Average Rating:

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Revelation (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

October 02, 2008
What an excellent Tudor mystery - Sansom really brings Tudor life 'back to life'! If you enjoy grizzly murder mysteries with twists and turns then this is for you. It is well up to the standard of the previous 3 Shardlake novels and we can only hope the fourth one will not be too long in arriving! Read and enjoy - one to immerse onself in on a cold winter night!

Average Rating:

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Dissolution (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

May 18, 2007
Don't get me wrong; this is a great read. The atmosphere created by the author really makes you feel as though you're stuck in a Tudor monastery in the middle of a blizzard yourself....and you feel as though you need to continue with the book because of this.
Sadly I feel that it's over long and drawn out. 420 pages could have been trimmed down easily without losing any of the main plot.
One other thing....I found it difficult to follow the plot when all of the main suspects are called Brother something.

Average Rating:

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Sovereign (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

March 16, 2007
The plot of this very readable and exciting novel is based on actual historical doubt about the validity of King Henry VIII's claim to the throne. Sansom very convincingly conveys the web of suspicion and fear in which his hero finds himself caught. Torture and execution threaten all who conspire against the King and the novel reveals how complex and dangerous the political and religious situation was.

Also shown is the terrible hardship suffered by ordinary people as a result of the dissolution of the monasteries and the understandable anger against the reformist `southrons' who descend on York as part of The Progress. This picture brings to life the upheaval and excitement caused by King Henry's arrival with 3,000 soldiers, courtiers, servants ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Dark Fire (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

May 18, 2007
"Dark Fire" is the second novel in C.J. Sansom's series set in King Henry VIII's England, following the career of the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake. It is the summer of 1540, a time of political and religious turmoil as various factions at court vie for the king's attentions. When Shardlake is asked to defend a girl accused of murder, the case brings him into contact once again with his old employer, Earl Cromwell. The earl has a new assignment for him, of vital importance to the state: the long-forgotten weapon of Greek Fire has been unearthed in London, but now the formula is stolen and the alchemists involved, killed. It is down to Shardlake to discover who the perpetrators are and recover Greek Fire - before it is too late. For the king himself is interested in ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Winter in Madrid

by: C.J. Sansom

October 06, 2006
I picked this book up while on tour and read it within a couple of weeks. At first I thought it had potential with the prologue showing the Civil war and focusing on one of the communist soldiers Bernie and then the air raids on London and how the people of London coped with this. However once the character goes to Madrid the plot slows right down and then doesn't seem to pick up again until the end and the plot twist, which I won't ruin for you.
I think the book is worth a read just for the historical value. It does show how bad the civil war was in Spain and if like me you don't know much about that part of history it does explain a lot.
By far not the best book I have read but still enjoyable

Average Rating:

.

Revelation (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

April 04, 2008
What an excellent Tudor mystery - Sansom really brings Tudor life 'back to life'! If you enjoy grizzly murder mysteries with twists and turns then this is for you. It is well up to the standard of the previous 3 Shardlake novels and we can only hope the fourth one will not be too long in arriving! Read and enjoy - one to immerse onself in on a cold winter night!

Average Rating:

.

Dissolution (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

August 03, 2007
Don't get me wrong; this is a great read. The atmosphere created by the author really makes you feel as though you're stuck in a Tudor monastery in the middle of a blizzard yourself....and you feel as though you need to continue with the book because of this.
Sadly I feel that it's over long and drawn out. 420 pages could have been trimmed down easily without losing any of the main plot.
One other thing....I found it difficult to follow the plot when all of the main suspects are called Brother something.

Average Rating:

.

Revelation (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

April 04, 2008
What an excellent Tudor mystery - Sansom really brings Tudor life 'back to life'! If you enjoy grizzly murder mysteries with twists and turns then this is for you. It is well up to the standard of the previous 3 Shardlake novels and we can only hope the fourth one will not be too long in arriving! Read and enjoy - one to immerse onself in on a cold winter night!

Average Rating:

.

Sovereign (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

August 18, 2006
The plot of this very readable and exciting novel is based on actual historical doubt about the validity of King Henry VIII's claim to the throne. Sansom very convincingly conveys the web of suspicion and fear in which his hero finds himself caught. Torture and execution threaten all who conspire against the King and the novel reveals how complex and dangerous the political and religious situation was.

Also shown is the terrible hardship suffered by ordinary people as a result of the dissolution of the monasteries and the understandable anger against the reformist `southrons' who descend on York as part of The Progress. This picture brings to life the upheaval and excitement caused by King Henry's arrival with 3,000 soldiers, courtiers, servants and whores: the sounds, the smells and everywhere ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Dark Fire (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

September 07, 2007
"Dark Fire" is the second novel in C.J. Sansom's series set in King Henry VIII's England, following the career of the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake. It is the summer of 1540, a time of political and religious turmoil as various factions at court vie for the king's attentions. When Shardlake is asked to defend a girl accused of murder, the case brings him into contact once again with his old employer, Earl Cromwell. The earl has a new assignment for him, of vital importance to the state: the long-forgotten weapon of Greek Fire has been unearthed in London, but now the formula is stolen and the alchemists involved, killed. It is down to Shardlake to discover who the perpetrators are and recover Greek Fire - before it is too late. For the king himself is interested in the substance, and Cromwell's own career ... Read More: