Customer Reviews

An Unholy Alliance

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
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I've read all three of Gregory's Dr. Bartholomew mysteries available in the US. "Unholy Alliance," like the other two is fascinating and entertaining. Matthew Bartholomew is an engaging hero. Be aware however that the books have been published out of order in the US. The correct order is "A Plague on Both Your Houses," "Unholy Alliance," and "A Bone of Contention."

Two years or so after the events of "A Plague on Both Your Houses", Matthew Bartholomew is displeased to find himself once more investigating murders and mysterious goings on in Cambridge, 1350. This time, his investigations are not a matter of choice; he and his colleague from Michaelhouse, the Benedictine monk Brother Michael, have been ordered by the University Chancellor to get to the bottom of things.
There's a lot to like about Susanna Gregory's series about Bartholomew. She brings medieval Cambridge to life in all its turbulence and dirt, and incorporates all sorts of period detail so that it seems entirely natural, not like you're being given a lecture on how people lived then. She has created many likeable characters, without ever making them seem unrealistically modern in their sensibilities. Bartholomew, the physician and university lecturer and hero of the tales, is the best of these: thoughtful, dedicated, and kind, but also naive, temperamental, and rash. Other recurring characters, even those with bit parts, are similarly engaging. She really uses the University of Cambridge, having her characters investigate according to the rules of logic they have been taught, and making the colleges, students, and masters a strong part of her tales. Gregory also has some real skill at comic writing, which makes for the occasional hilarious interlude.
I read Gregory's books non-stop, they are that compelling, but I am not always satisfied when I finish them. I am not convinced the reader is given enough clues to figure things out. On the other hand, I practically never manage to work out any mystery novels I read, so maybe other readers don't have this complaint. The plots are very convoluted, so it can be hard to keep track of everything that's going on, and sometimes the denouement doesn't seem worth everything that's gone before. But again, that's perhaps just a personal judgement, rather than an actual flaw. The writing could sometimes be a bit more polished, and all the rhetorical questions do get on my nerves after a while.
"An Unholy Alliance" is amongst the best of Gregory's books. It is slightly different in tone to "A Plague on Both Your Houses", but that's not a criticism. It has two intertwined mysteries that it is becoming more and more urgent to have solved: an attempted theft from the University Chest which leads to a mysterious death, and the murders of the town's prostitutes. Bartholomew and Michael get to the bottom of the first mystery in a way they never expected. But will anyone believe Bartholomew when he proposes a solution to the second? The denoument is exciting, and the motives of the criminals and the way everything comes together at the end is believable and satisfying.
One reason I like Matthew Bartholomew as a character so much is because he's not a superman. He often puts the pieces together, but he rarely, if ever, does it all on his own. Nor does he always get it right, or know what to do in every situation, or prove himself able to handle anything and everything. These books are a team effort amongst the characters, and that is one of their strengths.

Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. Her series of mediaeval mysteries have gained a formidable following. This book is the second in the series and introduces the physician Matthew Bartholomew to the reader. There are now a number of books in the series and they are always eagerly awaited by the author's fans.

Besides practising medicine Matthew is also a teacher at a Cambridge University and his sometimes unorthodox treatment of his patients draws accusations of heresy from his more traditional, but less skilled colleagues.

The year is 1350 and we have moved on two years (A Plague on Both Your Houses). The people of Cambridge are struggling to overcome the effect of the Black Death. The countryside is overrun with bands of outlaws and the high death rate of the plague has taken many of the priests and monks and left their parishioners vulnerable to the many cults that are circulating in the wake of the plague.

At Michaelhouse Matthew Bartholomew has got the urgent job of training new physicians to replace those lost to the Black Death, but when the body of a friar is found in massive chest that houses the university's store of precious documents Matthew is called away from his teaching duties to investigate the strange death . . .

This is the second in the Matthew Bartholomew series, set in 14th century England, in the university city of Cambridge. Matthew would much rather be working at his profession of teaching medicine to his students but, once again, he is called upon by the heads of college to assist them in solving a spate of murders, which have occurred in the recent weeks. Three of the town's prostitutes have been found with their throats slashed, which doesn't seem to overly worry the Sheriff, but when the body of a friar is found, poisoned and stuffed into a chest in the belfry of a church, and again the Sherriff does nothing, The Master of the university asks the help of Matthew and his friend, Brother Michael in investigating further. The plot does tend to get a bit muddled as they uncover evidence of satanic covens and unholy practices, terrified locals and fanatical monks crying "heresy" at every turn when Matthew teaches the art of surgical operations, but it's an interesting read with interesting examples of the horrors of 14th century life with its lack of hygiene and stinking streets and rivers. Perhaps it was a case of the survival of the fittest of the species after the plague which decimated half of Europe!

The book seems to start slowly, despite two quick deaths in the Prologue, because of the wealth of characters and locales introduced in the first chapter (the chapters are very long). The map included is somewhat helpful, but not being familiar with the layout of Cambridge (past or present) led to some confusion, as did the introduction of so many characters. I disagree with the posted review in that, once started, I couldn't put it down. I thought the puzzle was first-rate, even though the wrapup was very brisk and I had to read it twice to make sure I hadn't missed something. Matthew Bartholomew and Fr.(?) Michael seem interesting opposites, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I desperately wanted to find another author that wrote mysteries set in Medieval times like Ellis Peters, and was thrilled when I found Matthew Bartholomew. This a great series. Ms. Gregory bases her setting on actual places and things that occured in Cambridge at the time of the Black Death. This book talks about guilds and covens during this era when people were trying to find answers for why the Black Death occurred. It's a good mystery with excellent characters and a great story line.

This was my second Matthew Bartholomew mystery. I found it rather formulaic to the first... the details coming at you with nothing going anywhere until they all physically spy on a meeting in a church. There is very little interesting in his teaching, the details of his profession are quite interesting to read about. But overall the plot was a little shallow to me personally in depth and character development. And where was his betrothed? The main protagonist doesn't have much feeling IMHO.

I have read all eleven of Ms Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew books and am pre-ordering numbers twelve and thirteen. Her discriptions of life and environment of fourteenth century Cambridge is incredible; she puts you right there in its rutted, muddy, smelly streets. Matthew is the most lovable character you would ever want to meet. All he wants to do is care for his patients and teach his students at Michaelhouse, a fourteenth century college at Cambridge, but Brother Michael is continually getting him involved in one murder mystery after another. He's such an innocent when it comes to the ways of the world, and for a guy who doesn't want to get involved, he winds up in some dangerous and sometimes funny predicaments. The plots are complicated; Ms Gregory has many threads going at one time. It's fun to try to pick your way through the red herrings to see if you can find the soultion, or solutions, before Matt and Brother Michael. I bet you can't, but the books are so great you'll love trying.

Ms. Gregory's has created an interesting 14th Century physician protagonist would rather be teaching and attending to his patients rather than conducting investigations. With strong supporting characters and rich historical detail, this is another very good book in a well done series. The stories are just a bit overlong and the plot overcomplicated, but it all works together well. I recommend reading the series in order, and I do recommend reading the series.

This is an excellent series which really brings the medieval world of Cambridge to life. I've read all the books that have been published in the states and I recommend them highly to anyone who enjoys their history spiced with a bit of mystery.