Tombland by C J Sansom
Tombland is the seventh (and currently final) book in the brilliant Shardlake Tudor detective series by C J Sansom. Regular readers of my book reviews will know that I really love this series – and it was what inspired me to first start reading more historical fiction. Every time I read one, I think ‘Is this the best one?’ and I never really know. Sometimes they have a slightly slow start, but it feels like Tombland...
Lamentation by C J Sansom
Lamentation is the sixth (currently penultimate) Matthew Shardlake novel by C J Sansom. It follows on a year from events in Heartstone. King Henry VIII’s health is fading fast and religion is literally a matter of life and death. Right at the start, Shardlake is forced to attend a burning of heretics, including a young woman, Anne Askew. The sight of the burning haunts him throughout the book. It has become dangerous to discuss...
Heartstone by C J Sansom
Heartstone is the fifth part in the brilliant Shardlake Tudor detective series by C J Sansom. It’s been a long time since I read a C J Sansom, just because I used to borrow them off my friend and I don’t see her very often these days! So I decided to take the plunge and buy two novels for myself. In the summer of 1545, Matthew Shardlake is called by Queen Catherine Parr to investigate a sensitive case, on behalf of one of...
Revelation by C J Sansom
Revelation is the fourth part in C J Sansom’s Shardlake detective series, and could be my favourite yet. Having seen off five previous wives, King Henry VIII has his eye on a sixth – Catherine Parr. But will Lady Catherine agree to become his next wife? Two years on from an unfortunate run-in with the King, Matthew Shardlake has turned his back on work involving politics and royalty. Instead, he is dealing with the tricky...
Sovereign by C J Sansom
Sovereign is the third part in the Shardlake series of detective novels by C J Sansom and is my favourite to date. Matthew Shardlake is a London lawyer in Tudor times. With King Henry VIII on the throne, the risk of being beheaded or tortured in the Tower of London is never far away. In the autumn of 1541, Henry VIII and his wife, Queen Catherine Howard, embark on the Progress – a journey to York, accompanied by hundreds of...
