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
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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]
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