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Mystery in the Minster
Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles, No 17
Susanna Gregory

Sphere (Little, Brown)
11 August 2011 (US 1 November 2011) / 9781847442970
Historical Mystery / 1358 / York, England
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde


Master Langelee is pretty sure that his impoverished college of Michaelhouse is about to be the richer by a legacy from an old employer. Before he became master of the college he worked for the late Archbishop Zouche and was promised ownership of the church at Newington. Trouble is, this legacy is in dispute causing Langelee to travel to York in company with Matt and Michael in order to sort things out. It soon becomes evident that this is going to take rather a long time…

Anybody reading this is unlikely at this late stage to be unacquainted with these characters so maybe I should skip writing this review and just put “expect more of the same”. Inside this tubby tome are some tortuous adventures as the hapless duo tramp the streets of York dodging arrows, visiting a cursed ruined church, hunt for French spies, evading warring factions and keeping ahead of a mighty flood. They rifle through a disorganized library, look on in horror as people get murdered around them and hunt for the missing codicil to name a few activities in this convoluted, humorous and teasing tale. I didn’t guess the outcome – this would be pretty difficult – and I wasn’t bored, although in the middle of the book there are some rather repetitive sections. I guess there isn’t anything quite like this series in the whole histmyst genre, and if you enjoy it then here is the seventeenth book in all its entertaining, complex, anarchic glory.

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]

Reviewed 2011
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