In what's being called a brilliant debut, Sansom presents a riveting historical novel in which issues of politics and faith collide when a gruesome murder is committed in a remote Benedictine monastery during the reign of Henry VIII.
Matthew Shardlake Series
Embark on a journey into the tumultuous 16th-century England, following the path of a sharp-witted lawyer with an extraordinary gift. This series plunges you into intricate cases filled with intrigue, political machinations, and dark secrets. Each installment peels back layers of suspense and historical accuracy as the protagonist confronts the challenges of his era and his own limitations. It's a compelling read for fans of historical mysteries and gripping detective stories.
Recommended Reading Order
- 1
- 2
Crna vatra
- 514 pages
- 18 hours of reading
In this sequel to "Dissolution," it is now 1540, and Shardlake has returned to practicing law in London. When he is called on to help a friend's niece, charged with killing her cousin, he has no idea it will force him back into Cromwell's dangerous schemes.
- 3
Autumn, 1541. King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Progress to the North to attend an extravagant submission by his rebellious subject in York. Already in the city are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak. As well as legal work processing local petitions to the King, Shardlake has reluctantly undertaken a special mission for Archbishop Crammer - to ensure the welfare of an important but dangerous conspirator who is to be returned to London for interrogation. But the murder of a York glazier involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York Castle but to the royal family itself. And when Shardlake and Barak stumble upon a cache of secret documents which could threaten the Tudor throne, a chain of events unfolds that will lead to Shardlake facing the most terrifying fate of the age...
- 4
Set in Tudor England, this is the fourth volume in Shardlake novels.
- 5
Heartstone
- 730 pages
- 26 hours of reading
Summer, 1545. England is at war. Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of "monstrous wrongs" committed against a young ward of the court, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant, Barak, journey to Portsmouth.
- 6
Lamentation
- 736 pages
- 26 hours of reading
Summer, 1546. King Henry VIII is slowly, painfully dying. His Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle; whoever wins will control the government of Henry's successor, eight-year-old Prince Edward. As heretics are hunted across London, and the radical Protestant Anne Askew is burned at the stake, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry's sixth wife, Matthew Shardlake's old mentor, Queen Catherine Parr. Shardlake, still haunted by events aboard the warship Mary Rose the year before, is working on the Cotterstoke Will case, a savage dispute between rival siblings. Then, unexpectedly, he is summoned to Whitehall Palace and asked for help by his old patron, the now beleaguered and desperate Queen
- 7
During the political upheaval of Tudor-era England, the lawyer Matthew Shardlake must decide where his loyalties lie in "one of the best ongoing mystery series" for fans of Hilary Mantel (Christian Science Monitor). LONGLISTED FOR THE SIR WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION Spring, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos. The nominal king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle, Edward Seymour, Lord Hertford, rules as Edward's regent and Protector. In the kingdom, radical Protestants are driving the old religion into extinction, while the Protector's prolonged war with Scotland has led to hyperinflation and economic collapse. Rebellion is stirring among the peasantry. Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of one of Elizabeth's distant relations, rumored to be politically murdered, draws Shardlake and his companion Nicholas to the lady's summer estate, where a second murder is committed. As the kingdom explodes into rebellion, Nicholas is imprisoned for his loyalty, and Shardlake must decide where his loyalties lie -- with his kingdom, or with his lady?
