Product Description

In the tradition of Ellis Peters, A Plague on Both Your Houses introduces the 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 is teacher of 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 travelling relentlessly eastward towards England. Bartholomew, however, is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated. When three more scholars die in mysterious circumstances, Bartholomew defies the University and begins his own enquiry. His pursuit for the truth leads him into a complex tangle of lies and intrigue that causes him to question the innocence of his closest friends, and even his family. And then the Black Death finally arrives and Bartholomew is dragged deeper and deeper into a quagmire which threatens not only his life, but the continued existence of the University and the future of the town.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19688 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 406 pages

Review
'A good, serious and satisfying read' IRISH TIMES

About the Author
Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of an academic at Cambridge. Before studying anthropology she worked in a coroner's office.

Customer Reviews

Good start to a great series
Having read all the Margery Allingham books I could lay my hands on, and finished all of the Ellis Peters (Cadfael) novels, I was looking around for something new to try. "A Plague on Both Your Houses" attracted my attention; and I'm very glad it did.

Bartholomew is a teacher and physician at odds with his times. He believes more in clean water than astrology for example. A physician turned murder investigator in medieval England? Are you thinking Cadfael? There are similarities, but also many differences.... Matthew is not held in high regard by many of his colleagues, even considered heretical by some, and as a member of a University College in a town deeply suspicious of the scholars in it's midst he finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place in a way that Cadfael often isn't. Also, Cadfael is a much more wordly-wise character than the sometimes hopelessly naive Bartholomew.

When I first started reading this, I got to about halfway and almost stopped. It seemed too cut and dried, too easy to spot the murderer. However, I persisted and was rewarded with the discovery that the plot is much more intricate, and in fact my guesses that I was so sure of were far from the actuality. It's considerably deeper than many mystery novels, and when set against a background of an intriguing period of history - the plague years - there's plenty to keep you entertained.

While this book does a good job of introducing Bartholomew and some of the main characters of the series, it also suffers somewhat because of this. The other books in the series that I've read often seem much tighter, in part because some of the past history is already assumed - though like Cadfael and Campion, it's never forgotten. This, coupled with a sometimes slow start, prevent me from giving this novel the top rating. However, I still recommend this book - and indeed the whole series - to anyone that enjoys mystery writing, and especially to those who are looking for something a bit more weighty than Cadfael, Miss Marple and the like sometimes achieve.

An Excellant Introduction . . .
. . . to the life and times of Matthew Bartholomew. Ms Gregory introduces her characters slowly, but surely. The ethos of the times is portrayed wonderfully, with the sounds and smells of 14th centuary Cambridge coming vividly - sometimes Very vividly (!) - to life. Matthew Bartholomew is a physician whose ways are not in line with Catholic/church teaching of the time. He has been tutored by - anong others - an Arab tutor in Paris, as a result of which he knows more about the workings of the human body than his peers do.

This brings resentment and fear in almost equal measures. It also, tho', brings him patients, who would rather try him than spend money on cures of more traditional practitioners and most likely end up dead. Plus the fact that Matthew has that NHS thinking whereby payment is not always required or sought.

His friends and acquaintances are introduced when needed, all of whom lend their weight to a story which pulls you in until you're hooked.

Matthew at times seems like a reluctant detective - it is not really his vocation - but his solving of the puzzles and interaction with authority and received wisdom make for a cracking read, which is highly recommended to anyone who like myteries, crime stories or historical fiction.

I look forward to the TV and/or film rights being bought up. I reckon it's even better than Cadfael!

Good start...
I was looking for a medieval murder mystery type book having finished Ellis Peter's Cadfael series. I was researching in my local bookstore when I came across the Matthew Bartholomew series. I found this one a bit slow to start with and with perhaps too many characters and sub plots to remember who was who as a put down, pick up type reader. But hang in there...
I persevered and am now on my 5th novel. I'm hooked. They get better and better as do the plots and characters, who skillfully draw you into their lives and intrigues.
If you like Cadfael and the likes, this is for you.