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Miscellaneous The Mark of a Murderer by Susanna Gregory $25 / Time Warner / 2005 The 11th in the series of chronicles of the crimesolving fellow of Michaelhouse College, The Mark of a Murder begins in 1355 with a tavern fight in neighboring Oxford, that ends with many scholars slaughtered and others fearing for their lives. Senior corpse examiner for the city of Cambridge, Matthew Bartholomew is called upon to examine the murdered corpse of an Oxford scholar. But this is not a good time to have a murderer on the loose in Cambridge, for the town is in the midst of sprucing itself up for a visit from the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is also not a good time for Bartholomew, who is in the midst of wooing Matilde, leader of the Guild of Frail (fallen!) Women. The murderer is not deterred, however, and a string of murders ensues. As tension builds, even Bartholomew is not above suspicion, nor immune to attack. The truth about the murders finally emerges unexpectedly during the much-anticipated visitation of the Archbishop. Author Susanna Gregory is a research fellow at Cambridge University and former police officer, so it comes as no surprise that the novel is well researched and based, in part, on true historical events. This book reads well for the most part, with humorous touches in the midst of gruesome, but not too graphic, crime details. Gregory is able to maintain the suspense, although it feels drawn out into an overly long narrative by the constant debating among the characters, as well as the frequent repetition of certain facts. On the other hand, the occasional repetition of clue summaries is useful when the plot becomes both complicated and protracted. Readers interested in medieval history will enjoy the authenticity of Gregory's use of historical figures, despite the complicated plot and annoying repetition. —Linda M. Davis

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