A Bone of Contention

Matthew Bartholomew #3

by Susanna Gregory

Cambridge, 1392. Matthew Bartholomew, physician to Michaelhouse College, is called to examine some mysterious bones found in the King's Ditch. Next day he is called to the Ditch again: a student has been found dead there. Meanwhile, there is unrest in the town, and the strange disappearance of Dominica, former lover of the dead student and daughter of Waterstone, the well-known Principal of a Cambridge student hostel. Are these events connected? Then a skeletal hand is found in the Ditch, hailed by townsfolk as the final remains of local martyr Simon d'Ambrey, and hence a holy relic. When Bartholomew finds that the hand is wearing a ring apparently identical to a pair that were worn by Dominica and her ex-lover, and now missing, he knows that his investigative skills are called for.

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

498 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

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 eventful thrilling book is the 3rd volume of the "Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles" from the author, Susanna Gregory.
I don't like to repeat it to you, so I say this to you for the last time for the time being, this story is 22-years old and it still feels and reads as fresh as it was 22-years ago.
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 a very well documented Historical Note, where the historical details concerning this story are superbly explained by the author.
Storytelling is of a top-notch quality, all the characters come vividly to life, whether they are real historical or wonderful fictional figures, and the surroundings of, and within Cambridge itself, are amazingly well pictured within this mystery of murder and mayhem.
After an intriguing short prologue which is situated in the year AD 1327, and which is ending with the murder of Simon D'Ambrey at the King's Ditch, or....; before this medieval mystery starts off in the year AD 1352, where the exploits of Matthew Bartholomew are once again brought to us by the author in a marvellous fashion.
Matthew Bartholomew, and his great friend, the Benedictine monk, Brother Michael, while attempting to start to investigate the murder of James Kenzie, a Scottish student from David's hostel, after a skeleton was found the day before at exact the same place in the King's Ditch, when all of a sudden at the same time riots break out between the gowns and towns of Cambridge, with Matthew and Michael themselves in the thick of it, and so now not only will they have to find the evil murderer but also the clever mastermind behind these riots.
What will follow is a very eventful and gripping mystery, where Matthew, with the help from Brother Michael, have to take quite some risks to try to get to the bottom of this mystery of treachery, deceit, mayhem and murder, and so after some challenging twist and turns and a very subtle plot, they will eventually be able to catch the evil culprit(s) of these murders and the clever instigator of these deadly riots.
Highly recommended, for this series is getting better with this superb thrilling episode, and that's why I would like to call this book: "A Marvellous Medieval Mystery"!

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now compared to the first two novels of Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew series, compared to both A Plague on Both Your Houses and An Unoly Alliance, the third installement, A Bone of Contention, it sure does feel and read rather overly convoluted in both nature and set-up, focussing on far too many diverse (and sometimes even a bit unrealistic) scenarios (and yes sadly, also presenting readers with far far too many corpses, as well as a cast of players both positive and negative that tends to prove at least in my opinion both over-extensive and even at times annoyingly and unnecessarily confounding and hard to keep organised in one's mind).

For indeed, with the plethora of constantly changing and emerging plot twists and turns, even the back story and main thematics of A Bone of Contention (the allegedly martyred Simon d'Ambrey and whether the bones found in the King's Ditch near Cambridge College's Vallence Marie are his and therefore possibly holy relics) often become rather lost in the overly numerous parade of the murdered and potential villains (too many proverbial red herrings and that even after it has been proven by Brother Michael and Matthew Barotholomew that Simon d'Ambrey was actually not martyred but in fact did manage to escape from his pursuers and has now returned to Cambridge to plan an elaborate revenge on both town and gown, d'Ambrey continuously manages to give everyone the slip again and again and wreak even more havoc, this does end up feeling both monotonously far-fetched and in a way also as though Susanna Gregory somehow needed to pad the main storyline of A Bone of Contention up a bit in order to fill the pages, in order to make her novel long enough).

And therefore, while A Bone of Contention does indeed like the first two novels of the series show a wonderfully authentic feeling sense of time and place (presents a historically accurate seeming and feeling portrait of both Mediaeval Cambridge and Cambridge University during the time of and immediately post the first manifestions of the Black Death), the story itself, the nitty-gritty details of A Bone of Contention do leave me rather unsatisfied and certainly wishing that Susanna Gregory had streamlined and limited her story a bit, especially with regard the amount of deaths, of corpses and plot reversals encountered (and I am also sincerely hoping that the remaining novels of the Matthew Bartholomew series will hopefully be a trifle more realistic in scope, read less over-convoluted and with not as much constant death).

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cambridge, 1352, is a town divided. There is the town, and there is the university. The townsfolk resent the scholars, for having (supposedly) more wealth than them, for being literate, for looking down on them—and that hatred is returned in full measure. A few years after the plague has killed off one in three, the filthy and clogged King’s Ditch in Cambridge is dredged to help reduce the risk of disease. Buried in the muck is a skeleton. Could it be the martyr Simon D’Ambrey, who, twenty-five years ago, had done so much to reduce poverty in Cambridge town, but had wrongly been accused of stealing, only to be killed and falling into the King’s Ditch in full view of the townspeople?

Physician and teacher of medicine at Michaelhouse, Matthew Bartholomew sets out to investigate, and realizes immediately that the skeleton is a child’s. But this isn't the first body; others—ranging from a young Scottish scholar to a friar, a prostitute to yet another friar—follow. All against the backdrop of a horrific riot between town and gown, which Bartholomew and his friend, the Proctor, Brother Michael, begin to realize may have been set up. A riot to achieve some other, sinister, end.

I enjoyed this book, because the mystery was a satisfying one: complex, intricately plotted, and with some surprising twists and turns. More than the mystery, though, what I found even more engrossing was the historical background of A Bone of Contention: Gregory manages to bring alive so many aspects of medieval England: the politics, the stage of education, hygiene, medical health, religion, society. A good historical detective novel should not merely be good mystery and good detection, but also interesting history, and Susanna Gregory does a very good job of that.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of the books in this series, we have a complex plot and lots of dead bodies. One thing I really appreciate is that Ms. Gregory includes a historical note at the end explaining the factual basis for the premise of the stories. The plot for this book focuses on tensions between “Town and Gown;” i.e. between the merchants and laborers of Cambridge and the scholars and monks/friars from the University.

In this story, of course, there are miscreants who are fanning the flames, so to speak. A former resident of Cambridge who felt he was betrayed by the town has come back after many years to wreak revenge on the townspeople with the help of several sympathizers. His plan is to stir up the already simmering animosity into a series of riots; the ensuing damage and unrest will force the King to come down hard on the town and raise taxes, and hopefully, in his view, eventually cause the town to die away.

I really enjoy the contrasts and camaraderie between Bartholomew and Michael. I’m so glad there are many more books in this series to devour!

[Bookish Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed! As I continue to read Susanna Gregory’s series I become more and more impressed by her writing and ability to convey the struggles and social structure of 14th century England. If I had any kind of romantic illusions about this time in history, they’re gone now. I can almost smell the stinking streets of Cambridge after reading this installment, see the dirty hands of the people, and taste the fish giblet stew. 5 stars for an EXCELLENT storyline, rich and complex, a historical mystery that ranks in the best.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Villain has bad case of "James Bond movie villain talking disease," but entertaining enough.

For a further review: http://susannag.booklikes.com/post/78... .

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evil Overlord List:

#6 - I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.
#7 - When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."

So many villians fail to read this list *sigh*

ABone of Contention is a twisty, though not to Jonathon Kellerman levels of twisty, mystery based on an old lynching some twenty-five years in the past. The action is fast paced and well written. The characters are believable and in many cases sympathetic, the two main one being the most well rounded. The interaction between Brother Michael and Matthew Bartholomew drives the book and is well done without being cloying or false.

I caught her in a couple of anachronisms, such as one character having pockets at one moment and then keeping items in his sleeve for the rest of the book, but for the most part none of them were enough to jar me out of the story.

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading the series in order and its starting to become predictable. The mystery is becoming almost ridiculous to the storyline and is always revealed the same way. Bartholomew has some kind of girl trouble, Michael makes jokes and is a lecherous monk, a bunch of seemingly random things happen, they get beat up a few times, some fires break out, they get abducted by the villain and are on the brink of death while the villain begins monologging, then they are saved by the authorities. The epilogue is generally loose ends being tied up, Bartholomew feeling bad about not having a woman, and everything is back to quiet. He never works on his inability to recognize voices without their face as that would be useful.

I enjoyed it the first few novels, but now wish for something different.

[Bonnie Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

72% of Goodreads readers rate this book four or five stars. And a brief glance down the list tells me the whole series of Matthew Bartholomew novels are similarly rated. It's a mystery to me. I found the characters unbelievable, the mystery muddled, and the telling boring. It's too bad; I was hoping for a historical mystery series I could enjoy, and there are a lot of Matthew Bartholomews. Oh well.

[jjmann3 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Revenge, robbery, and murder ravage 14th Century colleges and hostels at Cambridge. Physician professor Bartholomew and Brother Michael investigate s series of plots that revolve around a newly discovered set of relics. Simply too much going on in the for the reader to make any sense of the series of events, or for that matter, too many bodies for the reader to really care about what the result.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am hooked on Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew series. The setting of 14th century Cambridge, England, the uneasy social situation of the post-plague era, and the relationship of Matthew with his best friend the monk Michael who is equally gluttonous and ambitious and can't quite be trusted.

These mysteries seem to be convoluted and intricate in their solution and this holds true for the 3rd in the series A Bone of Contention. While the town cleans the refuse ditch and bones are discovered which might well be those of a saint, there simmers a disagreement between the townies and the student which could ignite into a conflagration.

Great fun! Mystery lovers will appreciate it.

[Loup Garou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Schatten der Pest liegt über Cambridge. Die Gläubigen suchen Schutz in der Macht heiliger Reliquien. Doch die Knochenhand eines Märtyrers, die Doctor Bartholomew zur Prüfung vorgelegt wird, ist viel zu bleich, um jahrelang im Sumpf gemodert zu haben. Und sie trägt einen Ring, wie er zuletzt die Hand eines Studenten schmückte. Eines Studenten, der letzte Nacht ermordet wurde.

"Ein falscher Heiliger" ist wie die anderen Teile der Reihe vollgepackt mit Informationen, Personen, Orten und Handlungen. Gelehrte, Geistliche, Studenten, Städter, Dörfler, Händler, Prostituierte, Wahnsinnige, Geistig Umnachtete, Aufwiegler, Verräter, Mörder, Hochstapler, Spione, Tote und Totgeglaubte vereint in einem Wirrwarr aus Mord, Betrug, Aufstand, Überfall, Verrat, Diebstahl, Einbruch, Leichenschändung, Vertuschung, Fälschung, Erpressung und Größenwahnsinn. Genug Material für drei Krimis.

Das Tempo des Buches ist extrem hoch, alle paar Seiten überschlagen sich die Ereignisse, neue Informationen und Erkenntnisse werfen alles Bisherige über den Haufen. Informationsfülle und Lesetempo führen zu Verwirrung und Irritation, zwischenzeitlich sind die unzähligen Aspekte der Geschichte kaum noch auseinander zu halten.

Vom Ende des Buches wird viel abverlangt, denn die zahlreichen Figuren, Handlungen und Aspekte müssen irgendwie unter einen Hut gebracht werden. "Irgendwie" scheint dann auch die Lösung zu sein, denn das Ganze scheint arg konstruiert und ist kaum nachvollziehbar. Einziger Pluspunkt ist, dass man bis zu den letzten 50 Seiten unmöglich auf die Lösung kommen kann, da erst dann der wesentliche Punkt der Geschichte aufgedeckt wird.

Wie in den ersten Bänden überschattet auch in "Ein falscher Heiliger" das Chaos aus Handlung und Personen die hervorragend erarbeitete historische Kulisse.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A BONE OF CONTENTION (Historical-Cambridge, England-1352) – G+
Gregory, Susanna – 3rd in series
LIttle, Brown & Company, 1997– UK Hardcover – ISBN 0316882301
*** Physician and teacher Matthew Bartholomew is summoned by Brother Michael to the King’s Ditch by the Hall of Valence Marie to identify bones found among the rubbish and sewage of the ditch. The Master of Valence is hoping the bones will be from the martyr Simon d’Ambrey in order to make the Hall famous and shower the Hall with gifts and money. The next day, Matthew is called back as the body of a student has been found and, shortly after, the lover of the dead student and daughter of a Principal of one of the student hostels disappears. When riots break out in the town, people die and buldings are burnt, Matthew and Michael sense there was a purpose to it and seek to tie together all events finding out who is behind them.
*** Gregory does such a masterful job of describing life in 14th century England, I certainly wouldn’t want to live there. Gregory’s descriptions of the practice of medicine during this time are especially fascinating. But that and her wonderfully dimensional characters, particularly the balance between Matthew and Michael are what make her books delightful to read. The fact that physician Matthew is completely clueless about women and receives advise from Brother Michael adds levity to the darkness of the story. I did feel the plot became overly complicated in this book, but enjoyed the twists at the end.

[Kristi Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical mystery, about the same time as Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries, but in some ways struck me as anti-cadfael - the setting was gritty, grimy, clear sense of the period's stifling attitudes, general unrest and grinding poverty, odd inaccurate medical theories and lack of hygiene. Very different from Peters' nice clean wholesome monastery and helpful herbalist!

And yet, it wasn't _grim_. The characters belonged to their times and didn't expect different, and lived their lives as best they could, mostly cheerfully, dealing with the ordinary (to them) stuff without any sense that it made them worse off than a twentieth-century person. Outdated attitudes, but courage and compassion, evil and pettiness, and a real lust for the best parts of living.

Too many deaths, though, I felt the actual plot (as opposed to character or setting) was rather getting away from her.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

The discovery of bones in the Kings Ditch leads Matthew Bartholomew into another mystery which has the fate of Cambridge at its heart.

Extremely enjoyable novel. Gregory juggles a large cast of characters with skill although some of Matthew's colleagues remain a little anonymous to be able to stand out. Plenty of twists and turns, this does get quite convoluted but everything is explained by the end. My main criticism is that the book feels a bit too long. The pace of life then is depicted well but in places the book flags a little.

Overall, this is a series which is improving with each book. The author seems to be more confident here, a downside of a lot of historical fiction is that some authors wear their research on their sleeves, but Gregory stays focused on the plot and the people.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm enjoying reading this historical crime series set in the 1300's by Susanna Gregory. I read the first in the series after moving to Cambridge, and it has really given me a feel for the early development of the university. You don't have to read the series in order, which is a good thing as the books rarely appear on the library shelves and largely have to be reserved.

Historically, all the books I've read in the series seem to have a good degree of accuracy about life, medicine and politics. The plots are complicated and packed full of action, which can make it a challenge to keep track of events. I do wish the chapters were shorter though, as I regularly had to put the book down mid-chapter.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read again 03/28/14 for Maze mystery group.

I didn't remember much, if anything, of this story. All of the Matthew Bartholomew books have really complex puzzles which are not easy to solve. There wasn't too much in this one that included "fair play" clues to help you try to deduce the solution. As before, the history was great and, from my researches, quite accurate.



There were parts of this book which seemed quite tedious, but like all good detectives, Matthew takes some time getting all the clues he needs. The historical components (14th century Cambridge) were quite good.

[Scilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mid 14th century mystery takes place in Cambridge, England. There is an aspect of town versus gown, with additional prejudice for the Scots. The main characters are Mathew Bartholomew, a doctor, and Brother Michael, Senior Proctor, both at Michaelhouse. The current problems seem to be related to the killing of Simon D'Ambrey 25 years previously. A Scotch student is murdered; then there are riots. The book was fairly fast moving and I enjoyed it, although it's not great literature.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why it took me so long to read this book - it was quite nicely written and pleasant to read. The characters ans historical setting were nicely depicted. It was just that the plot seemed a little 'forced' or 'contrived'and it didn't leave you with that feeling of satisfaction you usually get when the solution to the mystery is revealed. I would probably be happy to read another one (this was a gift)to see if I enjoyed that story any better.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third in this excellent series, this novel pulls no punches. The author presents Medieval (1340's--just past the most famous black plague outbreak) Cambridge as it probably was: dirty, unhealthy, tense, violent, both town dwellers and scholars looking for scapegoats and relics to reestablish their broken world. The mystery is well told with lots of twists and adventure for the protagonist physician/professor to solve.

[D.H. Hanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5 stars. Really enjoyed this. First time reading anything by Susanna Gregory and I thought this was an engaging story with really interesting characters. Whenever I read mysteries, I care less about the whodunit part and am more drawn to the characters investigating the crime as well as all the possible suspects. This definitely held my attention and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Michele Buono · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these books; they are very well-written, but I dread reading the last 50 pages. The murderer and accomplices will be found out, the heroes will be in danger,they'll escape only to be put into more danger before the law comes along to rescue them. And of course, the inevitable unraveling of the dastardly deeds explaining all the whys and wherefores of the crimes.

[Elliott Hay · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

My beef wasn't with the characters, the history, or the writing style. I may continue to read Gregory's books.

That this book was so weak was purely down to the plot. It was ridiculously convoluted and contrived. The explanations were highly implausible. When Matt and co uncover the dastardly doings, their rationale for how they figured it all out was paper thin.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do enjoy reading of the lifestyle of both town and gown and experiencing the medical knowledge. Gregory writes well and detailed, yet, her main character is driving me nuts. He's so oblivious for such an intelligent man.

[Chris Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't think this was as good as the previous 2 books, and thought it was over complicated for the story. Having said that, it was probably more that I couldn't really get into it, so not an entirely fair judgement.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not without its moments of Hilarity... after his broken engagement which was doomed anyway given the unusually long time and its long~distance state, it was a case of absence made the heart forget not fonder and 'out of sight, out of mind'... Heart~sore yet free, Matt inadvertently (by osmosis perhaps?) invited the Tyler sisters and the town's high~priced "lady prostitute" to two of Michaelhouse's celebratory events and set the cat among the pigeons given his other co~Fellows' over~zealous misogyny vis~à~vis his own monkish existence. And of course, there were the bones, hence the title. The King's hypochondriac spy was another source of laughs for his relentless stalking for cures and panacea for his various ailments, pestering Bartholomew for astrological chart~readings and blood~lettings... and about as useless as a coward given his position as Michael's sub~Proctor. Another dry and tedious headless chicken mystery but given the other interesting characters and events... I would say there was an even balance plus I really had a lot of laughs here.

Lest we forget the stark Reality that when dealing with capricious Monarchs or heads of states, they have a wider scope of perspective than the ordinary subject or citizen seeking Justice... as in this case, had the dubious bones and their rabid fanatical proponents succeeded in fooling and establishing prominence thus providing additional income and taxes to further finance the King's war with France (given this timeline, England was almost always at war with France)... this account would have had a different outcome and 'justice' would have been served in a different platter... also, according to Michael as I understood it, history would be written as those in power would have it or it could also be erased by those same powers.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so far have read the first second and third books in the series. And I can say that I am very disappointed in Matthew Bartholomew, and can’t stand how naïve he still is after the last two murders he had to investigate. I found a lot of repetitive details that were stated in previous chapters. Honestly, I really prefer Michaels dialogue and way of thinking on how to investigate the murders.

I mean, you’d think by now he would understand that evil exists terrible evil exist in the most unlikely places, but he is still shocked when good people turn out to have a secret past or motive for terrible evil things.

I would think by now he would know what to expect from a murder investigation. Additionally, I would think by now they also would understand that writing these things down to figure them out is better than talking and hoping that Michael or Matthew keep to the facts.

I found the plot of this book very complex and had too much going on like other readers .

I was so frustrated when Bartholomew went out without telling anyone where he was going, especially without a weapon after he knew that a murderer was on the loose and he was being monitored. Matthew was especially frustrating when he tells others how to be clean and is able to work with different disgusting murder victims, yet gets disgusted with a bloody skeletal hand.

I was gifted all the books, but I am unsure if I’ll continue reading this series .

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un nuovo Fratello Cadfael?

Si sa che i giovani studenti universitari sono spesso turbolenti. Ma accadeva anche a Cambridge nel 1352? A quanto pare sì. In una cittadina in cui le tensioni fra cittadini e istituzioni universitarie (gestite dagli ordini religiosi) erano al limite, e sfociavano spesso in scaramucce e talvolta in rivolte, in una cittadina che era appena stata decimata dalla Peste Nera del 1348, e che stava cercando di risollevarsi dai disastri provocati dall’epidemia; in una Cambridge in cui gli studenti provenivano da diversi ordini religiosi (francescani, domenicani, benedettini, ecc.), e da diversi popoli (inglesi, francesi, scozzesi) spesso in contrasto fra loro; in un periodo in cui bastava pochissimo per dichiarare un morto ‘martire’, ‘beato’ o addirittura ‘santo’ per poter venerare le sue reliquie (la cui vendita rappresentava un commercio lucrativo grazie a pellegrinaggi e donazioni da parte di grandi folle); in un’era in cui la medicina più tradizionale si basava sull’astrologia, e le norme di igiene erano considerate quasi un’eresia, vediamo dipanarsi gli eventi di questa terza indagine di Matthew Bartholomew.

Tutto comincia quando Robert Thorpe, direttore dell’ostello Valence Marie, comincia a far dragare il King’s Ditch alla ricerca delle reliquie del martire Simon D’Ambrey, che dopo aver aiutato la popolazione, è stato ingiustamente accusato di furto e poi ucciso 25 anni prima dei fatti di cui ci occupiamo. Il ritrovamento di una sua reliquia porterebbe all’ostello grande prestigio e grandi ricchezze, e Thorpe è deciso a ritrovare le ossa del beato a qualsiasi costo. Fratello Michael, il prefetto anziano dell’Università di Cambridge, insieme con il medico Matthew Bartholomew, si reca al Valence Marie per analizzare le ossa che vengono ritrovate, e per stabilire se si tratti effettivamente delle reliquie agognate da Thorpe o se siano il prodotto di un delitto più recente. Intanto la tensione è palpabile fra studenti e popolazione, ed anche fra gli studenti dei vari ostelli ci sono dissapori e risse. Alcune ore dopo aver partecipato ad una rissa, il corpo di uno studente scozzese, James Kenzie viene ritrovato nel Ditch. Ma l’anello che Dominica, la sua amante, figlia di Thomas Lydgate, direttore del Godwinsson, gli aveva donato, è scomparso.


Le indagini ruotano attorno ai tre ostelli Valence Marie, Godwinsson e David’s (in cui sono ospitati gli studenti scozzesi fra cui era Kenzie), ma Kenzie non sarà l’unica vittima su cui Bartholomew si troverà a dover indagare. In città, infatti, scoppiano disordini, con saccheggi e distruzioni. Fra i cadaveri Matt, troverà quello di una giovane donna bionda sfigurata. Potrebbe trattarsi di Joanna, una prostituta, ma anche di Dominica, la figlia di Lydgate che è scomparsa dalla circolazione da qualche tempo. I delitti e i colpi di scena continuano a susseguirsi fino all’ultima pagina.

Susanna Gregory riesce ad analizzare nel dettaglio le condizioni di vita dell’Inghilterra medievale. E la città di Cambridge, una città universitaria fin dal Medioevo, offre uno scenario affascinante, in cui si vede il brulicare della popolazione, un’animazione che rende la cittadina realistica e viva. Le donne, a cui non era consentito di accedere agli studi, sono relegate all’esterno della cittadella universitaria, a maggior ragione perché studenti e docenti di solito appartengono agli ordini ecclesiastici; quasi tutte sono considerate alla stregua di prostitute da buona parte dei membri del college, specialmente se sono abbastanza intelligenti da riuscire ad essere indipendenti.

La medicina e la chirurgia sono a livello quasi primitivo, l’igiene è scarsa e il salasso sembra essere il rimedio a tutte le malattie (come sarà ancora per secoli). Inoltre una delle materie fondamentali per gli studenti di medicina è l’Astrologia che è la scienza su cui fa affidamento soprattutto la Chiesa. Per questo medici innovativi come Matthew Bartholomew sono considerati al limite dell’eresia. Naturalmente Matt non presta la minima attenzione al quadro astrale dei suoi pazienti, essendo un medico che sembra avere delle nozioni superiori (e, diciamolo chiaro, moderne) di medicina, spesso malviste dai conservatori.

La narrazione esterna segue sempre la figura di Matt Bartholomew, ma è piuttosto impersonale, perché il lettore non sia influenzato dal punto di vista dei personaggi, come è giusto che accada in un romanzo giallo. Lo stile è diretto e pulito, anche perché gli episodi del romanzo sono talmente fitti e intricati che uno stile più complesso ci farebbe perdere il filo della narrazione. I personaggi principali, Matthew Bartholomew e fratello Michael, sono due spiriti arguti, ironici e sempre un passo avanti. Essi contribuiscono ad animare il romanzo con i loro dialoghi sull’analisi del caso.

Leggendo i romanzi delle indagini di Matthew Bartholomew di Susanna Gregory non si può non pensare ad una figura emblematica dei gialli medievali scritti ai nostri giorni: Fratello Cadfael, il monaco erborista di Ellis Peters, che svolge qualche anno prima di Matt Bartholomew le sue indagini nell’Abbazia benedettina di Shrewsbury. L’atmosfera delle due serie è molto vicina, sebbene l’ambiente di Cambridge sia diverso e decisamente più animato, a causa del contesto studentesco, più giovane, più ribelle, e della rivalità fra i vari ostelli. Per chi ha amato Ellis Peters e Fratello Cadfael la Gregory è un ‘must’, per dirla all’inglese.

Una serie decisamente coinvolgente, appassionante, che ci fa immergere nel cuore dell’Inghilterra medievale, in una delle sue istituzioni più antiche e illustri, una ricostruzione storica impeccabile. Un viaggio nel tempo nella Cambridge del XIV secolo… io non vedo l’ora di fare il mio prossimo viaggio!

Puoi leggere la recensione completa QUI:

http://greenyellowale.blogspot.it/201...

[Sharon Weyant-Muir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery book worm confused

I found this particular mystery to be very confusing. Several story ribbons were intertwined and difficult to unravel. The skeleton of a man's hand sets off tension between a House and the university, while tensions between the poor struggling townspeople and the scholars causes several riots and not a few deaths. Both Bartholomew and Father Michael face serious danger over and over, while the few women characters turn out to not have many sterling qualities. Father William presents some comical moments, once when thoroughly drunk, and secondly, when presenting his Inquisitional past. I do admire Edith Stanmore and Matilde and their love for Bartholomew.

[LESLEY PARKER · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really do enjoy these books ...this is the 3rd and I have the next 2 already to read .... my one criticism is there is so much repetition..... the author goes over events several times ..I find myself saying ok I know that ..I've just read it ..you don't have to say it again ... but apart from that I enjoy the stories ..the Proctor Michael's character I really love ..he makes me smile .i love the way Michael and Bartholmew keep the story moving .....the banter between them is good ...this series of books would make a good tv series I feel
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