A Wicked Deed: The Fifth Matthew Bartholomew Chronicle

Matthew Bartholomew #5

by Susanna Gregory

For the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Matthew Bartholomew series, Sphere is delighted to reissue all of the medieval monk's cases with beautiful new series-style covers.------------------------------------The winter of 1353 has been appallingly wet, there is a fever outbreak amongst the poorer townspeople and the country is not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the plague. The increasing reputation and wealth of the Cambridge colleges are causing dangerous tensions between the town, Church and University.Matthew Bartholomew is called to look into the deaths of three members of the University of who died from drinking poisoned wine, and soon he stumbles upon criminal activities that implicate his relatives, friends and colleagues - so he must solve the case before matters in the town get out of hand...Matthew Bartholomew, doctor of medicine and fellow of Michaelhouse, Cambridge, is travelling with a party from the college to accept the gift of the living of a parish in Grundisburgh, Suffolk. One of his companions, Unwin, an unworldly scholar, is to be installed as priest. When they arrive, they are immediately thrust into the machinations of local boundary disputes between three landowners, but all such squabbles seem mere trivia when Unwin is murdered in the very church which was to have been his home.While trying to investigate a possible motive for his killing, Bartholomew discovers that this is not the first unnatural death in the village - deaths which everyone has put down to the curse of the plague-dead village. He is of too practical a mind to believe the superstitions, but is he wily enough to work out the real motive behind the murders and who will gain from them?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Medieval, Crime

511 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She is married to author Beau Riffenburgh who is her co-author on the Simon Beaufort books.

AKA Simon Beaufort

She writes detective fiction, and is noted for her series of mediaeval mysteries featuring Matthew Bartholomew, a teacher of medicine and investigator of murders in 14th-century Cambridge.
These books may have some aspects in common with the Ellis Peters Cadfael series, the mediaeval adventures of a highly intelligent Benedictine monk and herbalist who came to the Benedictine order late in an eventful life, bringing with him considerable secular experience and wisdom combined with a deal of native wit. This sets him apart from his comparatively innocent and naíve monastic brethren. His activities, both as a monk and a healer, embroil him in a series of mysterious crimes, both secular and monastic, and he enthusiastically assumes the rôle of an amateur sleuth. Sceptical of superstition, he is somewhat ahead of his time, and much accurate historical detail is woven into the adventures. But there any resemblance to the comparatively warm-hearted Cadfael series ends: the tone and subject matter of the Gregory novels is far darker and does not shrink from portraying the harsh realities of life in the Middle Ages. The first in the series, A Plague on Both Your Houses is set against the ravages of the Black Death and subsequent novels take much of their subject matter from the attempts of society to recover from this disaster.
These novels bear the marks of much detailed research into mediaeval conditions - many of the supporting characters have names taken from the documentation of the time, referenced at the end of each book - and bring vividly to life the all-pervading squalor of living conditions in England during the Middle Ages. The deep-rooted and pervasive practice of traditional leechcraft as it contrasts with the dawning science of evidence-based medicine is a common bone of contention between Matthew and the students he teaches at Michaelhouse College (now part of Trinity College, Cambridge), whilst the conflict between the students of Cambridge and the townsfolk continually threatens to escalate into violence.
Another series of books, set just after the Restoration of Charles II and featuring Thomas Chaloner, detective and former spy, began with A Conspiracy of Violence published in January 2006, and continues with The Body in the Thames, published in hardback edition January 2011.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful mystery is the 5th volume of the wonderful "Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles" from the very fine author, Susanna Gregory.
This story is originally from 1999, but still reading as fresh now as it was then.
At the beginning of the book you'll notice a map of Grundisburgh, Suffolk, England and surrounding places, and these surroundings and environments will play the major part in this mystery, while at the end you'll find some very interesting facts and details concerning this exciting tale.
Storytelling is once again of a superb quality, and once more all the characters, whether they are real historical or wonderful fictional figures, come vividly to life within this mystery of mayhem and murder.
This story is situated in the year AD 1353, and starts with a short exciting prologue, before we find our main character, Matthew Bartholomew, doctor of medicine and Fellow of Michaelhouse, Cambridge, on his way to Grundisburgh, Suffolk, to accept a gift of a parish.
When Matthew and his party of travellers almost arrive in this village of Grundisburgh, which is consisting of the Benedictine monk, Brother Michael, the Franciscan friar, William, and the Senior Fellow, Alcote, as well as some others, when all of a sudden some time later on everything will turn into total confusion when, Unwin, who was also accompanying them, is found murdered in the very church where this junior scholar were to become its priest.
What will ensue is for Matthew Bartholomew, with the help from the formidable Brother Michael and the inquisitive friar William, to become embroiled in a most delicate and dangerous case concerning an advowson, where the three of them will have to face some twists and turns, while being thwarted by very dangerous and surprising adversaries before they will be capable to unveil the culprit(s) of these horrible actions and deaths.
Highly recommended, because this is another glorious example of a great mystery with a lot of guessing and remaining suspenseful until the very last, and that's why I want to call this episode: "An Astonishing Deed Of Wicked Murders"!

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although Susanna Gregory's fifth novel of her Matthew Bartholomew series, although A Wicked Deed has once again proven to present itself with a generally delightful and historically accurate sense of both time and place (at least with regard to the author's physical descriptions of Mediaeval Cambridge and in A Wicked Deed also a typical village in Suffolk, to where a group of Michaelhouse scholars has journeyed in order to obtain a much coveted advowson from a local landowner), sorry, but the actual story itself, the actual details of what transpires in A Wicked Deed have truly been absolutely not at all to my liking and personal reading tastes, have felt not only (and indeed like usual with Susanna Gregory) much too complicated, too convoluted and again with far too many both dead bodies and plot twists and turns, but indeed and in fact, the main villains of A Wicked Deed have also felt as for one incredibly strange and horror-movie like creepy with regard to their reasons for their treachery and reigns of terror and for two also rather (at least in my opinion) anachronistic in nature (with especially mad scientist type character Eltisley and his chief supporter and main puppet master Dame Eva reminding me too much of Dr. Frankenstein-like modern horror story villains with their desires to raise the dead come what may, as well as Dame Eva's firm and strangely unflappable belief that Eltisley would in fact actually be able to lastingly resurrect and reanimate her long deceased husband).

And even the parade of corpses encountered in A Wicked Deed has also for me ended up feeling more than a trifle forced, since yes, I have most definitely found the entire premise of the horror depicted in A Wicked Deed as not only unpleasant and creepy to the extreme but also as at least for the time and place of Mediaeval England more than a bit and simply unbelievable in scope. So therefore, I really cannot say that I have at all enjoyed my perusal A Wicked Deed, and I am also and furthermore sincerely hoping and praying that Susanna Gregory will in the following (the remaining) Matthew Bartholomew novels return back to presenting storylines and plots that are (to and for me), even if often a bit convoluted and sometimes frustratingly contrived in nature, at least reasonable and believable in background and scope and not like in this infuriating and frustrating novel, not like in A Wicked Deed basically just a tale of almost Gothic-like strangeness, an anachronistic mad scientist derangedly trying to raise and resurrect the deceased. As really, with A Wicked Deed, as soon as Matthew, Brother Michael and the rest of the Michaelhouse contingent arrive at Grundisbergh, one feels, or at least I have felt as though I was no longer reading a Mediaeval whodunnit so much as simply a weird and creepy, horrid offering of madness and terror, a Stephen King like horror story in fact (and well, I personally have never even remotely enjoyed Stephen King like tales, and in fact I do tend to actively try to avoid them, so with Susanna Gregory's A Wicked Deed I have actually rather felt as though the unwanted horror story thematics were being forced on me, and I certainly did neither expect nor in any way appreciate this).

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michaelhouse is being given the living of the parish church in Grundisbrugh, so a contingent from the University has traveled to the village to draw up the formal document called an advowson.

Of course, Bartholomew’s penchant for dead bodies, particularly murdered ones, follows him into the Suffolk countryside. One of the villains is quite memorable for being a mad scientist.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery set in Suffolk, 1353. Physician Matthew Bartholomew, Brother Michael (his friend and colleague at Cambridge University) and a small band of monks and friars are heading to rural Suffolk to execute an advowson, a deed that will give the living and its income to Michaelhouse College. However, the discovery of a hanging man whose corpse later disappears, a benefactor who seems in great haste to get the deed drawn up, and rumours of a supernatural dog whose appearance means death all make Bartholomew very uneasy about this gift.

This is a very interesting and enjoyable series, and as always I liked the detail of medieval life (especially the rather amusing debates on scientific and medical matters) and the foibles and bickering of the monks and friars. The pace is quite slow, so it will appeal most to those readers who like a more leisurely read with lots of historical details.

The plot was a touch too convoluted but at least it kept me engaged to the end as I couldn't quite tie all the loose ends up before the mystery was revealed. After reading four or five books from this series, I've become rather fond of Bartholomew and Michael, and like the way that each of them has complementary strengths and weaknesses that help or hinder their investigation.

Very enjoyable and a series I will return to with pleasure.

[Ruhani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a medieval mystery set in Suffolk during 1353. Dr Matthew Bartholomew and fellow scholars from Michaelhouse, Cambridge travels to Grundisburgh, still recovering from the effects of the black death, to accept a gift of a parish. What follows is rural politics and power struggles, superstition, physicians and quacks and a whole lot of people ending up dead. The cast of characters was highly entertaining and memorable. The mystery was intriguing. It just seemed to drag a bit for me.

[Bookish Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

1353, what a time in history. I have a penchant for historical fiction set during this time because of the rich superstition and culture that arose from the (then morally questionable) church and society’s the time during and just following the Black Death . Susanna Gregory’s wonderful series includes such a rich telling of history, she creates atmosphere and suspense...but with a sense of humor. Her humor is present in the first 4 books of the series but it particularly shines in this one. Loved this installment and the merry band of monks, students, and of course the physician

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this series is like stepping back in time and getting a good long view of this time period. Great writing, great characters, humour, boorishness, intrigue....good stuff.

[Nadishka Aloysius · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me 2 weeks to read this! I'm unsure whether it is because of the length of the book, or whether it's because I read the paperback rather than the kindle version...
Anyway, Susanna Gregory's style takes some getting used to. The story meanders and develops slowly. But there is a wealth of historical fact also woven in. And it is near impossible to guess the villain until she is ready to drop some very broad hints.
I liked the story. My favourite incident is when the debate conducted by the scholars as entertainment gets highjacked by the villagers! That was really funny.
I was also quite surprised at the end to realise the final death toll!
The historical note at the end was interesting too since she reveals that she used actual characters taken from historical documents at the centre of the tale.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 5th of the Matthew Bartholomew, A Wicked Deed, Matthew and Michael join a contingent of members from Michaelhouse to journey to Suffolk where a "living parish" has been donated to them.

It should be no surprise that the journey is both more complicated and dangerous than expected. In the aftermath of the plague, they find ghost towns which all would do well do avoid. There is murder a plenty and one wonders just how it will end.

Thankfully we know that Matthew and Michael will get it all sorted out in the end.

[Quinty · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.75

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A WICKED DEED (Hist. Mys-Matthew Bartholomew-England-1353) – VG
Gregory, Susanna – 5th in series
Time Warner Books, 1999, Paperback – ISBN: 0751525448

First Sentence: Twigs slashed at Alice Qui’s fact and arms as she raced through the undergrowth, certain that the dog that chased her would bring her down at any moment.

Matthew Bartholomew, a doctor of medicine, and a group of scholars, priests and students travel to Grundisburgh. The parish church is being gifted to the Michaelhouse, Cambridge as a living gift so they are on their way to conduct the legal transfer and leave behind, Unwin as the new priest. On the way they come across a hanged man whose last word is “padfoot.” Once in Grundisburgh, Brother Unwin is murdered in the church where he was to be priest. Matthew discovers this is not the first suspicious death; nor is it the last.

I really enjoy this series. Gregory pays great attention to the historical accuracy of the events of the period. I was fascinated by the state of medicine during the period. She creates great dimensional characters with very real and human interaction and relationships. The dialogue is not of the period, thank heaven, but doesn’t throw me out of the story. I did feel the story was a bit overlong, but certainly held my attention and was an, interesting and entertaining read. Highly recommended.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially intrigued by the 14th-century-England setting, I grew less so as the writing was so repetitive and a few "surprises" were predictable. It became one of those reads in which, no matter how long I would read at a sitting, my bookmark seemed never to move. I skipped about 1/3 and read the last couple of chapters. I can't fairly judge the ending (which seemed bizarre in the extreme) since I didn't read the middle. But life is too short to be reminded yet again that Br. Michael is a glutton and the-monk-whose-name-starts-with-A "(Alcote?) is avaricious.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel is highly rated, but obviously it wasn't a good fit for me. Although I think I like medieval mysteries, this one was long and very slow moving. I quit after 200 plus pages and still had 280 more to go. This book was a selection for my mystery book club.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like medeival mysteries but this series is not as good as Brother Cadfael and the Owen Archer stories.

[Carole-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An earlier edition c2000

[Fazrin Jamal · Rating 3 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW

A Wicked Deed is a crime novel set in 1353 England. It is about a series of murders that occurred amidst disputes and infighting between four lords of the manor in Suffolk.

What I like :
1. It's well-researched. The writer correctly portrayed the lives of people who lived during the feudalistic Dark Age several years after the Black Death. The superstition, the scientific understanding of the day, the semi-anarchic nature of society and the influence of Catholic church in everything.

2. The lack of forensic science is actually quite refreshing because the protagonist, Matthew Bartholomew, used only his own two eyes to observe physical evidence to extract information. It gives readers an understanding on how detectives in pre-Enlightenment Europe actually solved crimes without the aid of fingerprinting, DNA, CCTV, forensic entomology etc.

3. Matthew was rational and intelligent but he was also a product of his time. He didn't believe that Earth spins on its axis. He believed in astrology (flower of saturn, flower of jupiter etc). His medical understanding was obsolete. And this correct portrayal of 14th century physician is very much appreciated. Too often I come across main protagonists in crime novels with knowledge that they couldn't possibly knew during their time.

What I hate :

1. These characters : Alcote, William and Michael. Although I applaud the correct portrayal of people back then, I must admit I can't stand superstitious, fundamentalist, extremist, closed-minded, stupid people. Take one example, William (a companion of Matthew) who several years previously was involved in Spanish Inquisition and was proud of his special techniques with the Muslims and the Jews. Or how the three of them viewed medicine as heresy. I fucking hate them.

This is an interesting book and make for a great read but I'm giving this 3 stars because I've read more intelligent crime thrillers.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Read from Feb 2-11

#bookrecommendations #bookreview #murdermystery #crimenovel #fiction

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wickedly Hilarious and a Howling success. Every chapter is full of funny moments and sometimes ridiculous concepts and deadly cures. This is where the reader finds out something about the misogynistic Alcot before putting him to rest.

On a more serious note, the Michaelhouse contingent's sojourn in Suffolk on their College's business had underlined Michael's extreme aversion to Pardoners vis~à~vis Matthew's bias against Charlatans. Michael's pigheadedness clouded their investigations into the death of one of their party... coupled with Matt's inattention to details, that he usually, as a Physician would have known... as such, both affected their theories and conclusions. Their flawed ideas were not helped by the hidden and very dangerous concept of resurrecting the Past that bordered into Madness by the fearlessness and irreverence to people's rights and lives starkly evidenced by the victims' bodies that showed the work of a crazy charlatan. This book also continued to reveal Matt's slow disillusionment about his faith in his own College and Fellowship, the self~serving greed for more patronage (that would also contribute to their own comforts given their paucity in nourishment as well as the un~soundness of their lodgings) was a shock to his naive idealistic concepts. Michael, despite his being a Benedictine monk, was the more worldly and ever the Pragmatist of the two... he was the voice of Reason and Reality to Matt's nebulous Impracticality ~ that Education was still a Business and their lives within the confines of Cambridge was still full of intrigues and compromises if only to balance the pure joy of Matt's successes against illness and victory in fighting pain (Matt's own Reality including that of his Fulfillment in teaching his scholars).

[Janette Townend]

Another classic good read, so glad we have a better knowledge of science and medicine today, and thank goodness for Matthew Bartholomew in medieval times too. Some of the remedies offered by Stoat and Eltisley sound very unpalatable never mind dangerous. There are several plots, not to mention twists and turns in this novel which begins innocently enough with a deputation of scholars setting off for a village called Grundisburgh to accept the gift of the living of the parish. Along the way they are beset by the threat of footpads and find themselves accidentally making their way through an eerie abandoned plague village where a phantom white dog is said to live, who means death to all who see him. A hanged man stops the group at a crossroads as Bartholomew sees that he is alive and they break the law by cutting him down, and he survives just long enough to whisper 'Padfoot' to Bartholomew, but he cannot tell anyone for fear of the repercussions of cutting him down. The benefactors are in a rush to legalise the transfer but things are held up after a village feast when a Michaelhouse student priest is murdered. Michael and a reluctant Matthew Bartholomew decide to investigate but dark forces are abroad.

[Kat Khell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, fine characters in a believable setting

I am enjoying this series. I am a huge fan of mystery set in historical settings. I actually enjoyed this book a lot because it took the main players out of the town, which was beginning to feel like a stagnant plot line and into unfamiliar surroundings. Although these books are not as intensely descriptive of the history as some others, if one know a bit of medieval history one's imagination can fill in the blanks. The characters are the same there is enough descriptors to help you build the picture in broad strokes and let's you fine tune as need be.
My major issue with these book is the amount of typos and missed punctuation, one or two occurrences in a book is one thing but several per chapter is very distracting. Which is strange as these books were in print and I would hate to think they ever made it past an editor's desk in such a condition!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the setting of these books: 14th century Cambridge, although this one takes place on the road as the scholars travel to receive a parish in a small town. Brother Michael is unintentionally funny, especially in regard to his food intake ("No I will not eat anything green"). Brother Matthew, a physician, is contantly trying to get people to give up their ancient medical cures (like bleeding to release the humors and grease and snail shells to heal burns) for more "modern" medicine.

This story contains so many characters and, as we find out, so many despicable characters. If you guess at "who dun it" you'll probably be right but for reasons you will never put together. A little long, but a good read.

[Lacer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth book in the Matthew Bartholomew series, it didn't feel quite as good as the previous books. In this one, Matthew and his crew of Michaelhouse scholars have travelled to a village in Suffolk, to sort out the paperwork for an advowson, giving the living of the village's church to the college. Of course, being a Matthew Bartholomew book, people get murdered. There's a ghostly white dog, a disappearing hanged man, a mad innkeeper and a hunt for buried treasure. Although not quite as good as the first four books, it was still okay and it picked up more towards the end.

[Deborah Grant-Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story made me feel so many emotions: shock, delight, tension to name a few. The characterisation is outstanding. Everyone felt real but I couldn't tell who was a good person and who was a killer. The point of view remained with the main character so I only knew what he knew. This was very grounding and allowed for a few surprises towards the end.

There are many potential suspects and lots of twists and turns. It can be hard to keep up and this book won't be for everyone but I loved it.

[Teresa Tignola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qui per la prima volta siamo fuori dall'area di Cambridge e ci troviamo nel Suffolk. Ovviamente, come al solito, i nostri amati personaggi si ritroveranno parte di una serie di incidenti che purtroppo vedranno anche la m0r73 di uno di loro. 

Anche questo libro, come gli altri, mi è piaciuto molto ovviamente. E poi è sempre bello andare su Google per cercare cose e documentarsi, anche solo per vedere se certi posti esistono ancora oggi oppure no.
Ed ora via con a masterly murder 🫡

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my favorite in the series. I couldn’t get into the story line, warm up to the village characters, or get comfortable with the antagonism of Matthew & Michael’s relationship. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy the Author’s Historical Notes at the end of each novel.

Since, I have inherited the first 19 books of the series, I look forward to reading them all!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently returned to the series after many years and I’m glad I did. The historical setting seems accurate enough to be satisfying and the main characters are likeable.
Not quite as good as the last book in my opinion, but recommended.

[Sandra Sory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot. Even when I was pretty sure of who was involved, putting all the pieces together didn't just fall in my lap. I also enjoy the Historical Prologues at the end of her books. They add a nice piece of realism to the stories.

[Alan Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was book 5 of the bartholomew series and certainly not upto the standard of the previous 4 a somewhat convoluted story which was like wading through treacle...hopefully book 6 will be back on track.

[Mavis Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, (reserve 5 for really, really exceptional books)
Great story. deaths all over the place and a phantom white dog, really didn't spot who dunit.

[Anna Gracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

historical fiction murder mystery