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A Conspiracy of Violence A Thomas Chaloner Mystery Susanna Gregory 9780751537581 Books

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A Conspiracy of Violence A Thomas Chaloner Mystery Susanna Gregory 9780751537581 Books

If you're like me and you were introduced to Susanna Gregory through her Matthew Bartholomew series, then you probably have a certain expectation. You won't have to read far into this first book to see the difference between the two. However, if you're not, don't worry. Thomas Chaloner is back in England after 10 years in Holland and he's hoping to find some work within the new regime of Charles II. Unfortunately, Chaloner already has a couple of strikes against him: 1) he upset his last employer - a high-ranking envoy to Holland - and is now enduring numerous slanders from that corner and 2) his family kinda sorta supported Cromwell. He finds himself embroiled in not one, but three separate investigations for three separate employers. Complicating this, his girlfriend, Metje, is nagging him to find a (more) stable job before she'll marry him. Then, of course, he's avoiding the odd murder attempt here and there. It's no wonder that Chaloner spends much time in the novel trying to divine a way back to Holland.

The writing itself is well-done and descriptive; Gregory has been praised both professionally and by fans for her ability to create a scene through words. Let's face it, if you know anything about Restoration England, you know that London circa 1660 is...well, pungent. Remember that the Black Death hits in 1665 then the Great Fire of London happens in 1666 so.........disaster is always around the corner. Gregory captures this Sword of Damocles environment well. My issue comes with the mysteries themselves throughout the series, including this one. Gregory pulls her stories from actual fact and the novels are interspersed with historical personages from that era. So while many of the details and people relating to the crime are real, Gregory still makes up a fair bit of it (Check her Author's Note at the end...it usually satisfies any "Did that really happen?" concerns.) because, hey, this is a novel, not non-fiction. This isn't unusual - plenty of authors do it. The problem arises when it allows Gregory to fall into a pattern of "tells" that gives the guilty away. Like any avid mystery reader, I love being able to figure out "whodunit". I don't like, however, having it become glaringly obvious within the first couple of chapters because of a formula the author has adopted. Now, I've read the entire series up to the current one, which is the 13th, so I can't elaborate without giving major spoilers. I can say that Gregory plays a long game sometimes. You may suspect someone of being up to no good and find that person has done nothing by the end...as far as Chaloner knows. You may learn you were right in the epilogue but not get the satisfaction of a comeuppance until a later book. You may not find out anything at all until a later book. In any case, with certain patterns established, I believe that if you notice them, you'll see the character's downfall coming. Chaloner, for all his cunning and wit, never seems to do so and you eventually come to the conclusion that Chaloner is a brave fighter but not the greatest spy. He is like Bartholomew in this way in that both can be very naive. As it's said, though, the one-eyed man in the land of the blind is King.

The Chaloner books are excellent for long trips or if you need something to do that requires silence. The first reading is always good because of Gregory's attention to detail. However, if you're an avid mystery reader who enjoys going back to re-read after a certain amount of time, these novels just do not stand up to that. I've been finding that the detail gets to be tedious after a while (the action sequences bog things down), the mystery seems overly drawn out, and most of all, some of Chaloner's interaction with other characters is just painful (see axiom: "With friends like these, who needs enemies?"). Unlike Bartholomew who inspires a sense of loyalty from most people (it helps when you don't charge your patients for care), Chaloner is mistreated by everyone despite his own reputation for honesty and integrity. True, he doesn't exactly stir up warm fuzzies but one can appreciate his incorruptibility. Anyway, I can imagine the fun a therapist would have exploring Chaloner's psyche. Intrigue is the place for him; otherwise it'd be Bedlam for sure.

Finally, lest you feel that I'm too harsh and things are always darkness and gloom for Chaloner, just know that I will ALWAYS be Team Temperance (very, very mini spoiler).


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A Conspiracy of Violence A Thomas Chaloner Mystery Susanna Gregory 9780751537581 Books Reviews

I love the historical "murder/mystery" genre that is prevalent in Susanna Gregory's series. I prefer the Matthew Bartholomew series; but since having read them all, I was pleasantly impressed with Thomas Chaloner. It is always a wonder when I have no idea who the real bad guys are until the end.
Perhaps because I started with a later book in the series I had expected the same sort of quality and it just wasn't quite there. The characters needed more depth esp Chaloner and as for Metje it's hard to credit her as a person esp when she's alternately referred to as Meg - which one is she?????. The not infrequent typos also detract.
S.G. always writes a great mystery. I love her style.
There are three investigations conducted by the protagonist and naturally they all are connected ultimately This book has multiple possible villains who you never meet. It gets quite confusing and ultimately I did not care who did what. Not did I think the historical background was particularly vivid or compelling. Maybe the series gets better.
I am new to this series, which no doubt, added to my confusion as i read this book. Since the major character is also the narrator and lost in the mysteries, I suppose I was just following his wandering attempts to understand the nature of the mysterious treasure (s). The major character, spy
Thomas Chaloner, is a complex character in a politically precarious time. I look forward to the next adventure.
Conspiracy of Violence was very disappointing. The book was over-written. I get that everyone carried daggers and that life was cheap back in 17th century England but to keep hammering rhetorically on those points at every opportunity impeded the action and made the book incredibly tedious. The characters were not well drawn and were very uninteresting, much less sympathetic. I'm not reading any more in this series.
Since I love Gregory's novels set in 14th century Cambridge and featuring the two fellows of Michael House, I was looking forward to reading another one of her books. However, despite the vivid descriptions of 17th century London and the challenging political setting of the Restoration, I found the pacing slow and almost tedious. Chaloner himself is not very interesting. I didn't even get through the first third of the book. It was a disappointment but I will try it again some time in the future. Gregory does know how to make the settings real through masterful depictions of sights, sounds, even smells.
If you're like me and you were introduced to Susanna Gregory through her Matthew Bartholomew series, then you probably have a certain expectation. You won't have to read far into this first book to see the difference between the two. However, if you're not, don't worry. Thomas Chaloner is back in England after 10 years in Holland and he's hoping to find some work within the new regime of Charles II. Unfortunately, Chaloner already has a couple of strikes against him 1) he upset his last employer - a high-ranking envoy to Holland - and is now enduring numerous slanders from that corner and 2) his family kinda sorta supported Cromwell. He finds himself embroiled in not one, but three separate investigations for three separate employers. Complicating this, his girlfriend, Metje, is nagging him to find a (more) stable job before she'll marry him. Then, of course, he's avoiding the odd murder attempt here and there. It's no wonder that Chaloner spends much time in the novel trying to divine a way back to Holland.

The writing itself is well-done and descriptive; Gregory has been praised both professionally and by fans for her ability to create a scene through words. Let's face it, if you know anything about Restoration England, you know that London circa 1660 is...well, pungent. Remember that the Black Death hits in 1665 then the Great Fire of London happens in 1666 so.........disaster is always around the corner. Gregory captures this Sword of Damocles environment well. My issue comes with the mysteries themselves throughout the series, including this one. Gregory pulls her stories from actual fact and the novels are interspersed with historical personages from that era. So while many of the details and people relating to the crime are real, Gregory still makes up a fair bit of it (Check her Author's Note at the end...it usually satisfies any "Did that really happen?" concerns.) because, hey, this is a novel, not non-fiction. This isn't unusual - plenty of authors do it. The problem arises when it allows Gregory to fall into a pattern of "tells" that gives the guilty away. Like any avid mystery reader, I love being able to figure out "whodunit". I don't like, however, having it become glaringly obvious within the first couple of chapters because of a formula the author has adopted. Now, I've read the entire series up to the current one, which is the 13th, so I can't elaborate without giving major spoilers. I can say that Gregory plays a long game sometimes. You may suspect someone of being up to no good and find that person has done nothing by the end...as far as Chaloner knows. You may learn you were right in the epilogue but not get the satisfaction of a comeuppance until a later book. You may not find out anything at all until a later book. In any case, with certain patterns established, I believe that if you notice them, you'll see the character's downfall coming. Chaloner, for all his cunning and wit, never seems to do so and you eventually come to the conclusion that Chaloner is a brave fighter but not the greatest spy. He is like Bartholomew in this way in that both can be very naive. As it's said, though, the one-eyed man in the land of the blind is King.

The Chaloner books are excellent for long trips or if you need something to do that requires silence. The first reading is always good because of Gregory's attention to detail. However, if you're an avid mystery reader who enjoys going back to re-read after a certain amount of time, these novels just do not stand up to that. I've been finding that the detail gets to be tedious after a while (the action sequences bog things down), the mystery seems overly drawn out, and most of all, some of Chaloner's interaction with other characters is just painful (see axiom "With friends like these, who needs enemies?"). Unlike Bartholomew who inspires a sense of loyalty from most people (it helps when you don't charge your patients for care), Chaloner is mistreated by everyone despite his own reputation for honesty and integrity. True, he doesn't exactly stir up warm fuzzies but one can appreciate his incorruptibility. Anyway, I can imagine the fun a therapist would have exploring Chaloner's psyche. Intrigue is the place for him; otherwise it'd be Bedlam for sure.

Finally, lest you feel that I'm too harsh and things are always darkness and gloom for Chaloner, just know that I will ALWAYS be Team Temperance (very, very mini spoiler).