance (1998)?
Matthew Bartholomew is a physician and a medical instructor at Cambridge during the 1350, as people try to overcome the aftermath of the Black Death. After the puzzling death of a travelling friar in the church, Matthew is asked to set aside his teaching to solve the mystery. The events kept Matthew and his friend, Michael, guessing as they try to discover the meaning of events as they occur. The intricate plot as well as the historical aspect, especially in the field of medicine kept me well engaged. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
—Diana
Cambridge, England in 1350 was a scary place. The plague was over but people lived in fear and superstition. People did not know what had caused the disease and were terrified that the illness would come back. Matthew Bartholomew is a physician at the college and is called upon to investigate when a friar is found murdered in the church. Then the bloodbath begins. Someone is murdering prostitutes and then bodies turn up where they are not supposed to be and people are buried in graves but then are switched with other bodies. This is a good book but it's a little hard to keep up with the who's who of victims, murderers and just ordinary townsfolk. This was a very busy book but it kept my interest.
—Ann
Another good Matthew Bartholemew mystery, which is an immediate sequel to "A Plague on Both your Houses." This novel shows the aftereffects of the Black Plague, taking place in 1350. According to the historical notes at the end, several of the characters were real people. Note of Warning: Do NOT read this book before you read "A Plague." because the second book talks about deaths of characters in the first book. The mystery itself is full of red herrings and if you like that sort of thing (which I do), then I certainly recommend this.
—Steve
