Browse our Categories! Arms and Armor Celtic Lore Historical Fiction Historical Non-Fiction (A-H) Historical Non-Fiction (I-R) Historical Non-Fiction (S-Z) King Arthur Legends Miscellaneous Fiction Miscellaneous Non-Fiction

Miscellaneous A Killer in Winter: The Ninth Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew by Susanna Gregory $24.95 / Time Warner / 2004 A Killer in Winter is the ninth book by Susanna Gregory, and follows the exploits of physician Matthew Bartholomew as he strives to solve crimes, teach students, and live a relatively peaceful existence in the small town of Cambridge, England. Set during the snow-strewn, cold days both before and after Christmas, Gregory captures the rambunctious, rollicking mood of the festive town of Cambridge. Excitement tingles off the page as plans are made to enjoy these festive days, during which a Lord of Misrule is elected by the students of Bartholomew's university. The Lord of Misrule effectively runs the school during the winter break, commanding the university professors (most of whom are men of the cloth) to sing made-up songs or act as servants for the students. It is in this description that Gregory excels, propelling the reader back to the year 1354. The bone-chilling cold of life without central heating, the camaraderie of sharing a meat pie, and the dubious talents of traveling comedy troops, all leap to life in a colorful effusion of words and sounds and sights. There is even a wonderful map of Cambridge at the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, the characters of Matthew Bartholomew and Benedictine monk Brother Michael slip off the page in an ungainly heap of sackcloth and candle drippings. They are introduced to the reader amid a flurry of other characters, both important and inconsequential. Eventually, Bartholomew and Michael distinguish themselves from the pack, but not before the reader has become thoroughly confused and uninterested in their stories. They are also characterized by only one fragment of their personalities (Bartholomew by his being jilted by a former fiancé and Michael by his propensity to eat), leaving them one-dimensional and bland. The plot, on the other hand, is anything but bland. Veteran mystery readers will love the serpentine twists that Gregory builds into the novel. With two deaths to solve, both apparently linked to the frigid weather, Bartholomew and Michael must trudge far and wide to delve into the depths of this mystery. Even then, they do not discover the killer(s) until one of them, rather conveniently, confesses. There is no way that the reader could even guess the identities of the killers because the murder is due to events that happened far in the past and in relationships of which the reader has no notion. In the end, the solution is all very patent but does not satisfy. As the ninth installment of the Matthew Bartholomew mystery series, I can only surmise that Gregory has an avid following of mystery readers who are familiar with her characters. But for me, wooden characters and a convenient solution to the mystery erased Gregory's excellent description of the holiday madness and frivolity of the medieval town of Cambridge. —Michelle Santos

Click here to order:A Killer in Winter             To order Renaissance Magazine, click here. To order medieval tapestries and other period products, click here.