Dissolution 2003 is a historical mystery novel by british author c. The first in the acclaimed matthew shardlake series and one not to be missed. Sansom, a former solicitor who lives in sussex, is working on a fourth shardlake story and has been consulted on the tv series. Lawyerdetective matthew shardlake is sent by cromwell to investigate the killing of a kings commissioner at a monastery on. Without giving away too much, in tombland, shardlake and his associates are sent by elizabeth to investigate the gruesome murder of a distant boleyn relative in deepest, darkest norfolk. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the catholic church and those loyal to the king and the newly established church of england. Bbc radio 4 15 minute drama, cj sansom dissolution. Henry viii has ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and englan. The novel sparked the bestselling shardlake series, following the sixteenthcentury lawyerdetective. The rest of the shardlake books are expected to follow. Shardlake is the glue as he refuses to allow his handicap back from keeping him from. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 550 pages and is available in hardcover format. The sixth and to date most recent book from cj sansom featuring lawyer matthew shardlake.
Shardlake works on commission initially from thomas cromwell in dissolution and dark fire and then thomas cranmer in sovereign and revelation. It is 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in england since 1066. Just send us an email and well put the best up on the site. A bbc commission of an adaptation of the first sansom novel, dissolution, is expected to be followed by more of the shardlake books. I like to read things in order, so bought the 1st one, dissolution. Everything works in sansom s superb sixth matthew shardlake novel after 2011s heartstone. It is a political thriller set in the early 1950s against the backdrop of a britain that has become a satellite state of nazi germany. C j sansom s matthew shardlake novels in chronological order. Like hilary mantel, he produces densely textured historical novels that absorb their readers in another time andrew taylor, spectator.
Get the audible audio editions of the matthew shardlake series from the. Now, henry and his vicar general, thomas cromwell, having survived the rebellion led by robert aske, are dissolving church properties and adding their wealth to the royal treasury. A few months ago, i developed a concept of ten essential ingredients for favourite historical fiction. The series main character is the hunchbacked lawyer matthew shardlake, who is assisted in his adventures by mark poer, then jack barak and also nicholas overton. J download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Shardlake is asked by henrys sixth wife queen catherine parr to investigate the theft of a book from her apartments in the palace.
A brilliant lawyer investigates murder in a monastery thats under attack by henry viiis greedy forces of secularism. The novel is set in 1537, a year where england saw many changes. The first edition of the novel was published in april 28th 2003, and was written by c. A thrilling bbc radio 4 fullcast dramatisation based on cj sansom s bestselling tudor crime novel. Henry viii has declared himself supreme head of the church and instructed his chief minister, thomas cromwell, to dissolve englands religious houses and. Sansom was educated at birmingham university, where he took a ba and then a ph. Lawyerdetective matthew shardlake is sent by cromwell to investigate the killing of a kings commissioner at a monastery on the kent coast. Sarah crown talks to cj sansom, the creator of matthew shardlake. Follow shardlake into the dark heart of tudor england with the bestselling dark fire, sovereign, revelation, heartstone, lamentation and tombland. It is sansom s first published novel, and the first in the matthew shardlake series. Pdf revelation book matthew shardlake free download.
J sansoms creation of real brilliance matthew shardlake. Penguin putnamit is the winter of 1537 and england is divided into those faithful to the catholic church and those loyal to the king and the newly established church of england. Reading order of matthew shardlake series and list of all c. Sansom, followed by dark fire, sovereign, revelation, heartstone and lamentation it is 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in england since 1066.
Set in the 16th century during the dissolution of the monasteries, the book follows the lawyer shardlake in his. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are matthew shardlake, mark poer. Dissolution is the first in the phenomenal shardlake series by bestselling author, c. In an age of treachery and turmoil, brutal murder brings the ultimate test of faith. Dissolution is the first book in this bestselling phenomenon, where c. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in sussex, until becoming a fulltime writer. Sansom s writing style or narrative, but it pales in comparison to this classic. Sansom worked first as a historian and then as a lawyer before combining both in his darkly fascinating novel of monastic murder and politics in his first novel dissolution. Jul 16, 2015 sansom has the trick of writing an enthralling narrative. Matthew shardlake, a lawyer operating on the fringes of the rapacious tudor court, has been handed a case.
Sansom s matthew shardlake mysteries set in tudor england masterfully combine fact e. King henry viii has proclaimed himself as the supreme head of the church. Download the matthew shardlake audiobook series and listen anywhere, anytime on your iphone, android or windows device. Sansom it is 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in england since 1066. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dissolution. Sansom has the trick of writing an enthralling narrative. Sansom and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. From the bestselling author of winter in madrid and dominion comes the exciting and elegantly written first novel in the matthew shardlake. Id always thought the dissolution of the monasteries would make a great setting for a murder mystery.
Sansom creates both a stunning portrait of tudor england, and an unforgettable character in matthew shardlake. The catholic church in 1536 is being eradicated in britain and the dissolution of the monasteries has begun by 1540 no monasteries would be left. Set during the reign of tudor monarch henry viii it features heavily on the religious conflict of the period. Mar 10, 2011 march book club questions dissolution by c. Dissolution is the first book from cj sansom in the matthew shardlake series, set. Thomas cromwell, henry viiis feared vicargeneral, crusades against the old church with savage new laws, rigged trials, and a vast network of informers. Dissolution its 1537 and the kings divorce is, of course, henry viiis, which brought with it the disestablishment of the catholic church in england.
Free download or read online dissolution pdf epub book. Apr 08, 20 a few months ago, i developed a concept of ten essential ingredients for favourite historical fiction. Feb 08, 2011 in that the tudors and the stuarts comprise one of my favorite periods in history, i dont know why it has taken me so long to find c. Dissolution a novel of tudor england book summary and study guide. Sansom, the internationally bestselling author of the novels winter in madrid and dominion and the matthew shardlake tudor mystery series, earned a ph. Shardlake works on commission initially from thomas cromwell in dissolution and dark fire. Dissolution is the first in the series featuring matthew shardlake, a lawyer and member of thomas cromwells inner circle. Dissolution is the first in the shardlake historical mysteries by sansom. Sansoms number one bestselling shardlake series, for fans of hilary mantel and philippa gregory. Wordies will have more than enough to feed that passion.
Exciting and elegantly written, dissolution is an utterly compelling first novel and a riveting portrayal of tudor england. In dissolution, shardlake, who supports religious reform, witnesses the viciousness. He lives in sussex, england, where he is working on further matthew shardlake mysteries. Dissolution matthew shardlake by c j sansom thebookbag. Set in the 16th century during the dissolution of the monasteries, the book follows the lawyer shardlake in his attempts to solve the. Sansom provides readers with a vivid tudor historical mystery. A matthew shardlake tudor mystery matthew shardlake mysteries book 1 kindle edition by sansom, c. Sansoms writing style or narrative, but it pales in comparison to this classic. Dissolution dissolution is the first book from cj sansom in the matthew shardlake series, set during the reign of king henry viii and his chief minister, thomas cromwell.
The point of divergence from actual history is that lord halifax, rather than winston churchill, succeeded neville chamberlain as prime minister in may 1940. England, where the monasteries have so lately been dissolved, is in the grip of salvation panic, and the flames of hell are looming. Aug 26, 2012 that said, dissolution reminded me an awful lot of the name of the rose. Unfortunately though, the name of the rose was a lot better. Time to test another top author against those ingredients. The 1st instalment in the wildly popular matthew shardlake mystery series, now available from vintage canada.
Sansom thursday mar 10 2011 by whodunit on tuesday, march 29th, the whodunit mystery book club will be discussing dissolution by c. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. One of britains bestselling historical novelists, c. Murders on the grounds of a monastery, 16thcentury intrigue, an unconventional sleuthreaders might wonder if this is a knockoff name of the rose set two centuries later, but sansom s debut is. Dominion is a 2012 alternate history novel by british author c. The books have been compared to umberto ecos in the name of the rose and i can see why. Free download or read online revelation pdf epub matthew shardlake series book.
The first edition of the novel was published in april 4th 2008, and was written by c. Jul 16, 2015 dissolution is the first book in this bestselling phenomenon, where c. Sansom was educated at birmingham university, where he took a ba and then a phd in history. What characters from dissolution would you be interested in seeing again in future matthew shardlake mysteries. Sansom, plus links to a book excerpt from dominion and author biography of c. Dissolution is the first book in the series, where we meet matthew shardlake, a lawyer and occasional fixer for thomas cromwell. Atmospheric, suspenseful, evocative and excitingthese novels are wonderful. It is sansoms first published novel, and the first in the matthew shardlake series. Mysteries with a sense of place by elizabeth waters, asknypl august 22, 2014. Dissolution is the first in the phenomenal shardlake series by bestselling author c. Apr 28, 2003 dissolution dissolution is the first book from cj sansom in the matthew shardlake series, set during the reign of king henry viii and his chief minister, thomas cromwell.
The book is currently available for purchases at 10% off. J sansoms creation of real brilliance matthew shardlake synopsis. Jun 26, 2012 a friend put me onto c j sansom s books and loaned me 2 and 3 in the shardlake series. The bbc have commissioned an adaptation of dissolution with the actor kenneth branagh set to star as shardlake. Henry viii has proclaimed himself supreme head of the church. A matthew shardlake tudor mystery matthew shardlake mysteries book 1. Sansom s use of language is a delight to lovers of fine literature. That, combined with new laws, rigged trials and general distrust is tearing the nation apart. A red herring is a device used in mysteries to throw the reader off the track of the true perpetrator. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 456 pages and is available in paperback format. Sansom s novels feels like watching a gripping movie that engages all the senses including smell, touch, and taste. Apr 27, 2004 exciting and elegantly written, dissolution is an utterly compelling first novel and a riveting portrayal of tudor england. That said, dissolution reminded me an awful lot of the name of the rose. The background is so descriptive it overwhelms the prime theme of a wellwritten whodoneit in spite of interweaving tidbits into the plot.
Buy dissolution the shardlake series new editcover by sansom, c. Sansom came to prominence with the shardlake series, his historical mystery series set in the reign of henry viii in the 16th century. Sansom paints a vivid picture of the corruption that plagued england during the reign of henry viii, and the wry, rueful shardlake is a memorable protagonist, a compassionate man committed to. That shows you how well it is written all the subsequent novels in the matthew shardlake series, as well, by the way. Sansom, followed by dark fire, sovereign, revelation, heartstone and lamentation. Never having read any of this author i decided to begin at the beginning, and find out what the fuss was about. Using historical facts and real persona from the period of dissolution of the english monasteries 15361540, c. Henry viii has proclaimed himself supreme head of the church and the country is waking up to savage new laws. Dissolution concerns the investigation of a murder in a monastery in tudor england, just as the monks world is.
Sansom s shardlake series, this is a murder mystery set in 16th century reformationera england. Matthew shardlake, a lawyer operating on the fringes of the rapacious tudor court, has been handed a case that may advance his career but is more likely to sink it. Sansom s most recent book tombland was announced i was inundated with recommendations from fans of his shardlake series as it focuses on the kett rebellions of 1549. Sansom chooses to set the investigation against the backdrop of ketts rebellion, a real but littleknown peasants revolt, adding further suspense, danger, and intrigue. First time i have read a c j sansom novel, so was not sure if i would get into a book based on fictional story in factual historical times, but even though the story was fictional, and so was the main characters, combined with the real history of the dissolution, and some of the real people such as thomas cromwell, who made an occasional. The point of divergence from actual history is that lord halifax, rather than winston churchill, succeeded neville chamberlain as prime. Dark fire won the 2005 cwa ellis peters historical dagger and sansom was very highly commended in the 2007 cwa dagger in the library award, for the shardlake series.
However, the books starting with dissolution are set in the time of henry viii and the reform. Sansom, the first in his series about matthew shardlake. When a royal commissioner is murdered in the monastery of scarsea, thomas cromwell, henry. Sansom and the second, marked spoiler alert, is my. This box set contains all four titles from the critically acclaimed and extremely popular historical crime fiction series by c.