FEATURED AUTHOR: C. J. Sansom
Protagonist: Matthew Shardlake, a hunchback lawyer in mid-16th century England
1) DISSOLUTION (2003)
Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church and the country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers ever seen. Under the order of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent through the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: the monasteries are to be dissolved. But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's Commissioner Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder is accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege - a black cockerel sacrificed on the alter, and the disappearance of Scarnsea's Great Relic. Dr Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death. But Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes ...
2) DARK FIRE (2004) - 2005 Historical Dagger Award
It is 1540. Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, is busy trying to maintain his legal practice and keep a low profile. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin, brings him once again into contact with the king's chief minister - and a new assignment...The secret of Greek Fire, the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for centuries. Now, an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered - the formula has disappeared. Now, Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while trying at the same time to prove his young client's innocence.
3) SOVEREIGN (2006) - Finalist 2007 Barry Award for Best British Novel
It is autumn, 1541. Following the uncovering of a plot against his throne in Yorkshire, King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Progress to the North to overawe his rebellious subjects there. Accompanied by a thousand soldiers, the cream of the nobility, and his fifth wife Catherine Howard, the King is to attend an extravagant submission of the local gentry at York. Already in the city are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak. As well as assisting with legal work processing petitions to the King, Shardlake has reluctantly undertaken a special mission - to ensure the welfare of an important but dangerous conspirator being returned to London for interrogation. But the murder of a local glazier involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York Castle but to the royal family itself. As the Great Progress arrives in the city, Shardlake and Barak stumble upon a cache of secret papers that holds danger for the King's throne...
4) REVELATION (2008) - Finalist 2008 Historical Dagger Award
Spring, 1543. King Henry VIII is wooing Lady Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. Archbishop Cranmer and the embattled Protestant faction at court are watching keenly, for Lady Catherine is known to have reformist sympathies. Matthew Shardlake, meanwhile, is working on the case of a teenage boy who has been placed in the Bedlam insane asylum, before his terrifying religious mania leads to him being burned as a heretic. When an old friend is horrifically murdered Shardlake vows to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to Cranmer and Catherine Parr - and to the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation. As London's Bishop Bonner prepares a purge of Protestants Shardlake, together with his assistant, Jack Barak, and his friend, Guy Malton, investigate a series of horrific murders which are already bringing frenzied talk of witchcraft and demonic possession - for what else would the Tudor mind make of a serial killer ...?
Non-Series:
WINTER IN MADRID (2006)
1940: The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined, its people starving, while the Germans continue their relentless march through Europe. Britain now stands alone while General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war. In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, [this] is an intimate and compelling tale which offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding, and the profound impact of impossible choices.
About the Author:
C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a Ph.D. in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer. He participates as with the Medieval Murders, a group of historical mystery authors. He lives in Sussex.
Bookeemonster rating: 5 out of 5 stars. *Excellent* historical mystery series.
4 comments:
Nice feature! I especially like the list of the authors books you have 'on the side' of your blog, listed in order by publication date.
I've had the problem of reading a book and getting hooked on that author or the characters, and then I want to start with book one in the series. Sometime it's hard to find that info!
Also a nice touch to mention any awards they have won for their books.
I've read the first two - and have the final two on my wish list. He is an excellent writer - and historically accurate, A rare combination.
Hoo Roo
Sally from Oz
LadyPI, a great resource for books in a series is www.stopyourekillingme.com. It's listed by author and character name. Careful though, you'll add to your TBR pile! :)
Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster
Sally, I had to go with CJ Sansom first because he is just so good. I envy you that you have two books that will be new to you. I wish he'd get going and publish the next in series! (tapping foot...)
Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster
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