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Dark Fire |
In the second of Sansom's atmospheric, Tudor novels, plots abound, no one is as they seem. Shardlake, defending a girl accused of murder, is again inveigled to work for Thomas Cromwell. He has just twelve days to recover the formula for a legendary substance, which has been discovered in a dissolved monastery's library. On his success or failure hangs the girl's life and also Cromwell's favour with the King. A rollicking, good read.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 45 April 2008) |
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Dissolution |
Meet Matthew Shardlake, eyes and ears of Thomas Cromwell, as he attempts to unravel a suspicious death within a Benedictine monastery on the eve of the Dissolution. I am predisposed to enjoy historical crime novels - and this one certainly does not disappoint. The Tudor background, full of tension, is brought to life, without resorting to heavy-handed learning or pseudo dialogue. Shardlake himself is an interesting and flawed protagonist. I shall certainly look for more.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 44 February 2008) |
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Dissolution |
If you've read this author's Winter in Madrid (bwl 38) you might enjoy his Tudor crime novels featuring Matthew Shardlake, a hunchback reformist lawyer and his loyal assistant, Mark. In this first book - there are two others - he is sent by Thomas Cromwell to investigate sacrilege and a gruesome murder in a monastery on the Sussex coast. Fast paced, atmospheric, full of satisfying historical detail, I guessed the who but not the why.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 42 October 2007) |
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Dominion |
A problem with historical fiction is the necessity to explain an 'alternative history' either through narrative or the spoken word. So counter-intuitive is the premise of this novel - England has become a vassal state of Germany, having surrendered in 1940 - that the explanation becomes burdensome and sometimes almost overwhelming. But there are some wickedly delicious flights of fancy e.g. a 1952 cabinet comprising Beaverbrook, Mosley and Enoch Powell. And Sansom's extensive research is impressive.
(Jeremy Miller - bwl 67 Winter 2013) |
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Dominion |
Dominion lacks the intense excitement and the sense of realism of Winter in Madrid. It is also not as well written as Sansom's other work. True characters drawn from the past, like Enoch Powell, are given new roles that are not always believable in this slightly 'Boy's Own' world of make believe. Having said all that the plot is compelling and Sansom's admirers should read this novel. A Modern History Dictionary is useful!
(Judith Peppitt - bwl 67 Winter 2013) |
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Heartstone: Shardlake Goes to War |
The fifth in the series. Katherine Parr is now Queen; lawyer Shardlake, charged by her servant to unravel the wrongs done to a young ward, becomes embroiled in the sinister world of the King's Court of Wards. War looms, a massive French fleet is approaching England. Over all hangs the ever present menace of the monster King and his powerful minions. Sansom, an historian as well as a novelist, paints a powerful picture of those malevolent times.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 61 Summer 2011) |
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Lamentation |
In this sixth Shardlake novel, set in Henry VIII's final months, our hero is reluctantly drawn into an intricate plot concerning a stolen manuscript, which puts him, his associates and the Queen, Katherine Parr, in mortal danger. Dissidents are burnt alive. Lawyer and Historian, Sansom, brings Tudor London vividly to life, his characters, rich or poor, breathe. See back issues of bookswelike to read reviews of the previous books in the series. Let's hope this one is not the last.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 75 Winter 2015) |
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Revelation |
Henry VIII is wooing Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. Archbishop Cranmer and the reformers, also in the 'hot-gospel' common folk, are threatened as the King returns towards Catholicism, if not to the Pope. Times are anxious and a serial killer is at work. But is he possessed by the devil, or is this human madness? With these murders that Shardlake and his assistant must solve, Sansom researches deeply into the primitive ideas of medicine, witchcraft and magic in Tudor times.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 54 November 2009) |
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Sovereign |
The major political significance of Henry VIII's Progress of the North has been largely overlooked by historians, but is resurrected here as Shardlake reluctantly goes to York on a mission to ensure the welfare of an important conspirator who is to be returned to London for trial. Solidly based on historical fact, the insight on the iron fist of government on the social and religious lives of ordinary men grows clearer with each of Sansom's books.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 54 November 2009) |
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Sovereign & Revelation |
In these third and fourth volumes of Sansom's Tudor mysteries, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is reluctantly propelled into the world of Henry VIII's court. The atmosphere is rife with intrigue, murder, betrayal and religious fervour; the terror of torture and the Tower hangs over everyone, whether Queen or commoner. Perhaps more for curling up on the sofa than bedtime reading. Both are real page turners, especially if you like your history not too dry. Two definite musts.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 51 May 2009) |
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Tombland |
The latest 'Shardlake' was a disappointment. The historian has taken over the novelist to produce an 800 page slab - to the detriment of the usual well-researched detective story. Half way through we leave the central plot in virtual abeyance and by the time we get to the slightly perfunctory ending, I had rather lost interest. Instead we get a lot on Kett's rebellion, the realities of which may be under-appreciated but could have been more economically woven into the story and the historical appendix expanded. A minority view?
(Tony Pratt - bwl 91 Winter 2019) |
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Winter in Madrid |
This highly-charged, fast-moving saga vividly depicts war-time Spain. A traumatised Dunkirk veteran is recruited by the British to spy on a former school friend, now a shady businessman in Madrid, whose girlfriend is secretly searching for her former lover who vanished during the Civil War. The characters might be a bit stereotypical but the author does not spare us or them from the harshness of reality or from facing unpleasant truths. A great film perhaps?
(Jenny Baker - bwl 38 February 2007) |
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Winter in Madrid |
This is an enthralling tale set at the beginning of WW II in the wake of the Spanish Civil War. It is long (550 pp) but the way the author interweaves the many plots holds ones attention and it is a "must" for anyone interested in the human side of history. A good yarn.
(Veronica Edwards - bwl 52 July 2009) |
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Winter in Madrid |
I was originally gripped by this tale of subterfuge and pretence in the grim conditions of Madrid just after The Spanish Civil War but It was the author's brilliantly researched knowledge of the conditions experienced by the characters in that uncertain world that remained in my mind at the end. I was not convinced by the rather contrived element of thriller and I found the ending disappointingly dull but I am glad to have learnt a lot about Madrid at that time.
(Jane Grey-Edwards - bwl 90 Autumn 2018) |
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