The Habit of Murder

Gregory plateaued long ago with her Matthew Bartholomew series, now in its 23rd chronicle. There are no surprises, the writing remains the same quality and the although its become somewhat by the numbers it remains thouroughly entertaining reading. The strengths are the strongly developed central characters, except for Bartholomew himself, who remains a vapid intrusion of 21st century values, fortunately his surrounding cast are strong and engaging truly medieval people in their mindsets, quirks and attitudes. In this case, Bartholomew and co make one of their periodic excursions from Cambridge, this time to Clare, where they hope to garner a windfall of funds for the ailing Michaelhouse from the powerful Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of show more Clare. As always they end up dragged into a mystery of brutal murder and labyrinthine plots. As always the main hero in the story remains the enigmatic and food-loving Brother Michael, who started out as Bartholomew's comic sidekick, but has developed into a powerful character, intelligent, forceful and Machiavellian. Maybe its time Brother Michael left Cambridge and branched out in his own series? Also always fascinating are Gregory's detailed epilogues, where she reveals the real historical people and events that are behind the story. Is this series getting long in the tooth? Yes. Will I keep reading it? Also yes, as long as she keeps turning them out I will always being looking forward to the next. show less

I have read all of the Bartholomew medieval murders by Susanna Gregory and I think she is the best author of historical fiction in this period. Her story lines are intricate and keep you turning the pages. Her research of the period is second to none and her writing is exceptionally good. I think her descriptions provide an authentic flavour of a fascinating period in history. Her knowledge of Cambridge's past is without peer. I never get tired of reading about the same characters book after book - in fact, it gives me a sense of meeting with old friends - and I always look forward to the next adventure.

Well, now I have read all 23 of this series, in order. The situations are not that original from book to book - similar grasping, self-serving, quite stupid characters constantly bickering over really trivial things, back-stabbing, all the rest. The enjoyable part for me is the humour. The exchanges between characters are so ridiculous that I can't help laughing. Only the setting is different in this one. Instead of familiar Cambridge, we spend the whole story in the small town of Clare, just about 25 miles south east of Cambridge. The whole tale is a farcical romp from beginning to end but great fun. As usual Dr. Bartholomew and his fat sidekick, Michael, solve the mystery of the murders. The endings are always similar - utter chaos show more but gripping suspense. show less

Matthew, Michael and Langelee travel to Clare in the hopes of raising some money for Michaelhouse. In Clare the town and the castle are at loggerheads and a string of deaths is certainly not helping the matters. It takes time to understand what's going on, but eventually they do.