To Kill or Cure
Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles, No 13
by Susanna Gregory
After
their brief sojourn in Lincoln, Matt, Michael and their friends
(and foes) are back for another madcap adventure in this thirteenth
entry in the series. This time two large and seemingly insurmountable
problems loom. Town is pitted once again against gown when landlords
raise their rents, and the scholars cannot pay them. Then trouble
comes in the shape of the charismatic Richard Arderne, a healer
with a star-spangled cart and a magic feather, which he says will
cure all ills. When the bodies start to pile up and riots threaten,
the duo have to find out who is at the bottom of it all before their
city starts to burn…
If it is June, there must be a new Susanna Gregory novel out! Long
term fans of the series reading this review can leave off at this
point when I sum it all up as “more of the same.” Be
prepared for a lively – if overlong – read, replete
with bodies, Lombard slices, crazy antics and a tortuous plot with
more red herrings than a fishmonger’s. To give credit where
it is due, it is surely no mean feat to write a whodunit with over
400 pages and keep the reader interested all the time. Enjoy the
mystery, forget about historical verisimilitude and enjoy yourself.
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 |
Sphere (Little, Brown) |
14 June 2007 |
Paperback |
0751538884 |
Historical Crime - 1357, Cambridge, UK |
More
at Amazon |
The
Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
|
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