The Devil's Disciples (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles) - Hardcover

Gregory, Susanna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847440819 ISBN 13: 9781847440815

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group, 2008

Synopsis

Rumors of plague threaten Cambridge again, 10 years after the Black Death almost laid waste to the town. Neither the church nor its priests had defended people from the disease so now they turn elsewhere for protection, to pagan ritual and magical potions. It is a ripe atmosphere to be exploited by the mysterious Sorcerer, an anonymous magician whose increasing influence seems certain to oust both civil and church leaders from power. One murder, another unexplained death, a font filled with blood, a desecrated grave—all bear the hallmarks of the Sorcerer's hand, only the identity of the magician remains a mystery. A mystery which Matthew Bartholomew must solve before he loses his reputation . . . and his life.

About this title

About the Author:

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

From Publishers Weekly:

Set in 1357 in Cambridge, England, Gregory's taut 14th chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew (after 2008's To Kill or Cure) finds the physician and independent thinker under suspicion when Father Thomas, a pious priest, dies under his care after an accidental blow to the head. The accusations raised against Bartholomew come amid a poisonous atmosphere fostered by a shadowy rabble-rouser known as the Sorcerer, whose true identity is the subject of rampant speculation. Several murders follow Thomas's death. The doctor's willingness to aid any patient in need, including the local witch, provides fodder for his adversaries. When corpses are desecrated, people fear that a satanic cult is at work. Bartholomew questions the true loyalties of some of his closest allies as well as his own ability to uncover the prime mover behind the crimes. As she often does, Gregory offers several plausible false endings, which should please traditional whodunit fans. (Jan.)Correction: M.C. Beaton's Death of a Witch (Reviews, Oct.27) will be published in February.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847440819
• ISBN 13: 9781847440815
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 496