The Mark of a Murderer

Matthew Bartholomew #11

by Susanna Gregory

It is February 1355, and Oxford has exploded in one of the most serious riots of its turbulent history. Fearing for their lives, the scholars flee the city, and some choose the University at Cambridge as their refuge. They don’t remain safe for long, however-within hours of their arrival, two people have died. When Bartholomew and Brother Michael investigate the deaths, they uncover evidence that the Oxford riot was part of a carefully orchestrated plot. With the Archbishop of Canterbury about to honor Cambridge with a visitation, and a close colleague accused of a series of murders that Bartholomew is certain he didn’t commit, the race is on to bring a ruthless killer to justice.

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

469 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

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 exciting mystery is the 11th volume of the excellent "Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles" by the author, Susanna Gregory.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of Cambridge, England, in the AD 1350s, while at the end you'll notice a very well documented Historical Note concerning this wonderful historical mystery.
Storytelling is once more of a superb quality, and the figures featuring in this tale, whether they are real historical or wonderful fictional, come all vividly to life within this thrilling mystery, while also Cambridge and its surroundings are beautifully pictured within this story of mayhem and murder.
After an intriguing prologue which is set in early AD 1355, during the riots in Oxford, the main story begins in the Spring of AD 1355, and Oxford scholars and merchants marching into Cambridge in an attempt to escape from those deadly riots which had a devastating effect on life in Oxford.
All too soon into the story several men with Oxford connections are killed with the mark of a kind of wolf-bite, but this bite is made from steel.
And so Physician Matthew and Brother Michael come once again into action, and they set off in a pursuit to catch this determined killer very early on in attempt to bring him straight to justice, certainly before the Archbishop of Canterbury's Visitation to Cambridge, but they are thwarted at every turn in their desperate effort.
What is to follow is an eventful encounter between Matthew and Michael on the one hand and the murderer on the other, and our formidable duo will have to do their utmost to solve the riddles connecting these murders, before they will be able to catch the surprising cunning culprit(s) of these horrible murders.
Very much recommended, for this is another gripping episode of the adventures of Matthew and Michael, and that's why I like to say that this book has certainly: "The Mark of a Great Mystery"!

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew series is and will likely remain my currently favourite Mediaeval mystery series (ever since the death Ellis Peters, whose Brother Cadfael books rank amongst my all time favourite reading pleasures, period). I love the academic setting of Mediaeval Cambridge University (although in this book, in The Mark of a Murderer, Oxford University and a group of fleeing Oxford academics also play a significant role), the slice of life, the historical background of both Mediaeval Cambridge and the fledgling universities, and that many of the recurring characters (like Matthew, Mathilde, Brother Michael, even Matthew's sister and brother-in-law) have become like old and very dear friends. That all being said, I do tend to sometimes wonder at the author's penchant for creating not only some truly gruesome (and creepy) murder plots and ideas, but also at the fact that a goodly number of villains are unstable and warped women (not always, of course, but certainly enough for me to have noticed this a bit lately, and I do find it rather intriguing, but also somewhat troubling that for many of the strangest murder sequences in this series, women are often part and parcel to them). Now don't get me wrong, The Mark of a Murderer has proven to be an engaging read as always, but the method of killing (the monstrous teeth smeared with excrement and filth and the fact that someone, in this case a women, and an intellectual at that, would strive for this type of killing mechanism, would engage in this, simply to keep her academic and scholastic secrets safe, is rather off-putting to say the least). Thus The Mark of a Murderer is suggested mainly for fans of the series as a whole, and is certainly not a novel I would necessarily recommend to someone wanting to start a new Mediaeval mystery series, as I would definitely much more readily and joyfully consider many if not most of the earlier and some of the later Matthew Bartholomew instalments before suggesting The Mark of a Murderer.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is always a certain tension between townsfolk and scholars. This holds true for Oxford as well as Cambridge. When a riot erupts in Oxford, resulting in deaths of both scholars and townsfolk, some scholars flee to Cambridge and it seems they have brought their troubles here.

Matthew is becoming more enamored with Mathilde.

Twists and turns as per usual.

[Aileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked many things about this book, such as the relationship of Matthew and Michael, and the personality of each. the world-building is good too. The characters are distinct and drawn with some skill. There are two things about this book that put me off and made the experience less enjoyable than I anticipated when I began reading.

1. there are way too many minor characters that are jumbled into the mix. My problem with this might be because I was listening to an audio version rather than reading it in print. I couldn't go back and try to figure out who various characters were when they were introduced for a second or third time. But generally, the plot was too elaborate and far-fetched. I'm not looking for realism, or high levels of credibility, but it all seemed way too confused and contrived. When the murderer (with three separate identities, for Christ's sake!) was revealed, there were way too many loose ends flapping. it just didn't really make a lot of sense.
2. the focus on a really bizarre plot device that made the action exotic but ended up being just absurd and pointless. Specifically, the metal teeth coated in dog shit as the murder weapon. The metal teeth I could just about get my head around. But when it was revealed they were coated in dog shit before each attack I just rolled my eyes so hard I got a headache.

Both these flaws make me suspect that Gregory is just not good at plots. Perhaps some people enjoy these aspects of her books - I noticed the same sort of tendencies in one of her other novels. I guess it works for many readers, but really irked me. I don't think I'll be reading any more of her work.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating murder mystery featuring Doctor Bartholomew, sidekick to the Senior Proctor, Michael. This one opens with a fictional retelling of the St. Scholastica’s Day riot in Oxford; some of the scholars involved in it travel to Cambridge, along with some town merchants. Very soon, members of their party begin dying. Bartholomew, called upon in his official capacity as Corpse Examiner, makes the startling discovery that in several of the cases, the throats were torn out, as though by an animal.

I have developed quite a soft spot for Clippesby, the Dominican music and astronomy master at Michaelhouse, who either is insane or has a supernatural ability to converse with animals - depending on who you ask. Michael and many others believe him to be mad. Bartholomew isn’t so sure, and often notes that Clippesby’s information is often accurate, even if he is quoting the King’s Hall rats, or the Merton Hall chickens. I was thrilled that he features heavily in this one.

I absolutely LOVED the climactic scene when the primary villain is trying to cause a riot during the visitation by an archbishop; the streets of Cambridge being crammed with people trying to get a glimpse of the great man - very much akin to an outing by the Queen or Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle today. Michael and Bartholomew are having no success in preventing fights from breaking out when the Archbishop thunders out, “LET US PRAY.” In English, no less, stunning the crowd, since the Church used only Latin in services. Their reactions were great - I read that scene three times because it was just so well done.

[Jean Seah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid, gripping read, sprinkled with humorous details and dialogue. The only thing that peeved me was the anachronistic liturgical response "and also with you." It would have been "et cum spiritu tuo", or "with your spirit", which the Church has now reverted to.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clemen’s review covers this wonderful mystery including well!! I can’t say it better!

I continue to enjoy this series!!

[Spuddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

#11 Matthew Bartholomew medieval mystery set in Cambridge in the mid-1300's. Matthew and Brother Michael investigate a series of murders in Cambridge that begin after the town/gown riots in Oxford resulting in dozens of deaths. Some Oxford scholars run to Cambridge, and almost immediately, two of them end up dead, followed by several others, who appear to have been ravaged by a wolf, or something with sharp teeth that ripped their throats out.

The Oxford people think that the Cambridge scholars had something to do with it, and one of Cambridge's own people who was attacked but survived saw one of Michaelhouse's scholars, Clippesby--known for his rather crazy and eccentric ways--near him, and thinks he is the one who did it. Matthew, who is Clippesby's doctor, hospitalizes him to keep an eye on him, but the killings continue.

I must admit I was surprised by the ending and the bad guy in this one, unlike most of the books in this series which are rather easy to figure out. I notice that I am leaving longer and longer spaces between reading books in this series, because they are getting to be somewhat wearying and formulaic with the constant scrapping between the scholars and the townspeople, Matthew's constant harping at Michael about his weight and frequent descriptions of Michael's piggy eating style, etc. They also tend to re-hash details and ask the same questions over and over throughout the course of the book, much of which could be cut out and not be detrimental to the story at all.

I like these characters and the setting, and I think as long as I continue to leave many months between readings, I will continue them, but they are no longer a favorite series as they used to be. B-

[Nance Roepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all of the preceding 10 books in this series and have some ongoing complaints. Susanna Gregory writes overly long, overly complicated stories. And the emphasis on Brother Michael's weight is annoying. But my biggest annoyance with this book is that the narrator on Audible changes for this book. I know that's got to happen sometimes but it was very jarring. Michael sounded like Father William and Father William, although he was said to bellow, doesn't sound as loud as Michael. But, putting all of that aside, I really do enjoy this series. But in this case, my rating is really a 2.5. Part of that is because of the narrator. And part of it is a realization that Susanna Gregory does not give enough clues to really be able to figure out the mystery. I don't want it to slap me in the face but I do want some opportunity to figure it out. And perhaps there was enough there but when the book is so convoluted it is next to impossible to filter out what might be important. And I didn't really believe the story. Final, the last chapter pulls everything together and explains how the answer does arrived at and then the epilogue does it all over again. Perhaps Ms Gregory is being paid by the word.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite Bartholomew book so far. Ironically, it got the lowest average rating among Goodreads readers of the Bartholomew books. My only complaint is the "loss" of Matilde at the end. I can only hope that she will return in the next book. This author seems to be obsessed with evil characters. There are very few "good guys" in this series or the Thomas Chaloner series. In both series, you have a "good" main character, but virtually everyone around him is incompetent, arrogant and/or downright evil.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite MB book but still with a lot of good stuff. My biggest complaint was that I didn't feel the ending made as much sense as the other books. Usually there's more of a crumb trail to follow and I didn't get that this time. When the killer was revealed I just kinda sat there like Huh? It made no sense without a lot of explanation. And then there was the explanation and I felt like "Well that makes a bit more sense but I'm still not exactly with you." So up until the end, great book, not so great of an ending.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good. I should have known better than to try another of this series, having not been overwhelmed by the other one I listened to, a while back. The blurb sounded interesting though so I fell for it again.
Too long too complicated too many nasty characters ( in fact nobody I really liked, "heroes" too flat and predictable ).
Most characters (in the audiobook, anyway) sounded like pompous bullying bores, with odd names, always on the make.
Highly improbable plot.
I won't be lured by an intriguing blurb another time.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great in terms of historical context. Loving the details. Wasn't convinced by the resolution of the plot. A whodunit where the protagonists stumble across the solution rather than the clever piecing together we've all come to expect. Not my favourite Bartholomew mystery!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

So well-plotted and hard to figure out until the end. With that said, there might be TOO much going on in this VERY long novel. In addition, the writing could be a bit abrupt and frenetic in pace.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought there could be someone to replace Mathilde in Bartholomew's affections... they turn out to be something else extremely unsuitable in the denouement.

The St. Scholastica's Day bloody riots and multiple deaths on both town and gown sides in Oxford put the university town under interdict (no religious rites were conducted that meant no burials and no masses). The bloodbath was engineered for one thing only ~ the death of one man... it just got out of hand. Unfortunately for the dead and the injured as well as its acrimonious aftermath... via mysterious macabre osmosis, the violence also affected the tenuous balance between town and gown in its rival university in Cambridge where some Oxonians fled. The sinister and apparently otherworldly cause of some of the deaths in Cambridge (also akin to the one death during the Oxford riot) had the usual 'headless chicken running around like a dog chasing its tail' annoying effect on the reader and the investigators and put the blame on the nocturnal Clippesby out visiting with his animal friends based on a victim's word. So Matt had him committed at the Stourbridge humane lunatic facility on the random thought that he was the perpetrator... though, judging from the Prologue, he could have been a witness.

As for Matt's lovelife, by the last chapter... before he could give voice to his long~overdue marriage proposal... Mathilde, with all her worldly possessions on a cart, tearfully left Cambridge for Norwich (to parts unknown for Matt who would search for her)... a cliff~hanger for the eager reader... thus, no time to post for a review. Again, this is not without its hilarious moments... so, altogether, another successful and satisfying read for this reader.

[Shar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had enjoyed reading this novel shortly after it was published. Recently, I read it again, having forgotten the plot and details. There was a good amount of humour amongst the scholars, and I liked that Clippesby had a larger role in this novel. My other favourite characters, Matilde, Agatha, and Denyman, also had a fair number of appearances. Sadly, Cynric hardly appears even though he is present in town. Excellent descriptions of the medieval town and daily life such as a visit to a stationer’s shop.

Spoilers:
With this second reading, I was very disappointed in the ending as it made little sense. Also, I find it unbeliable that the Oxford men would not recognize a merchant’s wife since this novel shows how often the Cambridge stationer’s wife, for example, works in his shop. In addition, we are asked to believe that a victim would not recognize the voice of his own wife.
As others have noted, the killing device and method was over-the-top.
Matt has some information that he did not tell us until the very end. At that point, I was quite frustrated.
As in another novel in this series, the murder weapon, and therefore the murderer’s identity, was found by one of the accused. Our two investigators did not actually solve the case.

[Lacer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this one, a group of Oxford scholars and merchants arrive in Cambridge after a particularly bad riot in their home city. The merchants are investigating the death of a man who had his throat ripped out during the riot, as they thought that the killer had fled to Cambridge. Matthew and Michael become involved when more deaths occur.

The Matthew Bartholomew series is never going to be high literature but I do enjoy them for their convoluted plots, the relationships between the characters, the ability to learn a bit about the era, the funny bits and, what I particularly noticed in this book, Gregory's ability to write a scenes with large groups of characters well. I've always liked the college meal scenes but in this one, she also writes a really good scene in a crowded university stationers shop, as well as allowing Michael to do some eavesdropping, Gregory also uses the scene to advance several other minor plot lines, all in a way that I thought was really entertaining.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed reading this excellent series of mysteries set in Medieval England (mostly Cambridge). The author, truly a scholarly master of Middle Ages history, culture, traditions, etc, bases the details of each mystery in solid historical events and settings. In this case, a historical riot in Oxford drives a mixed group from Oxford. When several are murdered, it is up to the series protagonist, Matthew Bartholomew, along with his friend Brother Michael, to unweave the tangled threads of fact to solve the mysteries. These novels are detailed, with relationships and fascinating and realistic characters who appear and develop through the series, but each novel stands alone.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A number of scholars from Oxford have come to University of Cambridge to hide out after a bloody riot took place around them. When two of those scholars end up dead in short order Bartholomew and Brother Michael begin their investigations. While those scholars look like they were attacked by an animal Bartholomew and Brother Michael that there are some fake metal teeth floating around. When a colleague of theirs is accused of the murders they find themselves knee deep in secrets of adultery, hatred and those who are not whom they seem. The real shock comes when they true killer is revealed!

A great story with many twists.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rather long medieval (1350s) mystery is the 11th in a series of 20+ books, and it probably wasn't wise for me to read it without first reading any other mysteries in the series. Even so, I rather enjoyed it but I don't recommend that anyone else start this series in the middle. This particular installment involved a feud between Oxford and Cambridge Universities and between the religious and secular authorities in both places.

I did like it enough to want to read more Matthew Bartholomew (he's a surgeon, working with a monk) stories, but next I believe I'll turn to Book 1 in the series. Stay tuned for further developments.

[Roy A. Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dodgy Doings in Academia

As always, Ms Gregory seamlessly marries fact and fiction & the reader has to wait for the Historical Notes to discover which is which. As ever the story bowls along a convoluted path, all the clues are there if only one knew!

I’m growing quite fond of some regular characters.
I sometimes wonder if there are any descendants of the protagonists and what their thoughts may be.

[Bigbear Woolliscroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholar-cum-pathologist, a proctor-cum-inspector all set in Cambridge and lots of people from Oxford that make trouble - as if the residents weren't good at this anyway.

This is the first Matthew Bartholomew that I have read and I enjoyed it. The historical detail is good enough not to grate and the story modern enough to fit with expectations of the who-dunnits. Just off to get the next one from the library....

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there a support group for book series addictions....

I have tried to get on and off this series for years. Just like I have tried to get myself on and off wine clubs for years. And I suddenly realize that: why not? Why shouldn't I enjoy the stories I love and drink a bottle of wine once a week?! I am old and I should treasure my time!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical mystery. Matthew the doctor and corpse examiner has to find a clever murderer before the visit of the Archbishop to Cambridge.

[Bonnie Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just utterly soporific. Like trying to walk through ankle-deep mud, and about as much fun.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another classic Matthew Bartholomew series volume. More murder in medieval Cambridge than can be fathomed but still a fun read. Shame about the final two pages. I wish this wasn’t the case!

[Andy53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have dropped 100 pages or so, but still a pretty good book

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow read, too many conversations, too many characters, I could see it coming for miles but had to wait for everybody else to figure it out including the clever, not, detective proctor Michael.

[Rose Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This has me completely surprised about the ending. This author knows her business and need to be admired for her abilities. Great!!!!!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

High death count, learned historical facts, and extra time with Clippesby which I always enjoy. I'm a satisfied customer.