A Vein of Deceit. Susanna Gregory. Sphere (2009)

A very enjoyable and engaging medieval mystery that comes with a serious warning to readers, before you start the book go to the back and cut of the pages of the Epilogue without reading them. Then destroy them to remove any temptation that you may feel later to read them, doing so will drastically reduce if not actually remove the pleasure you gained in reading this book.  

Cambridge in the autumn of 1357 has arrived with problems for Michaelhouse College and physician Matthew Bartholomew, the College is unexpectedly short of funds, the Master is assaulted, a pair of precious chalices are stolen and a woman dies in premature labour. The death is a concern as Matthew Bartholomew finds that a potion with a known impact of inducing miscarriage is missing from his store. The presence of a very troublesome brother and sister in Cambridge is adding to the tension. With the death of a college staff in very public circumstances Matthew and Brother Michael have to investigate. 

The story is carefully structured, the investigation travels in all sorts of engaging and enjoyable directions, the reveals are cunningly staged and the nicely tangled coils of the plot unfurl in happily unexpected and satisfying ways.The cast are a pleasure to spend time with, it is very impressive that as the lead characters in a long running series both Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael remain engaging and excellent company. They are neither dysfunctional nor fantastically clever, they are competent, thoughtful and deeply concerned, they engage in investigation for solidly grounded reasons and respond to the threats they encounter with plausible reactions.

 The supporting cast is varied and lively, in very short spaces they are introduced and proceed to demand attention from the reader due to their varied and multiple plans, schemes and desires. Susanna Gregory has an exceptional gift for creating a large cast that never become a crowd, they interact with each other without blurring. The walk on parts are as vivid as the leads and this creates a wonderful atmosphere of activity and life in the context.For any historical fiction creating a convincing context is critical, it does not have to be historically accurate, it must fit with the cast and provide information that supports the motivations and actions of the cast. In this book the context is smartly drawn, the very small size of Cambridge, the intensity of theological debate and the fact that differences between social ranks tend to be a bit more fluid in a small and crowded space.

This story mixes superb plot mechanics with a lively cast in a great context and a very welcome spiky humour. Bearing in mind the warning above this is a great fun read, a pleasure.

A Plague on Both Your Houses. Susanna Gregory. Sphere (1996)

A very enjoyable medieval murder mystery, very smart plot mechanics and a thoroughly engaging cast. 1348 in Cambridge and the college of Michaelhouse is under pressure, the Master of the college has committed suicide under very disreputable circumstances. The new Master is a divisive figure and with a second murder in the college the rumours of plans by the University of Oxford to try and fatally undermine the much newer University at Cambridge tension is escalating. Caught up in the trouble is Matthew Bartholowmew, teacher of medicine at Michaelhouse and friend of the dead Master. Bartholomew is deeply unhappy with the official explanations for the deaths and investigates further, and finds that his life is coming under threat. When the Black Death arrives at Cambridge the situation becomes significantly more personal and more complicated. The reveals are very well staged, the plot is constructed with considerable care and attention to detail and the final unraveling is excellent.
A key question that any historical crime story has to answer is the relationship between the plot and the context. Could the story be easily removed from its context and placed in another without damaging it? In this case the context is vital to the success of the story, the motives are, happily , universal and well grounded in human behavior, the way that they play out are stitched nicely into the context.
Matthew Batholomew, trained in medicine by an Arab teacher in France has ideas that are far from mainstream medicine as it was practiced at the time , this bred suspicion balanced against a grudging acceptance that his patients had a better survival rate than others. This makes Batholomew somewhat of an outsider before the story starts and his investigation both uses this as an asset and allows it create problems for him. The impact of the Black Death on a society that naturally reached for a religious explanation for every natural event allied to the sheer impotence of medicine in the face of it is used with skill to complicate and cover the plot mechanics.
The cast are happily cranky, engaging and vigorous, the conflict between town and gown as well as between the various religious orders is well developed. The reveals nicely move suspicion about and the plot threads overlap and cross each other to keep the action moving. With multiple suspects, a slippery set of explanations that add to the possibilities and the devastating pressure of the Black Death  complicating everything this is a greatly enjoyable variation on the great tradition of English village murder stories.

Mystery in the Minster. Susanna Gregory. Sphere (2011)

A hugely enjoyable, cleverly plotted medieval murder mystery. In 1358 the Cambridge college of Michaelhouse is is dire need of funds so a bequest from the Bishop of York is very welcome. A group travel from Cambridge to York to settle the issue, the bequest is being strongly contested by a group in York. In York Matthew Bartholomew and the other from Cambridge find the city rife with tension from concerns about French spies, conflict with various religious orders as well a mystery surrounding their bequest. After they are directly attacked, Matthew and his friend Brother Michael have to investigate a tangled trail of murder. The reveals are very well staged, the context used to great effect and the conclusion very satisfying.
Susanna Gregory uses the historical context with care and skill to develop and engrossing story that cunningly weaves several plot threads into a clever whole. Critically the context is vital to the story, it is not just a backdrop to a story that could be as easily presented in any time period. The motives and actions of the energetic cast arise naturally from the times and this gives the story anchor. The setting is lightly and effectively supplied in the course of the story, there are no lumpy info dumps to set the scene. York is presented as a active and thriving place, it is also very small, the closeness of a medieval city is nicely explored.
The plot is smart and happily unexpected, it is not forced onto the cast, it arises very naturally. The clever overlapping of the threads of the story are used very effectively and the reveals staged to inform and distract most enjoyably. It is very striking that continuity is used very lightly, for a book that is part of a very long series, it is very successfully self contained and with enough subtle context to satisfy both series and new readers.
The greatest pleasure of the book is the cast, they are bursting with life and vitality. Matthew Bartholomew is happily surrounded by a jostling crowd all of whom demand notice from the reader. There is a easy humour to the writing that makes the conversations spark and gives each member of the cast a sharp individuality. There are no generic monks, nuns or merchants in this book, they fill their robes with flesh, blood and life. A great read.

To Kill or Cure. The Thirteenth Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew. Susanna Gregory. Sphere (2007)

Very engaging and enjoyable period murder mystery with a great cast and a superbly constructed plot. In 1357 Matthew Bartholomew, a Fellow of Michaelhouse College in Cambridge and a physician, is facing serious problems. Richard Arderne, a "healer" has arrived in the town and is providing miraculous cures and turning the townspeople against Matthew and the other college physicians. At the same time a very serious dispute about rents is developing between the University and the town's landlords, the landlords want substantial increases and the University are opposing it. The usually uneasy relations between town and gown are becoming dangerously strained when one of the University Fellow is murdered and Richard Arderne raises someone from the dead. The tension is expertly developed, the reveals are cunningly staged and the conclusion surprising and very satisfying.
Susanna Gregory creates a vivid cast in an interesting context and very nicely twists together the threads of the plot. Matthew Batholomew and the rest of the Fellows of Michaelhouse are lively and well developed. Their interactions are sharp and colourful, they way that they manage their students and spar with each other is very engaging. The relationship between the town and the University is very well developed, the mutual interdependence rankles as much as it is required and the escalation of the dispute is credible and menacing. The limits of medicine in the times are nicely outlined, as well as the residue of fear and resentment left by the Black Death.
The story is not overburdened with historical detail, there is enough to make the context clear, the actions of the cast reveal the times much more effectively than exposition would do. They factions and politicking of the University staff and the maneuverings of the town's merchants are confidently developed and frequently sharply witty. The balance between cast and plot is beautifully achieved, well worth reading.