Independent on Sunday Sansom has a greater talent for animating period details than most of his contemporaries, his rendering of the Tudor winter in the first of the Shardlake series makes you reach for thick fleece blankets.

They remain true to the Catholic church and continue to give their religious allegiance to the Pope. Though the setting was a religious house and each person revealed their thoughts on God, the book never overdoes the Christian theme or becomes preachy. This is especially true within a monastery like Scarnsea, where the monks have had their world and beliefs turned upside down. I admit that I struggled trying to read this book years ago, such a shock to many that ripples appeared across those who follow my reviews.Samson, with a PHD in history, presents the historical events without transforming the book in a history lesson, which I appreciated. But there has been a murder and not just any murder, but the murder of a Cromwell representative while he was investigating the monastery for improprieties. Shardlake may have been sent by the Crown to investigate, but he shows that he is able to explore matters at his own pace and with an attentiveness that gets things done. Shardlake is sent to a Benedictine monastery to investigate the brutal murder of one of Cromwell's men. Dr Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death.

Was Matthew Shardlake a truly naïve character, or was he simply in a deep state of denial with regard to Thomas Cromwell’s style of governing? Ho letto tutti e 7 questa serie di libri - ti riportano nei regni di Enrico VIII e poi suo figlio Eduardo VI con la crudeltà, squallore e fatti storici di quel periodo.

Sansom is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Shardlake series, the Spanish Civil War thriller Winter in Madrid and the number one bestseller Dominion . The author has so much more time to develop their main character or characters slowly and carefully, rather than having to draw them in a few chapters. I should, however, stay away from historical fiction set centuries back in time as aspects of the period coming into contact with modern sensibilities grate on me big time. I thought that the author wrote a very evocative novel, painting a vivid picture of Tudor England, with all its cruelties and maneuverings by various players jockeying for power and money.

The US Library Journal review is more critical, commenting: "His novel is unrelentingly grim in tone, as the reader is forced to plod along with Shardlake and the other mostly unlikable characters. He is the only character from Dissolution, apart from Shardlake and Cromwell, to appear in the sequel, Dark Fire. Marcado por una discapacidad física ( es jorobado), bien intencionado y convencido de que la reforma de la iglesia es una necesidad para garantizar el futuro del reino, tendrá que enfrentarse a una sucesión imparable de asesinatos, que le pondrán al límite de su resistencia física y mental. While the monks have sought to protect themselves by swearing an oath to obey Henry’s new laws on Christian worship, it is clear they were reluctant to do so. He is well aware of his difference, always seeing reactions to that aspect of himself in others, and there is no doubt he receives mockery in the book.I think the sixteenth century is a fascinating period in British and European history—the intellectual framework of medieval Europe was torn apart and the modern world began. Today’s C of E is also known as the Anglican Church, and Queen Elizabeth II is the Supreme Governor. Shardlake is very dismissive of Catholicism, a true believer in the Reformation, but at the same time he is sickened by the lives that are being ruined needlessly. It will not surprise you to know that the original murder is not the only one in the book, and other crimes appear.

I also discovered that a runcible spoon sounds similar to my favourite piece of multi-purpose cutlery, the splade or spork, depending on your preference.Lord Cromwell had the trick of staring fixedly at you, unblinking, until you felt compelled to drop your gaze. A view eastwards along the chancel of the church at the Cistercian monastery of Rievaulx Abbey in the Yorkshire Wolds. Donatus at Scarnsea, we are shown first hand what it was like for the monks at this time to be at the mercy of the king. What characters from Dissolution would you be interested in seeing again in future Matthew Shardlake mysteries? He has also written Winter in Madrid, a thriller set in Spain in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.