I confess I saw the details of the murder investigation and the ultimate solution to the murder as entertaining but relatively pedestrian as mysteries go. It's 1537, the height of the English Reformation, and Thomas Cromwell, vicar general for the court of Henry VIII, is absolutely bent on the systematic ruthless dismantling of England's feudal monastery system, "re-patriating" the monastic lands and the church's accumulated wealth and destroying the evidence of papist Roman Catholicism inherent in such things as church buildings and relics. 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. Cromwell now sends one of his protégés, a lawyer named Matthew Shardlake to investigate the murder and to conclude the dissolution of the monastery.

The seventh book in the series will be out in about a month, and I am very much looking forward to reading that. I think most major characters are either parts of oneself or parts of people that have made an impact on you, for good or ill. Sansom came to prominence with the Shardlake series, his historical mystery series set in the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century.Henry VIII has left the Catholic church and the country is divided between those faithful to the new Church of England, with Henry VIII as its head, and the Catholic church. The papists will use every means to present us from building the christian commonwealth, and so God’s blood I will use every means to overcome them. Interested in English history and lover of mystery novels I bought this book and I was not disappointed.

Despite the brother’s refusal to renounce the pope, Shardlake is drawn to his healing abilities and earnest personality.It is 1537, Henry VIII has declared himself head of the church of England and the process of dissolving all the monasteries in the country, now the larger and wealthier ones (after some smaller ones earlier on) is on, and Cromwell has appointed commissioners to see to it that this is accomplished. A “red herring” is a device used in mysteries to throw the reader off the track of the true perpetrator. Although anybody in the know realizes that Henry will not be happy with just a few when he can pass a law, Second Act of Succession (1539), that will bring them all down.

I wouldn’t say it was the “most important” period of English history—the Industrial Revolution shaped modern life far more. Shardlake works on commission initially from Thomas Cromwell in Dissolution and Dark Fire and then Thomas Cranmer in Sovereign and Revelation. The reader feels the chill in his or her own bones as the characters struggle to stay warm in the middle of the freezing cold weather. The story seems accurate and informative as well as entertaining, I enjoyed the investigative process, and I didn’t guess the perpetrator.In this, we are first introduced to Shardlake, a confidant of Cromwell, who is given a commission by the latter to investigate a murder committed at a monastery in Scarnsea. Given the period this sort of debate probably actually took place, but here there is a little too much of it and it slows the pace of the story. Samson, with a PHD in history, presents the historical events without transforming the book in a history lesson, which I appreciated. 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. This along with Shardlake’s unsuccessfulness with the ladies, results in a very damaged yet resolute commissioner.

Set in 1537 and told in the first person, Matthew Shardlake (a King’s Commissioner) must investigate the brutal killing of the previous King's Commissioner, Robin Singleton at Scarnsea monastery. The titles hints on the subject of the novel, at least it does to readers familiar with British history. L'avvocato Matthew Shardlake diventerà un amico, lo conosci, soffri con lui, senti le sue paure in un periodo storico dove la giustizia non regna supremo, la medicina come la conosciamo noi non esiste … consiglio la lettura partendo dal primo libro - L'Enigma del Gallo Nero poi La scomparsa del Fuoco Greco e poi gli altri 5.Under overwhelming time and secrecy pressure imposed by Cromwell, Shardlake begins a long set of interviews and immerses himself in the life of the monastery. Do you think an individual with a humpback could have risen to a commissioner’s position at a time when his physical handicap was—to many people—bad luck? But that is a relatively small complaint, and this is a book that should appeal to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries.