The tenth anniversary edition of "Dissolution," the first book in the bestselling Shardlake series.
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
The fourth book in the Shardlake mystery series takes place in 1543. When an old friend of Matthew Shardlake's is murdered, he vows to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him back to the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation--and a series of horrific murders.
- 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
King Henry VIII is 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, the eight-year-old prince. As heretics are hunted, and the radical Protestant Anne Askew is burned at the stake, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry's sixth wife, Shardlake's old mentor, Queen Catherine Parr.
- 7
Tombland
- 880 pages
- 31 hours of reading
"Summer, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos... the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry. Since the old King's death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of Edith Boleyn, the wife of John Boleyn - a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth's mother - which could have political implications for Elizabeth, brings Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer Assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake's former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding Edith's death, as a second murder is committed. And then East Anglia explodes, as peasant rebellion breaks out across the country. The yeoman Robert Kett leads a force of thousands in overthrowing the landlords and establishing a vast camp outside Norwich. Soon the rebels have taken over the city, England's second largest. Barak throws in his lot with the rebels; Nicholas, opposed to them, becomes a prisoner in Norwich Castle; while Shardlake has to decide where his ultimate loyalties lie, as government forces in London prepare to march north and destroy the rebels. Meanwhile he discovers that the murder of Edith Boleyn may have connections reaching into both the heart of the rebel camp and of the Norfolk gentry..."--Publisher.
