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.Revelation (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

October 02, 2008
Revelation is set at the time and backdrop of when Henry VIII is trying to get Catherine Parr to be his sixth wife. In essence it is a fast paced thriller with a number of intriguing sub-plots that kind of takes a modern day subject of serial killers and murder and transposes it into a sixteenth century / Tudor world. At times the characters seem very modern but this may be intentional in bringing past and present together. I love the current trend of history based novels having just read the very passable Full Story Inside and I am currently halfway through the glorious Azincourt
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Used Price: £5.36

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.Dissolution (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

May 18, 2007
An unlikely superhero, admittedly, but Matthew Shardlake is a brilliant construction, and this book is not to be missed. Neither is the second. In fact I can't bring myself to read the (probably) final one, because I'm saving it for a week when I can concentrate solely on it! Yes, it's a bit predictable, and the sidekick can be a tad irritating, but it's just a story...not an historical treatise. Enjoy it, that's all. Please let someone make the movie...it'll be a brave man who takes the lead role, but a sure-fire Oscar!
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Used Price: £1.55

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.Dark Fire (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

May 18, 2007
I have just finished this book and, after Dissolution, I am well and truly addicted to this series. I really like the lead character of Matthew Shardlake and the other characters in this and the previous book. Will be starting on Sovereign asap and can't wait to read Revelation from what I've read on Amazon about that story. There seems to be a plethora of murder-thriller type books set in the 15th-16th century around at the moment but this is without doubt the best of them all.
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Used Price: £1.71

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.Sovereign (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

March 16, 2007
I have not read any other works by the author so for me this is the first time I've met the character. The cover caught my attention, and as I enjoy detective novels and historical fiction, this looked the book for me.

The basic storyline is that our central character, a lawyer, is ordered to assist with some legal proceedings which take place during Henry VIII's progress to the north or more particularly York. The place in time is just after the great Northern Rebellion and during his marriage to the young and flakey Katherine Howard. The lawyer accidentally discovers some documents in a box, which as they implicate the legitimacy of the King's right to be king are highly contentious, as a result of the discovery there are attempts ... Read More:
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Used Price: £0.39

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.Winter in Madrid

by: C.J. Sansom

October 06, 2006
I picked this book up while on tour and read it within a couple of weeks. At first I thought it had potential with the prologue showing the Civil war and focusing on one of the communist soldiers Bernie and then the air raids on London and how the people of London coped with this. However once the character goes to Madrid the plot slows right down and then doesn't seem to pick up again until the end and the plot twist, which I won't ruin for you.
I think the book is worth a read just for the historical value. It does show how bad the civil war was in Spain and if like me you don't know much about that part of history it does explain a lot.
By far not the best book I have read but still enjoyable
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Used Price: £0.01

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.Revelation (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

April 04, 2008
Have read all four of the Shardlake series, all brilliant. I am now having withdrawal. Sansom has you totally engrossed, you can picture the scene, a detailed version of the violent times of Henry V111. I cannot find a single fault. Will there be anymore, please.
If you like historical whodunnits, these are for you, difficult to put down, extremely well written, who needs television.
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Used Price: £5.40

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.Dissolution (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

August 03, 2007
This book is not exactly high quality writing of the level of Jane Austin but it isn't trying to be, it's more like a gripping Dan Brown detective novel but with the added bonus of being well written.

The book moulds interesting multiple stories with history which is by and large accurate. Definitely worth a read.
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Used Price: £3.00

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.Revelation (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

April 04, 2008
The author successfully mixes real people, from the turbulent time of Henry VIII, with his fictional character Mathew Shardlake. The latter being an ex-monk, owing to the earlier dissolution of the monasteries, and now a lawyer who engages in detective work on the side. The story is an intriguing one that keeps one gripped throughout aided by the superb reading by Anton Lessor, who breathes life into all the various characters. The seven predictions from the Bible's book of Revelation are revealed as the template for seven gruesome murders. I was reminded a bit of David Hewson's first book in his modern-day Rome series in the inventiveness of the plot.
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Used Price: £13.45

Average Rating:

.Dissolution (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

August 06, 2004
An unlikely superhero, admittedly, but Matthew Shardlake is a brilliant construction, and this book is not to be missed. Neither is the second. In fact I can't bring myself to read the (probably) final one, because I'm saving it for a week when I can concentrate solely on it! Yes, it's a bit predictable, and the sidekick can be a tad irritating, but it's just a story...not an historical treatise. Enjoy it, that's all. Please let someone make the movie...it'll be a brave man who takes the lead role, but a sure-fire Oscar!
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Used Price: £0.20

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.Sovereign (Shardlake)

by: C.J. Sansom

August 18, 2006
I have not read any other works by the author so for me this is the first time I've met the character. The cover caught my attention, and as I enjoy detective novels and historical fiction, this looked the book for me.

The basic storyline is that our central character, a lawyer, is ordered to assist with some legal proceedings which take place during Henry VIII's progress to the north or more particularly York. The place in time is just after the great Northern Rebellion and during his marriage to the young and flakey Katherine Howard. The lawyer accidentally discovers some documents in a box, which as they implicate the legitimacy of the King's right to be king are highly contentious, as a result of the discovery there are attempts on his life. The detective component ... Read More:
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Used Price: £13.45