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Matthew Bartholomew #2
An Unholy Alliance
The Second Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew
In 1350, the people of Cambridge are struggling to overcome the effects of the Black Death …
Bands of outlaws roam the land, and the high death-rate among priests and monks has left the people vulnerable to the sinister cults that have grown up in the wake of the plague.
At Michaelhouse, Matthew Bartholomew is training new physicians to replace those who died of the pestilence. When the body of a friar is found in the massive chest where the University stores its most precious documents, Bartholomew is dragged away from his teaching to investigate. But the friar is not the only one to have died unexpectedly in the town.
Almost by chance, Bartholomew stumbles across a derelict church, abandoned since its congregation was eliminated by the plague. It is now the meeting place for a mysterious sect that holds its followers in terror, and which Bartholomew believes to be at the very heart of an astonishing web of blackmail and deceit aimed to overthrow the established religion.
In 1350, the people of Cambridge are struggling to overcome the effects of the Black Death …
Bands of outlaws roam the land, and the high death-rate among priests and monks has left the people vulnerable to the sinister cults that have grown up in the wake of the plague.
At Michaelhouse, Matthew Bartholomew is training new physicians to replace those who died of the pestilence. When the body of a friar is found in the massive chest where the University stores its most precious documents, Bartholomew is dragged away from his teaching to investigate. But the friar is not the only one to have died unexpectedly in the town.
Almost by chance, Bartholomew stumbles across a derelict church, abandoned since its congregation was eliminated by the plague. It is now the meeting place for a mysterious sect that holds its followers in terror, and which Bartholomew believes to be at the very heart of an astonishing web of blackmail and deceit aimed to overthrow the established religion.
408 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
146 people are currently reading
816 people want to read
About the author
Susanna Gregory
86 books431 followersSusanna 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
October 28, 2022
4,5 Sterne
Endlich mal wieder ein Historischer Krimi, der mich so richtig fesseln konnte. Wir sind in Cambridge im Jahr 1350, was an sich schon spannend ist. Die Pest ist gerade vorbei, die Nachwirkungen noch sehr deutlich spürbar. Diese düstere Atmosphäre zieht sich durch das ganze Buch.
Es geht um einen toten Dominikaner, der im Glockenturm von St. Mary gefunden wird sowie um einen Serientäter, der Prostituierte umbringt. Und es geht um ein geheimes Manuskript sowie um gefährliche Hexenzirkel.
Matthew Bartholomew, Medicus und Gelehrter, soll die Morde aufklären.
Eine sehr durchdachte, komplexe Geschichte, die konzentriertes Lesen erfordert, will man nichts verpassen.
Ich fand es richtig spannend und interessant; tolles Setting, authentische Charaktere und eine düstere, dunkle Zeit. Man fühlt sich beim Lesen ins Mittelalter zurückversetzt.
Endlich mal wieder ein Historischer Krimi, der mich so richtig fesseln konnte. Wir sind in Cambridge im Jahr 1350, was an sich schon spannend ist. Die Pest ist gerade vorbei, die Nachwirkungen noch sehr deutlich spürbar. Diese düstere Atmosphäre zieht sich durch das ganze Buch.
Es geht um einen toten Dominikaner, der im Glockenturm von St. Mary gefunden wird sowie um einen Serientäter, der Prostituierte umbringt. Und es geht um ein geheimes Manuskript sowie um gefährliche Hexenzirkel.
Matthew Bartholomew, Medicus und Gelehrter, soll die Morde aufklären.
Eine sehr durchdachte, komplexe Geschichte, die konzentriertes Lesen erfordert, will man nichts verpassen.
Ich fand es richtig spannend und interessant; tolles Setting, authentische Charaktere und eine düstere, dunkle Zeit. Man fühlt sich beim Lesen ins Mittelalter zurückversetzt.
July 17, 2019
**Definitely 4.5 STARS!**
This eventful historical mystery is the 2nd volume of the "Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles", originally from 1996 but still very delightful, from the author, Susanna Gregory.
Storytelling is of a very good quality, the characters come wonderfully to life within this mystery, and the atmosphere and living conditions of Cambridge and surroundings in the AD 1350s come superbly off the pages.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of Cambridge, England, circa AD 1348, while at the end you'll be presented with historical details concerning this story, and these are very well documented and explained by the author within the Historical Note.
This story starts off in the year AD 1350, Cambridge, and our main character, Matthew Bartholomew, finds himself once again drawn into another deadly mystery.
While still struggling to overcome the Black Death and its subsequent superstitions in Cambridge and in the whole of England, Matthew Bartholomew is trying to train new physicians at Michaelhouse to replace others who've perished, when all of a sudden a friar is found dead in a massive chest, in which precious University documents are stored.
And so while investigating the death of this friar, Matthew also stumbles upon other deaths concerning prostitutes, and not to forget he will encounter dangerous covens who are meeting in derelict churches to plan mischief upon the people of Cambridge.
What follows is a very enjoyable and colourful medieval mystery, in which Matthew Bartholomew, along with the help of his Fellow investigator, the Benedictine Monk, Brother Michael, who's also a spy for the Bishop of Ely, has to entangle various threads of this terrible web of deceit and murder, before he and Michael will eventually catch the culprits behind the murders of the friar, Froissart and several others, before being able to track down the murderer of the prostitutes and bring him to justice as well.
Very much recommended, for this is a very fine series, and although this part is now at this moment 23-years old, its still refreshing to read, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Holy Exciting Sequel"!
This eventful historical mystery is the 2nd volume of the "Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles", originally from 1996 but still very delightful, from the author, Susanna Gregory.
Storytelling is of a very good quality, the characters come wonderfully to life within this mystery, and the atmosphere and living conditions of Cambridge and surroundings in the AD 1350s come superbly off the pages.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of Cambridge, England, circa AD 1348, while at the end you'll be presented with historical details concerning this story, and these are very well documented and explained by the author within the Historical Note.
This story starts off in the year AD 1350, Cambridge, and our main character, Matthew Bartholomew, finds himself once again drawn into another deadly mystery.
While still struggling to overcome the Black Death and its subsequent superstitions in Cambridge and in the whole of England, Matthew Bartholomew is trying to train new physicians at Michaelhouse to replace others who've perished, when all of a sudden a friar is found dead in a massive chest, in which precious University documents are stored.
And so while investigating the death of this friar, Matthew also stumbles upon other deaths concerning prostitutes, and not to forget he will encounter dangerous covens who are meeting in derelict churches to plan mischief upon the people of Cambridge.
What follows is a very enjoyable and colourful medieval mystery, in which Matthew Bartholomew, along with the help of his Fellow investigator, the Benedictine Monk, Brother Michael, who's also a spy for the Bishop of Ely, has to entangle various threads of this terrible web of deceit and murder, before he and Michael will eventually catch the culprits behind the murders of the friar, Froissart and several others, before being able to track down the murderer of the prostitutes and bring him to justice as well.
Very much recommended, for this is a very fine series, and although this part is now at this moment 23-years old, its still refreshing to read, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Holy Exciting Sequel"!
February 6, 2019
An Unholy Alliance, the second of Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew historical mysteries is once again delightfully and informatively replete with much historical detail (not only with regard to Medieval Cambridge, but about the entire era of the Plague and how in the immediate aftermath of the same, a belief in the occult has tended to flourish, so that unscrupulous town and university worthies are able to make use of residents' legitimate fears and their justified frustrations that the Church had not been able to protect and save them from the Black Death). Presenting an evocative, as well as very immediate sense of both time and place, Susanna Gregory once again introduces, portrays characters who are delightfully human, who often tend to grow on you and become part of you to such an extent that you might even personally enjoy having some if not many of them as friends and perhaps even more (but I guess that holds mostly true for characters like Matthew, Brother Michael, Mathilde the Prostitute and Oswald Stanhope, as of course, the same cannot really be said about some of the lesser and especially the villainous personages, but truly, all of the presented and featured literary figures, both heroes and villains, are for the most part portrayed as richly nuanced, and even with regard to those characters who do end up as scoundrels, as criminals, their nastiness, their negativity, their threatening and dangerous natures, that is often not all that obvious and readily noticeable at the onset, is delightfully, sometimes even rather creepily and strangely hidden). Now truth be told, An Unholy Alliance actually features two separate mysteries, namely who is killing the town prostitutes, and who has kidnapped university officials and is engaging in seemingly satanic rituals in a decrepit unused church. And one is almost lulled into thinking that as soon as Matthew and Brother Michael have solved the second mystery (who is the main instigator of the satanic rituals, the kidnappings etc.) that the killer of the harlots has also been discovered, but that proves to be an illusion, a tragic mistake (and Sibylla the prostitute, who had been in hiding after having witnessed the murder of her friend, of another prostitute, is actually killed precisely because both she and her confidante Mathilde, as well as Matthew and Brother Michael are so convinced that the killer of the town harlots and the main mover and shaker with regard to the kidnappings of university officials and the instigator of the satanic rites are by necessity and similarity of action and behaviour one and the same and thus sadly and tragically let down their guard, lessen their prudence). Combined with an at times horrifying, yet thankfully always realistic ambience and sense of what Cambridge as a university and as a town was like during the Middle Ages, during the first bout of the Black Death and its immediate aftermath, An Unholy Alliance is highly recommended for ANYONE (but especially for historical mystery enthusiasts who are looking for a series that is not too gratuitously violent, that is intelligent, informative and has living and breathing, has authentic seeming persons as its cast of characters). And the academic setting of Cambridge University is an added bonus, an evocative painting of what academic life was like in Medieval Cambridge, Medieval Britain (not only its positives, but also its many negatives).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2015
Published: 31/12/1998
Author: Susanna Gregory
Recommended for: fans of historical fiction
In 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!
Author: Susanna Gregory
Recommended for: fans of historical fiction
In 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!
December 7, 2021
Another adventure of Matthew Bartholomew and his sidekick, Brother Michael, in 14th century Cambridge. In this one, someone is killing the town’s prostitutes; there are rumors of devil-worshipping guilds; carts of cloth belonging to Bartholomew’s draper brother-in-law are being attacked and stolen; and a friar is found dead inside a chest of documents.
The real charm in this series, IMO, is the wealth of historical detail that Ms. Gregory weaves into the stories. And, of course, the characters themselves, particularly the recurring ones like Agatha, the cook, or Stanmore, Bartholomew’s brother-in-law, or Bartholomew’s students.
The real charm in this series, IMO, is the wealth of historical detail that Ms. Gregory weaves into the stories. And, of course, the characters themselves, particularly the recurring ones like Agatha, the cook, or Stanmore, Bartholomew’s brother-in-law, or Bartholomew’s students.
September 22, 2015
Too many people. Too much going on. There were enough plots for three books.
September 17, 2024
I quite enjoyed the first of Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew books, so wanted to move on to the second An Unholy Alliance.
An Unholy Alliance is set in Cambridge immediately after the plague and the university and all of England is still reel and recovering from its effects. People in general are having crisis of faith and many of the clergy have perished leaving churches empty.
Matthew Bartholomew again finds himself having to investigate a death and the college and it turns more deadly as prostitutes are being murdered as well.
The mystery is very convoluted and intricate which led to my enjoyment.
I'm getting a kick out of this series and will continue on.
An Unholy Alliance is set in Cambridge immediately after the plague and the university and all of England is still reel and recovering from its effects. People in general are having crisis of faith and many of the clergy have perished leaving churches empty.
Matthew Bartholomew again finds himself having to investigate a death and the college and it turns more deadly as prostitutes are being murdered as well.
The mystery is very convoluted and intricate which led to my enjoyment.
I'm getting a kick out of this series and will continue on.
July 12, 2012
There's a good chance I didn't love this book because the edition I found at the library mistakenly lists it as the first book in the series and I didn't know any better until I started reading it.
But still. I like a good mystery and I really enjoy historical fiction. This, though, just didn't ring my bell. The mystery was too convoluted - so much so that the main characters spend quite a bit of time puzzling over all the different pieces with nothing more falling into place. The end of the book required a lengthy explanation of everything that had happened, and even then I had trouble following all the pieces of the solution. The characters weren't particularly interesting and so they didn't add to the story in any meaningful way.
All that said, I did read it quickly and found myself trying to figure out the solution as I read.
But still. I like a good mystery and I really enjoy historical fiction. This, though, just didn't ring my bell. The mystery was too convoluted - so much so that the main characters spend quite a bit of time puzzling over all the different pieces with nothing more falling into place. The end of the book required a lengthy explanation of everything that had happened, and even then I had trouble following all the pieces of the solution. The characters weren't particularly interesting and so they didn't add to the story in any meaningful way.
All that said, I did read it quickly and found myself trying to figure out the solution as I read.
September 20, 2023
Good characters and historical detail, but too many plots going on at once, making it a bit difficult to follow, as well as kind of unrealistic. After all, how many corpses could stack up in a small town? (Lol) but despite the cluttered plots, I enjoy the series, and will continue with it.
March 19, 2022
3.5 stars
July 30, 2022
It's 1350, and the Black Death is just ending its reign over England. The population is trying to deal with losing so many people and just trying to keep society going.
Prostitutes are being found with their throats slashed, and there are rumors of Satanism. Bartholomew and friends are recruited to solve the murders, and bring a little bit of peace to Cambridge.
Bartholomew just wants to teach, but as ever in a university, education takes a back seat to politics. In that case, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Prostitutes are being found with their throats slashed, and there are rumors of Satanism. Bartholomew and friends are recruited to solve the murders, and bring a little bit of peace to Cambridge.
Bartholomew just wants to teach, but as ever in a university, education takes a back seat to politics. In that case, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
July 15, 2017
This is an excellent mystery with a lot of historical details deftly woven into the plot.
March 22, 2017
The second Matthew Bartholomew book, in this one, Cambridge is reeling from the aftermath of the plague, they're struggling to get enough food, surviving tradesmen hold monopolies and there is not enough clergy. Some of the population have also turned their backs on God and have taken up witchcraft.
When a dead monk is found in a university chest and prostitutes are being murdered, Bartholomew and his friend Michael are asked to investigate. Cue more really tangled plots.
When a dead monk is found in a university chest and prostitutes are being murdered, Bartholomew and his friend Michael are asked to investigate. Cue more really tangled plots.
December 14, 2019
A plot thick enough to make your head swim
Another medieval murder mystery set in 1350 Cambridge university. There are so many murders and suspects, you need a Cray computer to keep track of them. I think this one was overdone, and it became tedious
Another medieval murder mystery set in 1350 Cambridge university. There are so many murders and suspects, you need a Cray computer to keep track of them. I think this one was overdone, and it became tedious
August 24, 2007
AN UNHOLY ALLIANCE (Medieval Mystery-England-1300s) – VG
Gregory, Susanna – 2nd in series
Time Warner Paperbacks, 1997 – Paperback
The plague has passed and physician Matthew Bartholomew wants only to train his students and attend to his patients. As senior physician, he is called to examine a body mysteriously discovered inside the treasured, and supposedly secure, University chest, which holds all the most valued, documents. Witchcraft is also on the rise and someone is brutally murdering prostitutes and marking their foot with a small circle of blood.
*** Ms. Gregory's has created an interesting 14th Century physician protagonist would rather be teaching and attending to his patients rather than conducting investigations. With strong supporting characters and rich historical detail, this is another very good book in a well-done series. The stories are just a bit overlong and the plot overcomplicated, but it all works together well. I recommend reading the series in order, and I do recommend reading the series.
Gregory, Susanna – 2nd in series
Time Warner Paperbacks, 1997 – Paperback
The plague has passed and physician Matthew Bartholomew wants only to train his students and attend to his patients. As senior physician, he is called to examine a body mysteriously discovered inside the treasured, and supposedly secure, University chest, which holds all the most valued, documents. Witchcraft is also on the rise and someone is brutally murdering prostitutes and marking their foot with a small circle of blood.
*** Ms. Gregory's has created an interesting 14th Century physician protagonist would rather be teaching and attending to his patients rather than conducting investigations. With strong supporting characters and rich historical detail, this is another very good book in a well-done series. The stories are just a bit overlong and the plot overcomplicated, but it all works together well. I recommend reading the series in order, and I do recommend reading the series.
June 1, 2019
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book, however the historical details are a real treat. The post plague environment with those people that are left struggling to survive. The power of the Church over the people and their beliefs as well as those who have lost their faith turning to the worship of the devil. Matthew the reluctant doctor who is trying to show his students methods that would help to replace long held beliefs and treatments sanctioned by the religious community that are not effective. There are things that we take for granted, the simple act of washing, good sanitation etc., that were not only frowned upon but were considered heretical. As to the mystery it is interesting to have these two men a monk and a doctor who are struggling to figure out who killed the the monk in the University chest and then be pulled reluctantly into the murder of several women in the town. The mysterious deaths are eventually resolved with many missteps along the way. I plan on continuing with this series as my reading list permits.
June 11, 2020
Very disappointing. I love medieval whodunnits, and the setting of Cambridge is great. However, the characters weren’t well developed, which made it difficult to remember who was who. This made it difficult to follow the plot, but when all was revealed, no clues in particular had led to it, and the motives were a bit silly.
There wasn’t any real feeling of tension or danger, which was a shame as the plot should have given that. What made it worse was that the chapters and even the sections in the chapters were really long, making it more painful.
I gave this second book a chance as the setting and concept were great, but I won’t be returning to this series as the process of reading the book was a bit painful and life is too short!
There wasn’t any real feeling of tension or danger, which was a shame as the plot should have given that. What made it worse was that the chapters and even the sections in the chapters were really long, making it more painful.
I gave this second book a chance as the setting and concept were great, but I won’t be returning to this series as the process of reading the book was a bit painful and life is too short!
December 5, 2016
Good pace – I am able to put the book down when it's time to do other things. I even fall asleep reading which is what I need – to be able to sleep – not necessarily from boredom. I like the friendship that has developed between a physician and a monk that enjoys eating. Good book. After reading the first book, I was happy to see the same characters again. I will definitely read the third book.
December 18, 2024
While the historical details continue to be top notch, all of the problems with plot and character from the first book continue. While Gregory seems to want to write a psychologically dynamic detective story (which is perhaps the only way to make her continued reliance on conspiracies interesting), her characters are thin to the point of transparency.
June 17, 2015
The second instalment of the Matthew Bartholomew chronicles. I thought this one was better than the first. There's a lot going on and lots of characters to keep up with but I think the author does a good job of summarising every now and then to keep you on track. I look forward to the next one.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2013
The longest 300 pages I have ever endured. The twisting plot made me car-sick.
April 22, 2014
Meh. So many characters that I couldn't connect with any of them. I liked the historical details that were woven in.
June 26, 2020
“Works of the Devil! Always the excuse for the crimes of people!”
The setting of this story is Cambridge in the year 1350, in the aftermath of the Black Death. Because the plague had wiped out a large number of people, physicians and doctors are in short supply, wills are being contested, some churches are being decommissioned because there are not enough people to make use of them and there is less wool due to the fact that there are less shepherds to tend to the sheep. (and other negative effects)
Cults are on the rise too, because as Stanmore says: “A religion where fornication, drunkenness and violent acts are regarded as acceptable will have a certain appeal to people frustrated with being urged to practice moderation and told that the injustices of their lives are God’s will.”
There are mysterious killings in the town, and Bartholomew and Michael, friars and teachers in the university, are given the task of unearthing the murderer.
.
.
One thing that really stood out for me was how different people’s understanding of God (in the context of Christianity) was in the past. For instance, Bartholomew who was one of the few physicians was accused of being a heretic for practising surgery. It was believed that bleeding people using leeches was the most effective way of curing diseases. Surgery was frowned upon because according to most people, God did not intend for human beings to have such knowledge. Also, when Bartholomew was able to cure someone who had been presumed to be a goner, people said that he was tampering with God’s will. Most people also believed that the Plague was a punishment from God because of their sin. .
Another curious thing was people’s blatant disregard for hygiene. De Wetherset thought that a bath was not healthy for a man in his fifties because that would mean that he would have to remove all his clothes. Bartholomew was looked on with astonishment when he insisted on washing his hands before meals. His insistence on cleanliness were generally perceived to be odd.
I really enjoyed this book.
The setting of this story is Cambridge in the year 1350, in the aftermath of the Black Death. Because the plague had wiped out a large number of people, physicians and doctors are in short supply, wills are being contested, some churches are being decommissioned because there are not enough people to make use of them and there is less wool due to the fact that there are less shepherds to tend to the sheep. (and other negative effects)
Cults are on the rise too, because as Stanmore says: “A religion where fornication, drunkenness and violent acts are regarded as acceptable will have a certain appeal to people frustrated with being urged to practice moderation and told that the injustices of their lives are God’s will.”
There are mysterious killings in the town, and Bartholomew and Michael, friars and teachers in the university, are given the task of unearthing the murderer.
.
.
One thing that really stood out for me was how different people’s understanding of God (in the context of Christianity) was in the past. For instance, Bartholomew who was one of the few physicians was accused of being a heretic for practising surgery. It was believed that bleeding people using leeches was the most effective way of curing diseases. Surgery was frowned upon because according to most people, God did not intend for human beings to have such knowledge. Also, when Bartholomew was able to cure someone who had been presumed to be a goner, people said that he was tampering with God’s will. Most people also believed that the Plague was a punishment from God because of their sin. .
Another curious thing was people’s blatant disregard for hygiene. De Wetherset thought that a bath was not healthy for a man in his fifties because that would mean that he would have to remove all his clothes. Bartholomew was looked on with astonishment when he insisted on washing his hands before meals. His insistence on cleanliness were generally perceived to be odd.
I really enjoyed this book.
November 21, 2020
The 2nd novel in the Matthew Bartholomew series, and even though, on the whole, I enjoyed this novel, I'm still not sold on reading the entire series.
The historical setting is interesting - Cambridge, in the 1300s. In this novel, the black plague has swept through the area, and the survivors are dealing with the horrible aftermath. Due to the number of deaths, workers are in short supply (including physicians), but more importantly, food is scarce and crime is on the rise. Also, there is a rise in cults, and talk of witchcraft. Our characters are in the middle of this mess, and while trying to survive everyday life, Matthew (along with his friend, Father Michael), are drawn into another mystery. At this stage, I prefer the character of Father Michael to our main protagonist.
If I compare Matthew to another historical mystery character, Brother Cadfael, Cadfael wins every time. I think there's something more relatable with Cadfael.
So, what's the mystery this time?
A body of a Friar is found in a college chest, and they've been asked to investigate. It's a classic case of a body without evidence of a suspect or foul play. An interesting start, and it did remain on point for some time, then things became too convoluted.
This investigation leads to too many different alleged crimes - far too many for one novel, I think. It felt that the author was trying to inject complexity, just for the sake of it. And, like the first novel, the cast of characters if large. Some are developed more than others, which is standard for novels, so it didn't bother me too much. I think I bothered more by the drawn out nature of the story. I'm not sure if it's written this way to seem for genteel - to suit the setting of Cambridge - but it makes the story drag at times.
Good enough for a one-off read, but not sure about the rest of the series.
The historical setting is interesting - Cambridge, in the 1300s. In this novel, the black plague has swept through the area, and the survivors are dealing with the horrible aftermath. Due to the number of deaths, workers are in short supply (including physicians), but more importantly, food is scarce and crime is on the rise. Also, there is a rise in cults, and talk of witchcraft. Our characters are in the middle of this mess, and while trying to survive everyday life, Matthew (along with his friend, Father Michael), are drawn into another mystery. At this stage, I prefer the character of Father Michael to our main protagonist.
If I compare Matthew to another historical mystery character, Brother Cadfael, Cadfael wins every time. I think there's something more relatable with Cadfael.
So, what's the mystery this time?
A body of a Friar is found in a college chest, and they've been asked to investigate. It's a classic case of a body without evidence of a suspect or foul play. An interesting start, and it did remain on point for some time, then things became too convoluted.
This investigation leads to too many different alleged crimes - far too many for one novel, I think. It felt that the author was trying to inject complexity, just for the sake of it. And, like the first novel, the cast of characters if large. Some are developed more than others, which is standard for novels, so it didn't bother me too much. I think I bothered more by the drawn out nature of the story. I'm not sure if it's written this way to seem for genteel - to suit the setting of Cambridge - but it makes the story drag at times.
Good enough for a one-off read, but not sure about the rest of the series.
May 26, 2020
#2 in the physician Matthew Bartholomew, a physician with ideas ahead of his time, mystery series set 1350 around 18 months after the first one in Cambridge covering. He is a lay teacher of Medicine at Michaelhouse, part of the fledgling University of Cambridge.
Cambridge is still suffering from the population decimation and slowly recovering from the plague which is still in other parts of the country when a serial murderer starts preying on the women of the town. Bartholomew, and his Michaelhouse fellow scholar Brother Michael (helped him the first mystery), are tasked by the university chancellor to uncover the identity of the killer along with what happened to the dead friar who broke into the the university's important documents cache. Bartholomew doesn't want to be involved and reluctantly participates. Matters are complicated as a result of the plague, bands of homeless peasants and former soldiers roam the land and city turning to robbery and violence along with the rise of sinister cults that have grown up in the wake of the plague.
As in the first book, the story is slow moving and Bartholomew continues to be very slow at understanding what is going on or who is friend or foe resulting in his pretty much putting himself at risk from this inability and bumbling along until he manages to get a handle on nearly all the information and starts putting things together. Meanwhile, it is the people close to him who manage to keep him on track and bailing him out.
Cambridge is still suffering from the population decimation and slowly recovering from the plague which is still in other parts of the country when a serial murderer starts preying on the women of the town. Bartholomew, and his Michaelhouse fellow scholar Brother Michael (helped him the first mystery), are tasked by the university chancellor to uncover the identity of the killer along with what happened to the dead friar who broke into the the university's important documents cache. Bartholomew doesn't want to be involved and reluctantly participates. Matters are complicated as a result of the plague, bands of homeless peasants and former soldiers roam the land and city turning to robbery and violence along with the rise of sinister cults that have grown up in the wake of the plague.
As in the first book, the story is slow moving and Bartholomew continues to be very slow at understanding what is going on or who is friend or foe resulting in his pretty much putting himself at risk from this inability and bumbling along until he manages to get a handle on nearly all the information and starts putting things together. Meanwhile, it is the people close to him who manage to keep him on track and bailing him out.
January 2, 2025
Questa volta ci troviamo nella Cambridge del 1350, uno o due anni dopo la prima ondata di peste. Le cose si stanno lentamente sistemando e mentre Bartholomew spera solo di riuscire ad insegnare E BASTA, ecco che un corpo gli "cade ai piedi" e come giusto che sia gli viene chiesto di indagare.🤷🏻♀️
Qui ritroviamo alcuni dei personaggi del primo libro come Michael, il monaco. Cynric, il bookkeeper gallese di Bartholomew. Stanmore, il cognato, e altri.
All'inizio pensavo che la storia sarebbe andata a cadere su un qualcosa di simile a Jack lo squartatore ma no, alla fine era qualcosa di più semplice che mi ha comunque tenuta con il fiato sospeso.
Lo stile di scrittura di quest'autrice mi sta piacendo molto. Un inglese abbastanza dell'epoca ma che si capisce comunque senza troppi sforzi e i personaggi sono descritti in modo tale da poterli immaginare, come in un film.
Se siete appassionati di storia e crime vi consiglio davvero di iniziare la lettura di questa lunga saga, non vi annoierete di sicuro!
Qui ritroviamo alcuni dei personaggi del primo libro come Michael, il monaco. Cynric, il bookkeeper gallese di Bartholomew. Stanmore, il cognato, e altri.
All'inizio pensavo che la storia sarebbe andata a cadere su un qualcosa di simile a Jack lo squartatore ma no, alla fine era qualcosa di più semplice che mi ha comunque tenuta con il fiato sospeso.
Lo stile di scrittura di quest'autrice mi sta piacendo molto. Un inglese abbastanza dell'epoca ma che si capisce comunque senza troppi sforzi e i personaggi sono descritti in modo tale da poterli immaginare, come in un film.
Se siete appassionati di storia e crime vi consiglio davvero di iniziare la lettura di questa lunga saga, non vi annoierete di sicuro!
December 21, 2025
An Unholy Alliance – Susanna Gregory
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
An Unholy Alliance has a strong sense of period and place, and Susanne Gregory clearly knows her medieval setting inside out. The atmosphere is convincingly rendered, with political intrigue and religious tension woven neatly into the background. At its best, the novel captures the precariousness of the time and the moral compromises demanded by power.
However, while the premise is engaging, the execution feels uneven. The pacing can be sluggish, and the plot sometimes struggles to maintain momentum, particularly in the middle sections. Characters are interesting in outline but not always given enough depth to fully invest in their fates, which dulls the impact of the central mystery.
An enjoyable enough historical crime novel with moments of real promise, but one that doesn’t quite come together as strongly as it could. Worth reading for fans of the genre, but not a standout.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
An Unholy Alliance has a strong sense of period and place, and Susanne Gregory clearly knows her medieval setting inside out. The atmosphere is convincingly rendered, with political intrigue and religious tension woven neatly into the background. At its best, the novel captures the precariousness of the time and the moral compromises demanded by power.
However, while the premise is engaging, the execution feels uneven. The pacing can be sluggish, and the plot sometimes struggles to maintain momentum, particularly in the middle sections. Characters are interesting in outline but not always given enough depth to fully invest in their fates, which dulls the impact of the central mystery.
An enjoyable enough historical crime novel with moments of real promise, but one that doesn’t quite come together as strongly as it could. Worth reading for fans of the genre, but not a standout.
April 2, 2020
A solid second effort
Ms. Gregory builds on her first Bartholomew mystery by expanding our view of medieval Cambridge a bit more. The focus here isn’t so much the University this time, though it does serve its purposes. This mystery affects the people of Cambridge, introducing the wealthy class, an interesting view of their ‘religious’ pursuits and the odd murder or two for good measure and the basis of the plot. My only complaint on this book is that towards the middle, it dragged heavily. There were sections that, while added background, kept the story from moving as quickly as the first book did. But I slogged through and the ending made up for my patience. These are good escapist novels and worth the read, especially if you want to learn more about medieval Cambridge. Never hurts.
Ms. Gregory builds on her first Bartholomew mystery by expanding our view of medieval Cambridge a bit more. The focus here isn’t so much the University this time, though it does serve its purposes. This mystery affects the people of Cambridge, introducing the wealthy class, an interesting view of their ‘religious’ pursuits and the odd murder or two for good measure and the basis of the plot. My only complaint on this book is that towards the middle, it dragged heavily. There were sections that, while added background, kept the story from moving as quickly as the first book did. But I slogged through and the ending made up for my patience. These are good escapist novels and worth the read, especially if you want to learn more about medieval Cambridge. Never hurts.
July 12, 2022
Another very enjoyable read in this series.... featuring Matthew Bartholomew,a physician at Cambridge University in the 1300's,this story being set in 1350 specifically.These novels are just so addictive,once I begin one I simply can't put it down until I finish it!The plots are really interesting,the characters are too.The setting being Cambridge University in the 1300's simply adds to the fascinating structure.I am so glad there are still many more in this series as I just can't get enough.I would strongly recommend them to any fans of history,crime fiction, maybe even theology.They remind me very much of the Crowner John series by Bernard Knight but that's a good thing as they are also excellent.I didn't give this one 5 stars simply because the Crowner John series just tops this one but they are still very enjoyable indeed.Onto the next one!
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