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The Lost Abbot

The Nineteenth Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew

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About this listen

Matthew Bartholomew doesn't want to travel to Peterborough in the summer of 1358, but his friendship with the lovely Julitta Holm has caused a scandal in Cambridge, so he has no choice. He is one of a party of Bishop's Commissioners, charged to discover what happened to Peterborough's abbot, who went for a ride one day and has not been seen since. When the Commissioners arrive, they find the town in turmoil.

A feisty rabble-rouser is encouraging the poor to rise up against their overlords, the abbey is at war with a powerful goldsmith and his army of mercenaries, and there are bitter rivalries between competing shrines. One shrine is dedicated to Lawrence de Oxforde, a vicious felon who was executed for his crimes, but who has been venerated after miracles started occurring at his grave. However, it is not long before murder rears its head, and its first victim is Joan, the woman in charge of Oxforde's tomb...

©2013 Susannah Gregory (P)2013 Hachette Audio Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction
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I really enjoy Susan Gregory's books but I wish there was some consistency as the whole thing about listening to stories for me is to be able to picture in your mind your characters. If only those filling in for a reader would listen to the books that had gone before and match the nuances then I wouldn't be so disappointed when they change over. I find the reader in this case really changes the characters and that ruins the whole thing as far as I'm concerned.

sadly not the same reader

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it is disconcerting to have a different narrator - takes longer to recognise who is who.

disconcerting

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There's an awful lot going on in this book, almost everyone is out for themselves and as a result the plot ends up really convoluted. There's not a lot of joy in this story - the monk's talent contest felt anachronistic. I don't think it's one of the better ones.

It's ok but convoluted

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What made the experience of listening to The Lost Abbot the most enjoyable?

Susanna Gregory's amusing and descriptive style of writing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lost Abbot?

The climax at the end of the story where the reader/listener discovers who was really the bad guy!

What about Andrew Wincott’s performance did you like?

He reads well and in a manner entirely suited to the story and the author's style of writing.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I'm afraid I have no idea!

Any additional comments?

Susanna Gregory isn't for everyone; my husband finds her books too full of tiny details but they make me laugh out loud, especially when she attributes various comical opinions to Matthew Bartholomew and I can just picture the look on his face at the antics of his colleagues.

An entertaining mystery

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These books should be renamed Medieval Midsomer Murders! I do enjoy them , although Matthew and Michael's ability to escape and evade murder is becoming increasingly unbelievable. I was a bit disappointed with the narrator, as I was so used to the previous one who had narrated most of the others. A little criticism is the repeated use of "ergo" and "slunk" , and perhaps the frequent "let's go over what we know" !

Entertaining and Escapist reading.

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