Dissolution by C. J. Sansom
First book in the Shardlake series.
This book by Sansom is set in Tudor Britain during the dissolution of monastries during Henry VIII reign. Matthew Shardlake, hunchback lawyer, and his assistant Mark are sent by Thomas Cromwell to uncover the murder of a fellow lawyer who was killed at a monastry in Scarnsea. Whilst there, Shardlake finds new friends and new enemies, even in people who are very close to him. After a week or two in Scarnsea, he finally works out who the murderer is but it is too late, many things have gone wrong and there have been more and more murders every day. I enjoyed this book as it was fiction based on fact which is the kind of book I like. It also shows what life is like in Tudor Britain for a hard working hunchback. I am giving it 8/10.
MB
This is the first of the books in the Shardlake series. Our Hero is Matthew Shardlake a Lawyer who is appointed to be one of Cromwell's Commisioners in the reign of Henry VIII. Matthew Shardlake is a passionate reformer and is sent to the South Coast to a monastery where the murder of one of Cromwell's commissioners has been committed. This is an excellent story weaving the historical facts of the times with the fiction of the murder. There are many twists to the tale and it is excellently written. It is a classical who dunnit however at the same time you get a mixture of real historical fact and a feel for the time in which it is set. I highly recommend this and give it a 9 out of 10
JB
Overall, 8.5/10
JB
Overall, 8.5/10
