Finding a hard back version of Susanna Gregory's fourth installment of her chronicles of Matthew Bartholomew proved to be an impossible task, so I had to settle for the lowly paperback. I soon found out why no hard backs could be found. "A Deadly Brew" is a big step up from the first three novels, which are extremely good books, and no one wants to give up their hardcover editions. Gregory's portrayal of Cambridge in the mid-fourteenth century is very descriptive and detailed, giving the reader an all-too-realistic view of life following the devastation caused by the Black Death, and the struggle to survive.
"A Deadly Brew" takes place during the winter of 1353 when torrential rains have flooded nearby Fens, a hotbed of smuggling, which is even more profitable now that the mild weather has made the waterways deeper and more navigable for larger boats. That in turn has made the thieves and outlaws more brazen and are not only attacking travelers through the Fens, but even houses outside the city walls, before the Sheriff's men can overtake them.
Then three people connected with the University die from poisoned wine. Matthew tries to distance himself from the case, but is soon called to Ely by the Chancellor of the University who has been injured during an attack while traveling through the Fens. Matthew is suspicious of the message and is warned by nearly every one of his friends and family not to go.
Against their warnings, he sets out for Ely. It turns out to be a trap and Matthew barely escapes with his life. Unavoidably, he is pulled into a convoluted plot that involves an elderly nun, who is an important and valuable King's spy, members of the Cambridge faculty, and nearly every merchant in town, maybe even his own sister Edith.
Gregory spins a very complex mystery that takes on several identities as Matthew tries to find out the source and the reason for the poisoned wine and the smugglers. At each turn, he gets frustrated at the criminals' ability to be one step ahead of him. Additional attempts are made on his life but is finally rescued by someone whom Matthew has no reason to trust.
With his unlikely ally, they manage to break up the smuggling ring and the murderers get their just desserts.
This is the best work of Gregory of the first four books so the series promises only to get better. Gregory herself is a Cambridge academic and before that, a coroner's officer, which explains her ability to describe crime scenes vibrantly and bring Matthew Bartholomew and his physician abilities to life. She has now started a new series set in Restoration London, but I hope that she returns to Cambridge and Matthew soon!
"A Deadly Brew" takes place during the winter of 1353 when torrential rains have flooded nearby Fens, a hotbed of smuggling, which is even more profitable now that the mild weather has made the waterways deeper and more navigable for larger boats. That in turn has made the thieves and outlaws more brazen and are not only attacking travelers through the Fens, but even houses outside the city walls, before the Sheriff's men can overtake them.
Then three people connected with the University die from poisoned wine. Matthew tries to distance himself from the case, but is soon called to Ely by the Chancellor of the University who has been injured during an attack while traveling through the Fens. Matthew is suspicious of the message and is warned by nearly every one of his friends and family not to go.
Against their warnings, he sets out for Ely. It turns out to be a trap and Matthew barely escapes with his life. Unavoidably, he is pulled into a convoluted plot that involves an elderly nun, who is an important and valuable King's spy, members of the Cambridge faculty, and nearly every merchant in town, maybe even his own sister Edith.
Gregory spins a very complex mystery that takes on several identities as Matthew tries to find out the source and the reason for the poisoned wine and the smugglers. At each turn, he gets frustrated at the criminals' ability to be one step ahead of him. Additional attempts are made on his life but is finally rescued by someone whom Matthew has no reason to trust.
With his unlikely ally, they manage to break up the smuggling ring and the murderers get their just desserts.
This is the best work of Gregory of the first four books so the series promises only to get better. Gregory herself is a Cambridge academic and before that, a coroner's officer, which explains her ability to describe crime scenes vibrantly and bring Matthew Bartholomew and his physician abilities to life. She has now started a new series set in Restoration London, but I hope that she returns to Cambridge and Matthew soon!
(originally published on ezinearticles.com)
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