A Plague on Both Your Houses (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) | Susanna Gregory

A Plague on Both Your Houses (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) | Susanna Gregory | Introducing a New Medieval Sleuth!

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A Plague on Both Y...

	A Plague on Both Your Houses (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) Susanna Gregory Little, Brown Book Group, 2003 - 406 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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.

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Great Start to a Great Series

Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. Her series of mediaeval mysteries have gained a formidable following. This book is the first in the series and introduces the physician Matthew Bartholomew to the reader. There are now a number of books in the series and they are always eagerly awaited by the author's fans.

Besides practising medicine Matthew is also a teacher at a Cambridge University and his sometimes unorthodox treatment of his patients draws accusations of heresy from his more traditional, but less skilled colleagues.

The year is 1348 and the inhabitants of Cambridge live under the shadow of a terrible pestilence that has swept through northern Europe, crossed the channel and moved voraciously through southern England. As if Matthew had not enough to contend with he is distracted by the death of the Master of the university, an inexplicable death and one that the authorities do not seem to want solving.

When three more scholars died in unexplained circumstances Bartholomew decides enough is enough and begins his own enquiry into the death, but his pursuit of the truth leads him into a complex tangle of lies and deceit that causes him to question the innocence or otherwise of close friends and even his family. On top of all this the Black Death has finally arrived in Cambridge . . .

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Introducing a New Medieval Sleuth!

PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES introduces us to Matthew Bartholomew, a 14th Century physician working at the University of Cambridge. Bartholomew, whose medical views are ridiculed by other less progressive doctors, investigates the suspicious death of a high college official, the first in a series of deaths that he soon realizes is connected with a shadowy power struggle between the Oxford and Cambridge colleges. As the body count rises, these deaths become overshadowed by the onslaught of the Black Death, which has been sweeping through Europe and now England.

On the book's plus side, Gregory certainly has an eye for detail; her depictions of Cambridge circa-1348 transport you back to that time. Likewise the characters were fairly well-rounded and I enjoyed Bartholomew.

The book, however, is a long stretch of road, being 402 pages long. I felt some of Bartholomew's endless speculations after each new murder were repetitious. How many times can you read "Could so-and-so be...?" "But then how did...?" "And what is so-and-so's role in this?" before enough is enough.

Frankly I thought the Black Death was a much more interesting subject than the intercollegiate rivalry plot element. Gregory's descriptions of the disease's utter devastation made for gripping reading. I would have much preferred she dumped the Oxford-Cambridge intrigue and focused the story on the incredible impact the Black Death has on a town like Cambridge and the efforts of a 14th Century physician to save the townspeople.

In short, the book has shortcomings but also enough merit that readers should enjoy the story and look forward to the next installment of Bartholomew's adventures.

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Good

Not great. Not the greatest mystery plot. And the characters weren't compelling. The details about the plague were fascinating, and the author effectively portrayed its impact on life. I was a bit disappointed when comparing this first in the series to Candace Robb or of course Ellis Peters. But it was good and I will read the next.

Black death and black deeds

The black plague is spreading through England and, in 1348, it reaches the newly formed college of Cambridge, decimating the scholars and masters alike. Physician Matthew Bartholomew, struggles to find both a cause and a cure, with his modern ideas on cleanliness and good sanitation being scorned as nonsense by the other doctors at the University. A rash of unexplained deaths occurs at the same time as the arrival of the plague, which gives the murderers a good chance of passing the deaths off as being plague related. It's an interesting topic with the main characters well defined, but I found it to be an unnecessarily wordy book, with points being repeated over and over. I was considering this series to be a follow up to my beloved Cadfael series but...perhaps one more to make sure!

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A good beginning to a series.

I had a bit of trouble caring about the supposed motive behind the murders and found it overly complicated. But I did care about the character of Matthew. He is well drawn, interesting and a character I would follow through a series. For me, though, the most interesting aspect was Matt's trying to deal with the plague and its impact, which was beyond imagination. It was a good first book; enough so that I shall read more of the series.

reviews: page 1, 2

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