The Matthew Bartholomew Chronicle

by Susanna Gregory - https://www.susannagregory.com/matthew-bartholomew/

Reihenübersicht bei LibraryThing

Diese (fiktive) Chronik in der Tradition der Cadfael-Geschichten von Ellis Peters beschreibt Ereignisse in (und um) Cambridge und den Bischofssitz in Ely aus der Zeit des 14. Jahrhunderts, als die Pest wütete und noch klar zwischen town und gown, also Stadt und Universität in Cambridge unterschieden wurde.

Die Universität (die aus den eigenständigen und konkurrierenden Colleges gebildet wird, die gleichzeitig Wohn- und Arbeitsstätte waren) hatte ihre eigene Gerichtsbarkeit, so dass kriminalistische Untersuchungen auch von Universitätsangehörigen durchgeführt wurden, vor allem durch den proctor.

Dieses Amt wird in den Geschichten von Susanna Gregory auch von Bruder Michael bekleidet¹⁾, der gleichzeitig auch ein Spion des Bischofs von Ely ist. Unterstützung holt sich Bruder Michael bei seinem Freund, dem Arzt Matthew Bartholomew, der sich meistens etwas besseres vorstellen könnte als durch kriminalistische Untersuchungen seine spärliche Freizeit auszufüllen.

Matthew Bartholomew wird als ein mittelalterlicher Arzt vorgestellt, whose unorthodox but effective treatment of his patients frequently draws accusations of heresy from his more traditional colleagues.²⁾

Für alle, die in und um Cambridge schon mehr als einen Tag verbrachten bietet die Reihe viele Wiedererkennungsmöglichkeiten. Und wer schon einmal im College wohnte, wird feststellen, dass viele der in diesen Romanen beschriebenen Strukturen auch heute noch existieren.

(1) A Plague on Both Your Houses - Cambridge, 1348
- when the inhabitants of the town liver under the shadow of a terrible pestilence that has ravaged Europe and is travelling relentlessly towards England. Bartholomew, however, is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michealhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated.

(2) An Unholy Alliance - Cambridge, 1350
- when the people of the town are struggling to overcome the effects of the Black Death. Bands of outlaws roam the land and the high death rate among priests and monks has left the people vulnerable to sinister cults that have grown up in the wake of the plague.

(3) A Bone of Contention - Cambridge, 1352
- with rumours spreading about the discovery of a skeleton reputed to belong to a local martyr, a skeleton that even the physician confirms as human, a young student's brutal murder plunges the town into chaos, and Bartholomew must ask himself if the two corpses - and the rioting - are linked to something deeper than local enmities.

(4) A Deadly Brew - Cambridge, 1353
The winter of 1353 brings new confusion to the people of Cambridge. Torrential rains spread fever to the poor and make travelling hazardous along the town's outlaw-infested roads. Then three members of the University die by drinking poisoned wine. Is this another college conspiracy, or a new period of hostility between town and gown?

(5) A Wicked Deed - Grundisburgh, Spring 1353
'How could we have been so foolish as to imagine that we had left murder and intrigue back in Cambridge?' It is Spring 1353, and Matthew Bartholomew is a reluctant member of the deputation of scholars, priests and students making its way to the village of Grundisburgh. As fine weather lures hordes of outlaws onto the hazardous roads, riding the short distance into Suffolk remains a treacherous exercise. But the lord's gift of the parish church to their Cambridge college is an event to justify such dangers.

(6) A Masterly Murder - Cambridge, 1353
- it is a damp, gloomy November day, and the body by the Cam is just the beginning of the intrigue in store for Michaelhouse …

(7) An Order for Death - Cambridge, March 1354
- and the cause of murder is once more on the mind of Matthew Bartholomew… It is a time of division and denomination at the great university. The Carmelites and Dominicans are at theological loggerheads over the philosophy of nominalism, so much so that the more fanatical are willing to swap rational argument for a far deadlier form of debate. And when Carmelite friar Faricius is found stabbed, physician Matthew Bartholomew has to attempt to save his life while a stone-throwing mob clamours outside the window.

(8) A Summer of Discontent - Cambridgeshire (Ely), August 1354
- and the Bishop of Ely is accused of a most terrible murder…

(9) A Killer in Winter - Cambridge, Christmas 1354
- and the winter is as bad as anyone can remember. But however cold the weather gets, for two individuals it is about to get even colder.

(10) The Hand of Justice - Cambridge, February 1355
- and as the worst snows in living memory begin to melt, a long-frozen body is revealed … [der eigentlich schon am Ende des 9. Bandes entdeckt wurde]

^{Zumindest bin ich, was diese zwei angeht, trotz allem zuversichtlich}

(11) The Mark of a Murderer - Cambridge, Pentecost 1355
- and after Oxford scholars die within hours of their arrival in Cambridge it becomes clear that the Oxford riot was not a case of random violence, but a part of a carefully orchestrated plot, one that threatens to explode during the imminent visitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

(12) The Tarnished Chalice - Lincoln, winter 1356
[..] Against their will, the men from Cambridge are drawn into the investigations of the unnatural deaths and the circumstances surrounding the provenance of the Hugh Chalice, endangering both their lives and their souls as they are caught up in the maelstrom of corruption coursing through Lincoln. And through it all Matthew continues his desperate hunt for the elusive Matilde …

(13) To Kill or Cure - In the year 1357 Cambridge University is in dire financial straits: the town's landlords are demanding an extortionate rent rise for the students' hostels and the plague years have left the colleges with scant resources. Tension between town and gown is at boiling point and soon explodes into violence and death. Into this maelstrom comes a charismatic physician whose healing methods owe more to magic than medicine but his success threatens Matthew Bartholomew's professional reputation, and his life …

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Etwas unschön für das Bücherregal war, dass ab dem 7. Band die Titelgestaltung verändert wurde³⁾ - die alte Gestaltung fand ich dem Thema angemessener. Jetzt werden auch die ersten sechs Bände mit neuem Titelblatt verlegt.