A Vein of Deceit (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) [Paperback]

Susanna Gregory (Author)

Book Description

Series: Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles | Publication Date: June 10, 2010

Despite a new influx of well-heeled students, Michaelhouse has suffered from an acute lack of funds that has made itself manifest in a lack of decent provisions. It is only when the Brother in charge of the account books dies unexpectedly that an explanation is revealed: large amounts of money had been paid for goods the college never received. Although shocked by this evidence of fraud, Matthew Bartholomew is more concerned with the disappearance of a quantity of pennyroyal from his herbarium. Pennyroyal is known to cause a woman to miscarry, and a pregnant visitor to his sister's household has died from an overdose of the substance. Had she meant to abort her child, or had someone else wanted to ensure that she was unable to provide an heir to her husband's wealthy estates? When Matthew learns that it was the dead woman’s husband who had received Michaelhouse's missing money, he begins to search for other connections and quickly exposes a deep and treacherous conspiracy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The many characters, murders and possible motivations tend to overwhelm Gregory's 15th Matthew Bartholomew chronicle (after 2008's The Devil's Disciples). Late one night in 1357, Bartholomew, a doctor associated with Cambridge's Michaelhouse College, receives a summons to attend an ailing pregnant woman, Joan Elyan. Despite his ministrations, Elyan dies, apparently from a dose of a medicine used to end pregnancy. To Bartholomew's horror, he finds that the drugs may have come from his own stores. The physician is further dismayed to learn of evidence of embezzlement from Michaelhouse by a trusted friend, who dies before he can be confronted. Several more deaths, the theft of some precious chalices and a brother-sister pair of villains who believe Michaelhouse has something that belongs to them complicate an already complicated plot. Still, Bartholomew remains a credible and sympathetic amateur sleuth. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Susanna Gregory is a Cambridge academic and the author of the Thomas Chaloner series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (June 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751539155
• ISBN-13: 978-0751539158
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lies, Deception, Robbery and Murder!, September 25, 2009

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Vein of Deceit (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) (Hardcover)

This book has it all and in spades. As is usual for Matthew Barholomew books, there is a lot of death and the corpses keep piling up while Brogher Michael and Matt try to unravel the whole list of bad things that are going on in Cambridge. The setting is fall 1357 and it all begins when a set of cherished chalices are stolen from Michaelhouse. The College is going through a very bad patch because of lack of money, and when Matt and Michael try to find out what is happening, the corpses start coming. The deaths seem to be unrelated at first, but then as the threads come together, Matt and Michael decide they need to go to Sussex to find out what is happening. Everything appears to be linked to Sussex and to the strange people that they meet there. Matt and Michael find there lives are in danger numerous times, and they begin to feel that there is no one that they can trust. I have been reading and loving Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew series since her first book came out. This is 15 book in this much beloved series. If you are a fan of medeival who-dun-its, then I highly recommend this series. The characters are believable and likeable, the plots are exciting and it's all based on true historical happenings and actual historical people. What more could you ask for?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coal, pigs, wood, 30 pieces of silver = murder, August 18, 2011

By 

Mark (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Vein of Deceit (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) (Paperback)

Gregory's latest 14th century mystery has us leaving the comfort of Michaelhouse and Cambridge to head into murky Suffolk and to a pair of feuding villages to uncover the twisted economic plotting that surround the mysterious death of Wynewyk. A classic Bartholomew case where three seemingly unlinked deaths (Carbo, Joan and Wynewyk) gradually coalesce around the pursuit of coal, pigs and wood. Throw in a couple of unsavoury characters, Goss and his seemingly inhuman sister Odoma, with a healthy mix of three grumbling new students for Bartholomew - Risleye, Valence and Tesdale - and you get another cracking mystery. King's College apparent guilt in the entire matter (Paxtone leading the way this time) adds extra spice.
The author's decision to take us out of Cambridge for a while is as much a breath of fresh air as when we traipsed up to Ely in "A Summer of Discontent". It gives us a greater chance to observe the perfect matching of the big-boned senior proctor and his Corpse Examiner as we realise in this outing Matthew is quite capable of serious character misjudgement. Facts he is good at, understanding people he is not. A fact driven home by the reappearance of his beloved Mathilde and his obstinate clinging to notion that everyone is incapable of immoral judgement - an odd trait for a sleuth.
The list of deaths take us to confront Wynewk's shady business partners who are all embroiled with Kings College over the inheritance of a manor and its land. All three own up to their economic mis-dealings pretty swiftly after Michael and Matthew are forced to take undignified cover in a ditch whilst being shot at with arrows. Still, the threads eventually come, Matthew is reluctantly forced to accept what is glaringly obvious as more of the village-folk start moving to meet their Maker and - in what is becoming fairly consistent as the denouement for Gregory - we end up with the traditional fights as the cornered murderers try to bring their nefarious plotting to a spectacular end. I admit I do like the character of Isnard. The rough, overly superstitious bargeman who cheerfully spouts utter nonsense to Matthew's eternal dismay is highly amusing. With Cynric's watchful, yet equally superstitious bumbling, the pair make a fine sideshow. I also liked that Gregory has Wynewyk dying for his own personal 30 marks of silver. Oblique but erudite and encapsulates the depths of skills the author possesses.
Gregory (or Cruwys as the author is really known) is one of the finest medieval murder mystery authors writing today. Erudite, with an eye for detail, a marvellous sense of creeping problem solving, empathetic characterisation and labyrinthine plots, my eyes always light up when the next Bartholomew or Chaloner hits the shelves. A must read to any fan of the genre to be frank. I hope the series continues a good long while even if to see Matthew and Mathilde united at last!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gregory in top form, August 2, 2010

By 

V. Barnes (Birmingham, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Vein of Deceit (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) (Paperback)

The mystery keeps the reader reading into the midnight hours (at least it kept this reader up til then). This series has been consistently good. This book is Gregory at her top form.