The Mark of a Murderer
Matthew Barthlomew Chronicles, No 11
by Susanna Gregory
If it
is June, then there must be a new Susanna Gregory mystery on the
bookshelves! Matt and Michael are back for an eleventh misadventure
involving the infamous St Scholastica's Day massacre in Oxford.
A few months after this event some of the scholars have fled their
town and come to stay in property owned by Oxford University in
Cambridge. The town is getting spruced up for a visit by the Archbishop
of Canterbury, but before the scholars have been in their new home
a few hours two people are already dead. It seems as though they
died in very bizarre circumstances, and if an even worse massacre
is to be avoided, Matt and Michael had better get busy.
There
are plenty of laughs in here as usual, and an array of strange characters
both new and old. We get to see a bit more of Michaelhouse's most
enigmatic scholar the mad Clippesby, and wonder why Matt cannot
tear himself away from Mathilde. Like a soap, old threads are picked
up again and woven enjoyably into a new story, and if you like convoluted
plots then this one will certainly keep you guessing. Like the other
books in the series, this doorstop could stand some judicious editing,
as the sleuths hoof it around town repeating themselves somewhat.
This series works best when there is something to laugh at, or something
outrageous happening and when there isn't, just screeds of questioning,
it can grow rather tedious. But it is all great good fun, and I
wouldn't miss my yearly virtual trip to mediaeval Cambridge for
the world.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
A Masterly
Murder, No 6 [review]
The Hand of Justice, No 10 [review]
The Mark of a Murderer, No 11 [review]
The Tarnished Chalice, No 12 [review]
To Kill or Cure, No 13 [review]
The Devil’s Disciples, No 14 [review]
A Vein of Deceit, No 15 [review]
The Killer of Pilgrims, No 16 [review]
Mystery in the Minster, No 17 [review]
Murder By The Book, No 18 [review]
|
The
Book |
Little
Brown |
June
2005 |
Paperback |
0751535443 |
Historical
Crime [1355 Cambridge, England] |
More
at Amazon |
The Reviewer |
Rachel
A Hyde |
|
|