To Kill or Cure by Susanna Gregory

Matthew Bartholemew is one of only four physicians in Cambridge, and he is also a fellow at Michaelhouse. When one of the older teachers there dies shortly after a feast at Michaelhouse, the college must decide what to do, as school will be starting soon and there are not enough teachers now to teach all the classes.

The Dean of the College makes an unprecedented decision: they will bring in two scholars to replace the one they have lost. Even though they are used to having only nine teachers at Michaelhouse, it is not a part of their charter to have only nine. The choice of which scholars to include on the invitation is small, and all of them have something objectionable to them. But when the choice is made, Brother Michael is disgusted. One man leers and drools, and the other is a fool.

But in delivering the messages, Matthew and Brother Michael are a witness to a fight between a townsman and a student that ends with the death of the student. The fight was precipitated by an accident that killed another teacher at a different college and a townsman. But the teacher appears to have died because of a crossbow wound, and the townsman was also shot.

Most strange is the appearance of a man named Arderne who claims to be the best physician in the world. He even claims to be able to bring back the dead, and proceeds to do so when the body of the wounded student, now dead, is found. But his miraculous powers enchant the gullible townsfolk and soon his pronouncements about the town's physicians is leading to them being outcast by the rest of the town. Matthew comes in for the worst of it because a man whose leg he amputated to save the man's life becomes a bone of contention between them when Arderne claims that he could have saved the leg.

Because of Matthew's greater learning and success, he is the most dangerous of all the physicians to Arderne's claims of medical potency, and so he comes in for the greatest attacks. But when one of Matthew's own medical students leaves the college to learn under Arderne, who seems certain he can cure everything, even death, can Matthew keep from being killed or chased out of town long enough to discover who really killed the two people killed during the accident, and bring their murderer to justice? And can he uncover the lies of Arderne, who he is sure is just a conman preying on the gullible, or will Matthew be forced to leave town by the people who don't want him even touching them any more?

Wow, what an interesting mystery! This points out how people are looking for both hope and certainty. Traditional medicine, both now and then, doesn't claim to have all the answers, and some people won't be satisfied with anything less than complete certainty, even if their answer is wrong. And even if it *is* wrong, they might still cling to it because uncertainty and admitting you don't know everything is scary. But Matthew refuses to lie down and let a charlatan, no matter how comforting his certainty might be to the townsfolk, kill or injure his patients, especially when his potions turn out to be toxic, more often than not.

One thing does trouble Matthew- how Arderne was able to bring the murdered student back from the dead. The novel almost seems to imply that the soul he returned was not the student's own, since the boy undergoes a nearly complete change of personality after his "resurrection". But what's truly frightening is the way the townspeople turn on their doctors, after all the Doctors have done on their behalf- especially Matthew, who is poor because he often doesn't charge the people who truly need his services and cannot pay, for the treatment. The hatred and anger the people display are truly frightening.

The plot in this book hums along nicely, from the entrance of Arderne into Cambridge right up to his permanent exit at the end. And it happens in such a wonderfully appropriate way, too! The ending made me laugh aloud, with the doctors shown to be right after all, and Arderne completely exposed for the Charlatan he is. Read this book for an exciting, engaging mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you wonder about human nature at the same time. Highly recommended.