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Matthew Shardlake #5
Heartstone
This is the new Shardlake mystery from the No 1 bestselling author of "REVELATION". Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel. As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. The King has debased the currency to pay for the war, and England is in the grip of soaring inflation and economic crisis. Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of 'monstrous wrongs' committed against a young ward of the court, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant Barak journey to Portsmouth. Once arrived, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing to become a war zone; and Shardlake takes the opportunity to also investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettipace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam. The emerging mysteries around the young ward, and the events that destroyed Ellen's family nineteen years before, involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. Events will converge on board one of the King's great warships, primed for battle in Portsmouth the Mary Rose...
634 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2010
1260 people are currently reading
7682 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Sansom
64 books3,939 followersChristopher John "C.J." Sansom was an English writer of crime novels.
Sansom was educated at the University of Birmingham, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he decided to retrain as a solicitor. He practised for a while in Sussex as a lawyer for the disadvantaged, before quitting in order to work full-time as a writer.
He came to prominence with his series set in the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century, whose main character is the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Shardlake works on commission, initially from Thomas Cromwell in Dissolution and Dark Fire and then Thomas Cranmer in Sovereign and Revelation.
He has also written Winter in Madrid, a thriller set in Spain in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
Dark Fire won the 2005 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, awarded by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA). Sansom himself was "Very Highly Commended" in the 2007 CWA Dagger in the Library award, for the Shardlake series.
The television series "Shardlake" was adapted from the books and released by Disney+ on 1st May 2024, just 4 days after Samson's death.
(from Wikipedia®)
Sansom was educated at the University of Birmingham, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he decided to retrain as a solicitor. He practised for a while in Sussex as a lawyer for the disadvantaged, before quitting in order to work full-time as a writer.
He came to prominence with his series set in the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century, whose main character is the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Shardlake works on commission, initially from Thomas Cromwell in Dissolution and Dark Fire and then Thomas Cranmer in Sovereign and Revelation.
He has also written Winter in Madrid, a thriller set in Spain in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
Dark Fire won the 2005 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, awarded by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA). Sansom himself was "Very Highly Commended" in the 2007 CWA Dagger in the Library award, for the Shardlake series.
The television series "Shardlake" was adapted from the books and released by Disney+ on 1st May 2024, just 4 days after Samson's death.
(from Wikipedia®)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,507 reviews
July 21, 2022
I don't consider myself much of a fangirl. I never joined Team Edward or Team Peeta. Never even swooned at the thought of Mr. Darcy. But you can sign me up for Team Matthew.
In the fifth installment of Sansom's Matthew Shardlake mysteries our unlikely heroes are out to find justice and rescue the downtrodden once again. This time, the backdrop is Portsmouth and surrounding countryside as the French prepare to attack during the summer of 1545. Henry VIII is aging and becoming more irrational regarding his escapades against the French that achieve nothing other than reducing the population of young men on both sides.
As with the prior novels, there are a multitude of moments when I felt my heartstrings tugged for Matthew, who is always trying to do what is right, even if it may kill him. Thankfully, he has the more street-wise Jack Barak to always watch his back.
Barak's character has evolved and aged, and we see he and Tamasin preparing for the birth of their second child after the loss of their first in Revelation. Though he is settling into married life, Barak still has his fighting spirit that leads him into trouble at times. He and Matthew are the perfect pair.
Sansom never fails to expertly recreate Tudor England, from the London streets to the deck of the Mary Rose. Through Shardlake and Barak's travels in this novel, we visit a priory that has been converted to the residence of a gentleman with new money, small out-of-the-way villages, and the stinking army camps as England prepares for invasion. Each scene is written to enable the reader to perfectly envision the scene and feel as though we know each character personally.
The dual mysteries in Heartstone build slowly and suspensefully, leaving me with several conflicting theories regarding the likely outcome. Each one was wrong. Matthew manages to uncover all sorts of secrets and find new souls for him to attempt to save. He gets so caught up in his need to know truth and seek justice that he gets himself to a point where he wearily admits defeat in a heartbreaking moment.
I have Lamentation on my shelf, and part of me wants to scoop it up right away....but I will wait, because I just don't know what I will do when I have no more Matthew Shardlake stories to read.
In the fifth installment of Sansom's Matthew Shardlake mysteries our unlikely heroes are out to find justice and rescue the downtrodden once again. This time, the backdrop is Portsmouth and surrounding countryside as the French prepare to attack during the summer of 1545. Henry VIII is aging and becoming more irrational regarding his escapades against the French that achieve nothing other than reducing the population of young men on both sides.
As with the prior novels, there are a multitude of moments when I felt my heartstrings tugged for Matthew, who is always trying to do what is right, even if it may kill him. Thankfully, he has the more street-wise Jack Barak to always watch his back.
Barak's character has evolved and aged, and we see he and Tamasin preparing for the birth of their second child after the loss of their first in Revelation. Though he is settling into married life, Barak still has his fighting spirit that leads him into trouble at times. He and Matthew are the perfect pair.
Sansom never fails to expertly recreate Tudor England, from the London streets to the deck of the Mary Rose. Through Shardlake and Barak's travels in this novel, we visit a priory that has been converted to the residence of a gentleman with new money, small out-of-the-way villages, and the stinking army camps as England prepares for invasion. Each scene is written to enable the reader to perfectly envision the scene and feel as though we know each character personally.
The dual mysteries in Heartstone build slowly and suspensefully, leaving me with several conflicting theories regarding the likely outcome. Each one was wrong. Matthew manages to uncover all sorts of secrets and find new souls for him to attempt to save. He gets so caught up in his need to know truth and seek justice that he gets himself to a point where he wearily admits defeat in a heartbreaking moment.
I have Lamentation on my shelf, and part of me wants to scoop it up right away....but I will wait, because I just don't know what I will do when I have no more Matthew Shardlake stories to read.
July 11, 2025
4 stars for book 5 in the Matthew Shardlake series. This book is long, at 634 pages, but the plot moved along at a good pace and it held my interest throughout the book. I have read the previous 4 books in the series and suggest that you do the same, so you can better understand the relationships between the characters. According to the author bio, he was a practicing lawyer who has closed his law practice to become a full time writer. His books have become bestsellers and have won several awards.
This historical fiction mystery is set in 1545. England is at war with France. It is a war that Henry VIII started the previous year by invading northern France. Now the French have amassed an invasion fleet of ships with 30,000 soldiers.
Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by a loyal servant of Queen Catherine Parr. He accepts the case because he can also investigate what happened to Ellen Fettiplace's family 19 years ago. He became acquainted with Ellen while visiting Bedlam(insane asylum) on a previous case.
He does solve both cases, but not before being attacked and warned to stop investigating.
This series was recommended to me by my Goodreads friend Ingrid and I am glad that she did. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction mysteries. The descriptions of life in 1545 England are accurate and immerse the reader in another time and place.
This was a library book.
Book 1 is Dissolution My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This historical fiction mystery is set in 1545. England is at war with France. It is a war that Henry VIII started the previous year by invading northern France. Now the French have amassed an invasion fleet of ships with 30,000 soldiers.
Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by a loyal servant of Queen Catherine Parr. He accepts the case because he can also investigate what happened to Ellen Fettiplace's family 19 years ago. He became acquainted with Ellen while visiting Bedlam(insane asylum) on a previous case.
He does solve both cases, but not before being attacked and warned to stop investigating.
This series was recommended to me by my Goodreads friend Ingrid and I am glad that she did. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction mysteries. The descriptions of life in 1545 England are accurate and immerse the reader in another time and place.
This was a library book.
Book 1 is Dissolution My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 1, 2024
3.5/5 Estrellas
He empezado el libro con cautela. Algunas reseñas de amigos de GR avisaban de que se trataba de uno de los libros más flojos de la serie, un pequeño bache a atravesar para llegar a la siguiente entrega, avalada por críticas más favorables.
He de reconocer que el libro es lento, creo que le sobran bastantes páginas. Vuelve una y otra vez sobre los distintos protagonistas y sospechosos de la historia hasta que nuestro querido abogado Shardlake, cual gota china, va consiguiendo profundizar en los misterios que esconde la trama.
Sin embargo hay varios aspectos del libro que me han gustado y que me han llevado al redondeo final de 4 estrellas.
La trama se encuadra en unos acontecimientos históricos poco conocidos. El episodio de las guerras anglo-francesas de Enrique VIII. Concretamente el ataque francés de 1545 sobre Portsmouth y la isla de Wight, todo ello encuadrado en el marco mas grande de las guerras Italianas, donde estaba involucrado a tope el Imperio y España.
Me ha gustado mucho el tema de la intendencia en la que se vuelca el reino inglés, para hacer frente a la muy real posibilidad de invasión francesa de la isla. Cómo la población sigue volcada en el aprendizaje del tiro con arco, cuando la artillería y las armas de fuego están a punto de relegar por completo a este arma que tantos días de gloria dió a los ingleses. Cómo los grandiosos bosques que cubrían desde antiguo la isla de Gran Bretaña empiezan a ser talados de forma sistemática para alimentar los altos hornos de los que saldrán los cañones que darán el dominio de los mares y del Mundo a la Royal Navy.
Dan ganas de visitar el puerto antiguo de Portsmouth y ver los restos musealizados del Mary Rose cuya epopeya se cuenta de forma magistral en este libro. Los miles de objetos que se rescataron de sus marineros, la procedencia de estos (curioso lo que se ha descubierto ya que una buena parte de las dotaciones inglesas de la época eran españoles, flamencos o italianos).
Por no hablar de la minuciosa reconstrucción de los procedimientos y métodos legales de la época que realiza el autor, que son marca de la casa.
Y luego nuestro protagonista, empeñado contra viento y marea en luchar contra la corrupción y los personajes más oscuros de la corte, poniendo en peligro su propia vida. En este caso tenemos dos historias que se entremezclan a lo largo del libro y que ponen al limite la capacidad física y mental de nuestro abogado.
Si no cometéis el error de leer la nota histórica antes de acabar el libro, cosa que yo he hecho, puede que hasta os sorprenda el giro final de la historia.
En definitiva, no es el mejor libro de la saga de Shardlake, pero sigue siendo muy disfrutable y permite sumergirte en el mundo de la época Tudor, durante los últimos y decadentes años del reinado de Enrique VIII.
A por la siguiente y prometedora entrega.
He empezado el libro con cautela. Algunas reseñas de amigos de GR avisaban de que se trataba de uno de los libros más flojos de la serie, un pequeño bache a atravesar para llegar a la siguiente entrega, avalada por críticas más favorables.
He de reconocer que el libro es lento, creo que le sobran bastantes páginas. Vuelve una y otra vez sobre los distintos protagonistas y sospechosos de la historia hasta que nuestro querido abogado Shardlake, cual gota china, va consiguiendo profundizar en los misterios que esconde la trama.
Sin embargo hay varios aspectos del libro que me han gustado y que me han llevado al redondeo final de 4 estrellas.
La trama se encuadra en unos acontecimientos históricos poco conocidos. El episodio de las guerras anglo-francesas de Enrique VIII. Concretamente el ataque francés de 1545 sobre Portsmouth y la isla de Wight, todo ello encuadrado en el marco mas grande de las guerras Italianas, donde estaba involucrado a tope el Imperio y España.
Me ha gustado mucho el tema de la intendencia en la que se vuelca el reino inglés, para hacer frente a la muy real posibilidad de invasión francesa de la isla. Cómo la población sigue volcada en el aprendizaje del tiro con arco, cuando la artillería y las armas de fuego están a punto de relegar por completo a este arma que tantos días de gloria dió a los ingleses. Cómo los grandiosos bosques que cubrían desde antiguo la isla de Gran Bretaña empiezan a ser talados de forma sistemática para alimentar los altos hornos de los que saldrán los cañones que darán el dominio de los mares y del Mundo a la Royal Navy.
Dan ganas de visitar el puerto antiguo de Portsmouth y ver los restos musealizados del Mary Rose cuya epopeya se cuenta de forma magistral en este libro. Los miles de objetos que se rescataron de sus marineros, la procedencia de estos (curioso lo que se ha descubierto ya que una buena parte de las dotaciones inglesas de la época eran españoles, flamencos o italianos).
Por no hablar de la minuciosa reconstrucción de los procedimientos y métodos legales de la época que realiza el autor, que son marca de la casa.
Y luego nuestro protagonista, empeñado contra viento y marea en luchar contra la corrupción y los personajes más oscuros de la corte, poniendo en peligro su propia vida. En este caso tenemos dos historias que se entremezclan a lo largo del libro y que ponen al limite la capacidad física y mental de nuestro abogado.
Si no cometéis el error de leer la nota histórica antes de acabar el libro, cosa que yo he hecho, puede que hasta os sorprenda el giro final de la historia.
En definitiva, no es el mejor libro de la saga de Shardlake, pero sigue siendo muy disfrutable y permite sumergirte en el mundo de la época Tudor, durante los últimos y decadentes años del reinado de Enrique VIII.
A por la siguiente y prometedora entrega.
October 19, 2010
I want to re-write Dr. Seuss now:
You're a mean one
Sir Richard Rich!
You're a mean one
Sir Richard Rich!
April 26, 2019
C.J. Sansom dazzles with his great set of Tudor era historical mysteries, mixing a few legal conundrums with controversies of the time to keep the reader hooked. England is at war, though its citizenry is less than enamoured with the idea. France remains a thorn in the side of King Henry VIII and he has done all he can to prepare the country for battle, including debasing the already fragile currency. Matthew Shardlake watches and wonders what is to come for his country, when he is not spending time at the mental institution visiting a new friend, Ellen Fettiplace. Her time under lock and key is reaching two decades, though she espouses innocence for the charges levied against her. When Shardlake is summoned to Court, he meets with Queen Catherine (Parr) and discovers a new case on which to work. One of the Queen’s former ladies has a legal matter that will require some attention. Her son was a tutor in a household where two young wards of the state were placed. This tutor indicated that there were issues in said household, but before any formal reporting could be done, the tutor was found hanging, though some wonder if it might have been murder. This will require Shardlake to visit the Court of Wards, seeking not only an injunction against the placement of these two wards, but to discover what has been going on. To do so, Shardlake and his assistant, Barak, will have to venture out to interview all involved. Shardlake is prepared for this, as it will give him the chance to learn more about Ellen’s circumstances as well. The Court of Wards handles the mentally infirm as part of their oversight and Ellen’s residence before incarceration was along the route Shardlake must follow. With war coming and soldiers preparing for battle, Shardlake’s inquiries will prove explosive in all senses of the word. Might Ellen not have committed murder as she is said to have done? Could the fire that destroyed the foundry on which she lived not have been of her own doing? And what of these wards, who are apparently not safe in their current placement? Shardlake is ready for anything, including a French invasion, in this stunning novel. A scintillating account of events by C.J. Sansom, who uses history and dramatic effect throughout the piece. Those who have loved the series to date will surely want to continue with this novel.
After a stuttering step on my part, I have come to see that C.J. Sansom educates and entertains the reader with each passing story. As my work involves Child Welfare and Protection, this story was especially interesting to me, as I was able to explore how things were done five centuries before. Matthew Shardlake continues to defy logic and pushes to better understand the Tudor world around him, pushing the limits whenever possible. His adventures take him all over the country, though he cannot shake much of the criticism and mockery, no matter where he goes. With a strong affinity for Ellen Fettiplace, the reader can see a softer side of Shardlake’s character, though there is still something holding him back. While the ‘ward’ case seems less to shine a light on what SHardlake feels, the reader gets more of Barak’s personality shining through, with his wife carrying their child. Series fans will know the monumental nature of this and respect its addition in the story a little more. Shardlake remains a keen legal mind and appears to have the respect of many senior officials at Court, which is significant with the history he possesses. The reader will likely enjoy many of the plot and character advancements found within this piece and I applaud Sansom’s subtle attention to both. Mixing a few characters from the history books alongside a handful of entertaining newbies, Sansom develops a wonderful cast to propel the story forward in many directions. I have said it before and will repeat myself, Sansom has a wonderful way of weaving his characters into a glorious tapestry and will not disappoint. The novel is well-paced and offers more English history with a Tudor flavour, as the country prepares for another battle. The novel is by no means out of the realm of any reader, though its topic and analysis can sometimes give it a ‘deeper’ and more ‘intense’ feel, alongside the long and intricate chapters that may be red flags for some readers. The patient reader may enjoy peeling back the layers of history required to digest the larger plot. I am eager that I gave the series another chance and want to get to the core of the Sansom reading experience.
Kudos, Mr. Sansom, for keeping me wondering as I learn much about the Tudor dynasty. I cannot wait to continue learning with this series.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
After a stuttering step on my part, I have come to see that C.J. Sansom educates and entertains the reader with each passing story. As my work involves Child Welfare and Protection, this story was especially interesting to me, as I was able to explore how things were done five centuries before. Matthew Shardlake continues to defy logic and pushes to better understand the Tudor world around him, pushing the limits whenever possible. His adventures take him all over the country, though he cannot shake much of the criticism and mockery, no matter where he goes. With a strong affinity for Ellen Fettiplace, the reader can see a softer side of Shardlake’s character, though there is still something holding him back. While the ‘ward’ case seems less to shine a light on what SHardlake feels, the reader gets more of Barak’s personality shining through, with his wife carrying their child. Series fans will know the monumental nature of this and respect its addition in the story a little more. Shardlake remains a keen legal mind and appears to have the respect of many senior officials at Court, which is significant with the history he possesses. The reader will likely enjoy many of the plot and character advancements found within this piece and I applaud Sansom’s subtle attention to both. Mixing a few characters from the history books alongside a handful of entertaining newbies, Sansom develops a wonderful cast to propel the story forward in many directions. I have said it before and will repeat myself, Sansom has a wonderful way of weaving his characters into a glorious tapestry and will not disappoint. The novel is well-paced and offers more English history with a Tudor flavour, as the country prepares for another battle. The novel is by no means out of the realm of any reader, though its topic and analysis can sometimes give it a ‘deeper’ and more ‘intense’ feel, alongside the long and intricate chapters that may be red flags for some readers. The patient reader may enjoy peeling back the layers of history required to digest the larger plot. I am eager that I gave the series another chance and want to get to the core of the Sansom reading experience.
Kudos, Mr. Sansom, for keeping me wondering as I learn much about the Tudor dynasty. I cannot wait to continue learning with this series.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
April 18, 2024
My 3rd Shardlake - the hunchbacked lawyer in the time of Henry VIII. This one allows me to pick up on events alluded to in the last work ie, the sinking of the Mary Rose.
A great plot with a number of murders thrown in. Shardlake is a relentless lawyer caught up in all manner of political and legal intrigue. Again with these historical novels I am constantly turning to Wikipedia. The Battle of the Solent being one of Henry’s many failed incursions with the French.
Shardlakes relationship with Jack Barak his legal clerk grows even stronger. These are truly great books and I look forward to digging out more.
But after the last 3 books I have read being in the mid 1500’s perhaps it is time to read the new John Connolly. Especially as it is on the table in front of me and I don’t need to get off my butt and walk upstairs to find another book in the stash😉
Ps you know with a Shardlake that even 700 pages is just not enough
A great plot with a number of murders thrown in. Shardlake is a relentless lawyer caught up in all manner of political and legal intrigue. Again with these historical novels I am constantly turning to Wikipedia. The Battle of the Solent being one of Henry’s many failed incursions with the French.
Shardlakes relationship with Jack Barak his legal clerk grows even stronger. These are truly great books and I look forward to digging out more.
But after the last 3 books I have read being in the mid 1500’s perhaps it is time to read the new John Connolly. Especially as it is on the table in front of me and I don’t need to get off my butt and walk upstairs to find another book in the stash😉
Ps you know with a Shardlake that even 700 pages is just not enough
February 20, 2021
3.5~4★
“‘That woman saw us riding together through the town. They’ll be asking later who was with you.’
‘You are right. I’m sorry.’
‘It looks like murder again, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, Jack, it does.’”
Yes, indeed, and more than one murder. The book opens: “stormy June of 1545. London” and continues through to the end of a very hot July and the Battle of the Solent between England and France.
Matthew Shardlake is a London lawyer who used to have the protection of the powerful Thomas Cromwell – before Cromwell met an untimely “off with his head!” comeuppance in 1540, when he displeased King Henry VIII.
So Matthew has been lying reasonably low, as the King dislikes him and mocks his hunchback. But he does enjoy the patronage of the current queen, Catherine Parr, whose life he saved. It’s a dangerous life he leads, with both friends and enemies in the highest of places.
The Queen asks for an investigation into a wardship, suspecting foul play from the family acting as guardians of orphaned children. Meanwhile, Matthew already has a case about which he hopes to learn more.
“I had first met Ellen Fettiplace two years before … I had been astonished when I learned the nature of her malady – she was utterly terrified of going outside the walls of the building. I had myself witnessed the wild, screaming panic that came over her if she were made even to step over the threshold. I pitied Ellen, all the more when I learned she had been incarcerated in the Bedlam after she was attacked and raped near her home in Sussex. She had been sixteen then; she was thirty-five now.”
As it turns out, Ellen’s hometown and the wardship case are not far apart, so he and his younger assistant Jack travel south. It’s an arduous, miserable journey, cold, wet, muddy, and the roads are full of soldiers and goods headed for Portsmouth to fend off the anticipated French invasion. But sometimes, the weather lifts.
“Soon after leaving Godalming, we crossed the border into Hampshire. We were in the western fringes of the Weald, mostly flat, forested country, massive old oaks among elm and beech. Areas of hunting ground were fenced in with high, strong wooden palings. We marched through tunnellike lanes where the trees sometimes met overhead, a green dimness with spatters of bright sunlight on the road. A rich loamy smell came from the woodland. Once I saw a dozen bright butterflies dancing in a patch of sunlight. On the march there had been a constant sound of birds flapping away at our approach, but the butterflies ignored us as we passed, many of the men turning to watch them.”
No wonder men watch. Everyone is being conscripted, and Jack looks like a likely soldier. The only reason he has left his wife and about-to-born baby at home is that being assigned to this case keeps him out of the army.
They do meet up with old friend Sergeant George Leacon, leading 100 archers to Portsmouth. He offers them his protection along the way. Considering that Matthew was seriously attacked in London before they left, he is grateful. Nevertheless, they have to part ways eventually.
“There was a footstep behind me, I was sure. I looked round. The only light came from the moon, and a few candles shimmering at the priory windows. I could see nobody, but the lawn was dotted with trees behind which someone could hide. Fear came on me again, the fear that had been with me since the corner boys’ attack, and I realized how much I missed the security of riding with Leacon’s company.”
There is a lot of travel and repetitive description of countryside and inns. The family with the children could have been a story in itself, although a bit unbelievable to me, as it turned out. There is quite an unexpected twist about three-fourths of the way through the book, a long time to wait.
But there is action! Arrows fly freely, people are shot, stabbed, slashed, drowned, and in Ellen’s history, burned. At one point, Matthew looks done for.
“‘I’ll deal with Shardlake later. I have to go now. After I come back I’ll find a time when it’s quiet, it usually is for a while about three, then kill him and sling him through one of the gun ports.’”
I do enjoy Sansom’s writing, and I try to overlook anachronisms now, so I was never tempted to quit, but I found myself skimming many paragraphs that weren’t moving the story along. His fascination with the coming war is obvious. Too much for me - I did like this scene, though.
“When we rode out into Oyster Street it was already lined with soldiers, helmets and halberds brightly polished, waiting for the King. A sumptuous canopied barge was drawn up at the wharf, a dozen men resting at the oars. Out at sea the ships stood waiting, great streamers in Tudor green and white, perhaps eighty feet long, fluttering gently from the topmasts.”
Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes. But I still give it four stars because inside, it is still a good thing – just not as good as the first four books. And I’ll move on to the next!
[Incidentally, yes, I am certainly aware that my reviews are also wordy. I figure they’re easy to skim or skip.] 😊
“‘That woman saw us riding together through the town. They’ll be asking later who was with you.’
‘You are right. I’m sorry.’
‘It looks like murder again, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, Jack, it does.’”
Yes, indeed, and more than one murder. The book opens: “stormy June of 1545. London” and continues through to the end of a very hot July and the Battle of the Solent between England and France.
Matthew Shardlake is a London lawyer who used to have the protection of the powerful Thomas Cromwell – before Cromwell met an untimely “off with his head!” comeuppance in 1540, when he displeased King Henry VIII.
So Matthew has been lying reasonably low, as the King dislikes him and mocks his hunchback. But he does enjoy the patronage of the current queen, Catherine Parr, whose life he saved. It’s a dangerous life he leads, with both friends and enemies in the highest of places.
The Queen asks for an investigation into a wardship, suspecting foul play from the family acting as guardians of orphaned children. Meanwhile, Matthew already has a case about which he hopes to learn more.
“I had first met Ellen Fettiplace two years before … I had been astonished when I learned the nature of her malady – she was utterly terrified of going outside the walls of the building. I had myself witnessed the wild, screaming panic that came over her if she were made even to step over the threshold. I pitied Ellen, all the more when I learned she had been incarcerated in the Bedlam after she was attacked and raped near her home in Sussex. She had been sixteen then; she was thirty-five now.”
As it turns out, Ellen’s hometown and the wardship case are not far apart, so he and his younger assistant Jack travel south. It’s an arduous, miserable journey, cold, wet, muddy, and the roads are full of soldiers and goods headed for Portsmouth to fend off the anticipated French invasion. But sometimes, the weather lifts.
“Soon after leaving Godalming, we crossed the border into Hampshire. We were in the western fringes of the Weald, mostly flat, forested country, massive old oaks among elm and beech. Areas of hunting ground were fenced in with high, strong wooden palings. We marched through tunnellike lanes where the trees sometimes met overhead, a green dimness with spatters of bright sunlight on the road. A rich loamy smell came from the woodland. Once I saw a dozen bright butterflies dancing in a patch of sunlight. On the march there had been a constant sound of birds flapping away at our approach, but the butterflies ignored us as we passed, many of the men turning to watch them.”
No wonder men watch. Everyone is being conscripted, and Jack looks like a likely soldier. The only reason he has left his wife and about-to-born baby at home is that being assigned to this case keeps him out of the army.
They do meet up with old friend Sergeant George Leacon, leading 100 archers to Portsmouth. He offers them his protection along the way. Considering that Matthew was seriously attacked in London before they left, he is grateful. Nevertheless, they have to part ways eventually.
“There was a footstep behind me, I was sure. I looked round. The only light came from the moon, and a few candles shimmering at the priory windows. I could see nobody, but the lawn was dotted with trees behind which someone could hide. Fear came on me again, the fear that had been with me since the corner boys’ attack, and I realized how much I missed the security of riding with Leacon’s company.”
There is a lot of travel and repetitive description of countryside and inns. The family with the children could have been a story in itself, although a bit unbelievable to me, as it turned out. There is quite an unexpected twist about three-fourths of the way through the book, a long time to wait.
But there is action! Arrows fly freely, people are shot, stabbed, slashed, drowned, and in Ellen’s history, burned. At one point, Matthew looks done for.
“‘I’ll deal with Shardlake later. I have to go now. After I come back I’ll find a time when it’s quiet, it usually is for a while about three, then kill him and sling him through one of the gun ports.’”
I do enjoy Sansom’s writing, and I try to overlook anachronisms now, so I was never tempted to quit, but I found myself skimming many paragraphs that weren’t moving the story along. His fascination with the coming war is obvious. Too much for me - I did like this scene, though.
“When we rode out into Oyster Street it was already lined with soldiers, helmets and halberds brightly polished, waiting for the King. A sumptuous canopied barge was drawn up at the wharf, a dozen men resting at the oars. Out at sea the ships stood waiting, great streamers in Tudor green and white, perhaps eighty feet long, fluttering gently from the topmasts.”
Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes. But I still give it four stars because inside, it is still a good thing – just not as good as the first four books. And I’ll move on to the next!
[Incidentally, yes, I am certainly aware that my reviews are also wordy. I figure they’re easy to skim or skip.] 😊
August 5, 2016
Such a great book, brilliant storytelling which takes you back into time as if yer actually there with its detailed historical content. A mystery which evolves, splits into multiples parts, intertwines enroute, unravels & reveals many eye-openers as the layers are peeled away...... some grand reveals too as the story comes to it’s conclusion within a great historical chapter retold with Master Shardlake centre stage.
To say any more would reveal little snippets of clues but as always I find myself saying after I read the next episode of Shardlake...... Why do I leave it so long between books!! His best yet for me, top marks here with 5 stars.
To say any more would reveal little snippets of clues but as always I find myself saying after I read the next episode of Shardlake...... Why do I leave it so long between books!! His best yet for me, top marks here with 5 stars.
April 1, 2015
Five stars again for this the fifth book in the Matthew Shardlake series. Each book progresses us a little more through the reign of Henry VIII. By now he is married to Catherine Parr and he is not a well man although he is still pursuing his unfortunate desire to war against the French. There is a great deal of historical fact in this book about the Tudor navy which would normally not interest me but the author handles it deftly and passes the information on in an interesting way. There are two parallel plot lines, both of which tell interesting stories about the lives of women at that time and the misfortunes which could befall them. It is another huge book - 630 pages - but as usual I had to keep reading with as few pauses as possible to get to the end. Sadly there is only one more book for me to read and then the prospect of a long wait for the next one.:(
March 20, 2024
Another wonderful novel of historical fiction from CJ Sansom. Matthew Shardlake is such an amazing character : dignified in the face of prejudice against his condition,courageous and compassionate, yet not without flaws. His need to be the rescuer and his relentless pursuit of justice often leading him into trouble and at the expense of his friends.
The author’s impeccable research and writing make for a truly immersive reading experience. The climactic ending on The Mary Rose was thrilling stuff indeed.
One of the streaming platforms really do need to turn these novels into a big budget series!
A must read series.
The author’s impeccable research and writing make for a truly immersive reading experience. The climactic ending on The Mary Rose was thrilling stuff indeed.
One of the streaming platforms really do need to turn these novels into a big budget series!
A must read series.
August 14, 2025
This was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.
September 7, 2023
Another enjoyable Shardlake book that sees our hero move between London, Portsmouth and rural Hampshire and Sussex as he takes on two cases: one for a high-ranking client and the other for himself. This will lead him and his man, Jack Barak, into some dangerous waters whilst uncovering secrets that involve and affect many.
As always the depiction of Tudor England is well done, especially this time with the insight on English sailors and soldiers of the period. Mr Sansom's historical research is always accurate and well placed within the fictional story.
This can be read as a stand-alone novel but I would recommend starting at the first instalment, Dissolution, for the back ground, central and recurring characters.
As always the depiction of Tudor England is well done, especially this time with the insight on English sailors and soldiers of the period. Mr Sansom's historical research is always accurate and well placed within the fictional story.
This can be read as a stand-alone novel but I would recommend starting at the first instalment, Dissolution, for the back ground, central and recurring characters.
May 9, 2020
I'm continuing to love this series. Near the beginning of this one, as the mystery was being set out, I was fairly certain I knew what had happened. While I was venturing in the right direction, I was ultimately miles off! The investigation into Ellen's past was very interesting, especially as I had so wanted to know more about her following on from the previous book, 'Revelation'.
As someone who is not that well versed in British History, these books make particularly fascinating reading, with C.J. Sansom's Historical Note at the end of each book being especially helpful. The history lessons from school were certainly never this gripping and almost none of the information that was listed in such a lacklustre way stuck with me. I remember thinking back then that it was such exciting stuff, made so boring by unimaginative presentation. If only I'd known about Historical Fiction then. It really is a wonderful way to get a feel for things; the fanatical times, the wars, the changes that were happening at a startlingly rapid pace.
As I get further into the series, I get more hesitant about what to put into these reviews. What's well established by book five could well be a spoiler if you are only on book two! I will say, I thoroughly appreciate the evolution of both Shardlake and Barak (especially Barak in this book) as well as the ever growing cast of characters around them. Guy is still my favourite, and his struggles in this book saddened me. With the events of book six, 'Lamentation', looking more tumultuous than ever, I do hope he will be OK. I am starting it now, so will hopefully know soon.
As someone who is not that well versed in British History, these books make particularly fascinating reading, with C.J. Sansom's Historical Note at the end of each book being especially helpful. The history lessons from school were certainly never this gripping and almost none of the information that was listed in such a lacklustre way stuck with me. I remember thinking back then that it was such exciting stuff, made so boring by unimaginative presentation. If only I'd known about Historical Fiction then. It really is a wonderful way to get a feel for things; the fanatical times, the wars, the changes that were happening at a startlingly rapid pace.
As I get further into the series, I get more hesitant about what to put into these reviews. What's well established by book five could well be a spoiler if you are only on book two! I will say, I thoroughly appreciate the evolution of both Shardlake and Barak (especially Barak in this book) as well as the ever growing cast of characters around them. Guy is still my favourite, and his struggles in this book saddened me. With the events of book six, 'Lamentation', looking more tumultuous than ever, I do hope he will be OK. I am starting it now, so will hopefully know soon.
April 27, 2017
I sometimes commented on the books of Matthew Shardlake as being a bit slow in story and pace, but this one, I have to say, I really enjoyed from beginning to end, even if it were 730 pages. Great solid story in historic setting on the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake, in times of Henry VIII.
March 12, 2016
Another excellent historical mystery from C.J.Samson featuring hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Even though the books seem to be get larger as this series grows, I enjoyed every page of this mystery series set in Tudor England. The year is 1545 and Henry VIII is pursuing his war with the French even though it has emptied his coffers and impoverishing his people with ever increasing crippling taxes. He is now conscripting farmers and workers in their thousands and sending them to Portsmouth to await the French invasion.
Matthew has taken on a case as a favour to the Queen (Catherine Parr) to look into a case involving a ward of the courts and despite the country being on the brink of invasion must travel south to Hampshire to investigate. As always he is accompanied by his faithful clerk Barak whose baby is due any day. The unusual case of Ellen Fettisplace, an inmate of Bedlam is still on his mind as he and Ellen have become friends and he decides to make enquiries in her home village on his way to Hampshire. Both cases are complex and Matthew and Barak are away a lot longer than planned.
As always Sansom does a wonderful job in setting the scene, with full immersion in sights and sounds of Tudor England, both in the streets of London, the countryside waiting for invasion and the Kings ships preparing for war in Portsmouth harbour. Matthew must use all his investigative skills as well as his diplomatic skills to avoid being caught up in the corruption and deception of the players in Henry's court.
Matthew has taken on a case as a favour to the Queen (Catherine Parr) to look into a case involving a ward of the courts and despite the country being on the brink of invasion must travel south to Hampshire to investigate. As always he is accompanied by his faithful clerk Barak whose baby is due any day. The unusual case of Ellen Fettisplace, an inmate of Bedlam is still on his mind as he and Ellen have become friends and he decides to make enquiries in her home village on his way to Hampshire. Both cases are complex and Matthew and Barak are away a lot longer than planned.
As always Sansom does a wonderful job in setting the scene, with full immersion in sights and sounds of Tudor England, both in the streets of London, the countryside waiting for invasion and the Kings ships preparing for war in Portsmouth harbour. Matthew must use all his investigative skills as well as his diplomatic skills to avoid being caught up in the corruption and deception of the players in Henry's court.
November 5, 2025
3.75 stars
“Politics is like dice: the better the player, the worse the man.”
This is the fifth in the series of Shardlake novels set in the reign of Henry VIII. This time we are in 1545 and England is on the brink of war with France. The action moves between London, Portsmouth and rural Hampshire.
There are some recurring characters. Barak is still Shardlake’s sidekick. Sir Richard Rich is suitably villainous as ever and Guy the physician also continues to be a part of the story. The plot this time has a couple of focuses. The Court of Wards is one of them dealing with the wardship of orphaned children. The other is a continuation from a previous book and deals withy a resident of Bedlam.
As ever there are plenty of twists and turns. There are always some predictabilities. Shardlake inevitably gets threatened and taken captive. He is always in the middle of whatever historical event is going on. During the build up I thought to myself, surely he’s not going to stick the poor chap on the Mary Rose when it sinks? Well, wait and see!!
There is another interesting story line in the form of a transgender character and Sansom handles this pretty well without resorting to formulaic solutions.
Ideal comfort reading (for me anyway).
“Politics is like dice: the better the player, the worse the man.”
This is the fifth in the series of Shardlake novels set in the reign of Henry VIII. This time we are in 1545 and England is on the brink of war with France. The action moves between London, Portsmouth and rural Hampshire.
There are some recurring characters. Barak is still Shardlake’s sidekick. Sir Richard Rich is suitably villainous as ever and Guy the physician also continues to be a part of the story. The plot this time has a couple of focuses. The Court of Wards is one of them dealing with the wardship of orphaned children. The other is a continuation from a previous book and deals withy a resident of Bedlam.
As ever there are plenty of twists and turns. There are always some predictabilities. Shardlake inevitably gets threatened and taken captive. He is always in the middle of whatever historical event is going on. During the build up I thought to myself, surely he’s not going to stick the poor chap on the Mary Rose when it sinks? Well, wait and see!!
There is another interesting story line in the form of a transgender character and Sansom handles this pretty well without resorting to formulaic solutions.
Ideal comfort reading (for me anyway).
January 16, 2011
With a feeble internal whoop of joy, I finally finished this incredibly over-written novel which at least had the virtue of picking up the pace in the last quarter. But my what a slog to get there. Nearly gave up at the 100 page mark after a laborious opening which threatened little and delivered less. I only kept going after seeing that Goodreaders had granted this book the highest rating of all Shardlake novels. I was just about intrigued enough to discover why. I am still wondering why. Why are readers so seemingly enthralled by such repetitive dialogue, minimal action, little plotting, non-existent suspense and none of the atmosphere that gripped me in Dissolution.
On and on it goes; well established characters like Barak and Guy develop not at all, even Shardlake was more interesting as a crabby, short-tempered at times unpleasant lead. Now he is decidedly soppy.
The twist, when it comes, after what is an age and then some, is good and the story then shifts into at least a moderate gear. That Shardlake is seriously endangered in a particular spot at the wrong time by a particular protaganist was no surprise. I had guessed it would happen at the halfway mark, the perils of a modest knowledge of history I guess. I didn't mind that. The history lesson was interesting and Sansom always gives a good sense of place. And boy doesn't he love telling you how much research he's done.
But my dear boy, the book was at least twice the length it needed to be. There was nary enough story, plot, character development to justify it being so long. I may have to be paid to read another Shardlake and that saddens me. Maybe good old Reader's digest were on to something after all.
On and on it goes; well established characters like Barak and Guy develop not at all, even Shardlake was more interesting as a crabby, short-tempered at times unpleasant lead. Now he is decidedly soppy.
The twist, when it comes, after what is an age and then some, is good and the story then shifts into at least a moderate gear. That Shardlake is seriously endangered in a particular spot at the wrong time by a particular protaganist was no surprise. I had guessed it would happen at the halfway mark, the perils of a modest knowledge of history I guess. I didn't mind that. The history lesson was interesting and Sansom always gives a good sense of place. And boy doesn't he love telling you how much research he's done.
But my dear boy, the book was at least twice the length it needed to be. There was nary enough story, plot, character development to justify it being so long. I may have to be paid to read another Shardlake and that saddens me. Maybe good old Reader's digest were on to something after all.
February 8, 2022
Justice is no easy thing to find.
It is the summer of 1545 and King Henry VIII is getting ready for war with France. In the meantime lawyer Shardlake is summoned by Queen Catherine Parr and given an assignment to travel to Portsmouth and investigate a case of suicide.
July 29, 2023
7/10
Lo cierto es que si fuera un libro independiente podría haberse llevado 4 estrellas sin problemas, pero viniendo de donde viene y que otros libros me gustaron mucho más, dentro de la saga, y solo se llevaron 4, pues al final este 7 se queda en eso 3 solo.
A su favor tiene lo ya comentado en los anteriores, los protagonistas son sólidos, empatizas con ellos y te apetece embarcarte a su lado en cualquier aventura que se propongan. Hay politiqueo del bueno, con personajes importantes por medio y que aparecen cuando deben. El periodo histórico es muy interesante, en este caso incluyendo el intento de invasión francesa sobre Inglaterra como guinda del pastel. El ritmo narrativo suele ir in crescendo y las tramas tienen mucha miga, aunque por desgracia en estos dos puntos ha flojeado un poco como ahora explicaré.
El problema de esta novela es que la trama principal se hace muy larga, demasiado, parece que se va a resolver, pero luego nada y se alarga y alarga hasta que al final el lector pierde buena parte de su interés. Tampoco ayuda que las tramas secundarias sigan el mismo estilo y tampoco avancen lo que deberían. Al final su autor estiró una historia que no daba para más, de hecho con 150 páginas menos le hubiera quedado muchísimo mejor. Ya que tiene muchas virtudes y un desenlace sorprendente y que gustará en general.
¿Recomendable? A ver, si ya estás metido en el quinto libro de esta saga es porque la disfrutas, así que en ese caso tienes que leerlo para seguir con ella, no es un calvario ni mucho menos, pero es cierto que comparado con los otros se te hará más tediosa la experiencia.
Por supuesto que seguiré con la saga, de hecho Labi ya me avisó que este era el libro menos disfrutable de la saga y por ahora lo ha clavado.
Lo cierto es que si fuera un libro independiente podría haberse llevado 4 estrellas sin problemas, pero viniendo de donde viene y que otros libros me gustaron mucho más, dentro de la saga, y solo se llevaron 4, pues al final este 7 se queda en eso 3 solo.
A su favor tiene lo ya comentado en los anteriores, los protagonistas son sólidos, empatizas con ellos y te apetece embarcarte a su lado en cualquier aventura que se propongan. Hay politiqueo del bueno, con personajes importantes por medio y que aparecen cuando deben. El periodo histórico es muy interesante, en este caso incluyendo el intento de invasión francesa sobre Inglaterra como guinda del pastel. El ritmo narrativo suele ir in crescendo y las tramas tienen mucha miga, aunque por desgracia en estos dos puntos ha flojeado un poco como ahora explicaré.
El problema de esta novela es que la trama principal se hace muy larga, demasiado, parece que se va a resolver, pero luego nada y se alarga y alarga hasta que al final el lector pierde buena parte de su interés. Tampoco ayuda que las tramas secundarias sigan el mismo estilo y tampoco avancen lo que deberían. Al final su autor estiró una historia que no daba para más, de hecho con 150 páginas menos le hubiera quedado muchísimo mejor. Ya que tiene muchas virtudes y un desenlace sorprendente y que gustará en general.
¿Recomendable? A ver, si ya estás metido en el quinto libro de esta saga es porque la disfrutas, así que en ese caso tienes que leerlo para seguir con ella, no es un calvario ni mucho menos, pero es cierto que comparado con los otros se te hará más tediosa la experiencia.
Por supuesto que seguiré con la saga, de hecho Labi ya me avisó que este era el libro menos disfrutable de la saga y por ahora lo ha clavado.
November 17, 2024
“Faith and desperation showed equally in his face.” (3.5 stars)
HEARTSTONE is a solid book, but it is not my favorite of the five books in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor mystery series that I have read. There was something about it that was not as satisfying as the four books that preceded it.
In this installment of the series, lawyer Shardlake is dispatched to England’s coastal region, near Portsmouth on the eve of the anticipated French invasion in summer 1545. As mentioned, this text was not my favorite thus far, but it does keep building the tension and the intrigue. I certainly never was going to not finish it. Bit by bit, the reader becomes aware of more and more, and suddenly you find that you are very interested in this story!
Quotes:
• “However much one lacks piety, the atmosphere in a graveyard encourages quiet reflection.”
• “Politics is like dice; the better the player, the worse the man.”
• “God will not suffer injustice to children.”
• “Someone has to care for those nobody else cares for.”
• “But often in this life we must spend our time associating with those who are not our friends, must we not?”
• “But no secret lasts forever.”
• “But there are only so many favors a man can call in from anyone.”
• “But I have faith. It is the only way to live with the mystery.”
Before I end this review, there are two items that deserve to be singled out in HEARTSTONE.
First, there is a section where our protagonist goes on a king’s warship. It is surprisingly evocative. The details and atmosphere given to secondary moments like this in the text are vivid.
Second, I have greatly enjoyed in this series the developing and deepening characterization of Matthew Shardlake. In this novel his presumptuous and obsessive nature is used to good effect, and it is a natural development from earlier novels.
There are two more books in this series. I will be reading them!
HEARTSTONE is a solid book, but it is not my favorite of the five books in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor mystery series that I have read. There was something about it that was not as satisfying as the four books that preceded it.
In this installment of the series, lawyer Shardlake is dispatched to England’s coastal region, near Portsmouth on the eve of the anticipated French invasion in summer 1545. As mentioned, this text was not my favorite thus far, but it does keep building the tension and the intrigue. I certainly never was going to not finish it. Bit by bit, the reader becomes aware of more and more, and suddenly you find that you are very interested in this story!
Quotes:
• “However much one lacks piety, the atmosphere in a graveyard encourages quiet reflection.”
• “Politics is like dice; the better the player, the worse the man.”
• “God will not suffer injustice to children.”
• “Someone has to care for those nobody else cares for.”
• “But often in this life we must spend our time associating with those who are not our friends, must we not?”
• “But no secret lasts forever.”
• “But there are only so many favors a man can call in from anyone.”
• “But I have faith. It is the only way to live with the mystery.”
Before I end this review, there are two items that deserve to be singled out in HEARTSTONE.
First, there is a section where our protagonist goes on a king’s warship. It is surprisingly evocative. The details and atmosphere given to secondary moments like this in the text are vivid.
Second, I have greatly enjoyed in this series the developing and deepening characterization of Matthew Shardlake. In this novel his presumptuous and obsessive nature is used to good effect, and it is a natural development from earlier novels.
There are two more books in this series. I will be reading them!
September 22, 2025
4.5 rounded up. England is on the verge of war with France, and there two mysteries for Shardlake to unravel. One from Queen Catherine Parr, a young man seemingly treated appallingly by a family who are looking after him following the death of his parents, and the other, a personal quest to find out exactly why Ellen Fettiplace (who we first me in the last book) has been incarcerated in Bedlam prison for the last 19 years. Of course, nothing can prepare Shardlake for the tangle of lies and deceit he uncovers which not only involves his nemesis, the evil Richard Rich, but also sees him trapped on the warship Mary Rose as it leaves harbour on it's way to battle the French navy.
This book is huge, full of historical facts and real people from history, and in that way it is very similar to Sovereign (book 3) and it does feel a little drawn out in places, especially the last 50 0r so pages, and putting Shardlake on the Mary Rose while it was sinking was a bit bonkers. Saying that I did blast through tis 730 page book in 5 days, the writing is simply superb. I will be sad when this series is over.
This book is huge, full of historical facts and real people from history, and in that way it is very similar to Sovereign (book 3) and it does feel a little drawn out in places, especially the last 50 0r so pages, and putting Shardlake on the Mary Rose while it was sinking was a bit bonkers. Saying that I did blast through tis 730 page book in 5 days, the writing is simply superb. I will be sad when this series is over.
March 12, 2017
This could've easily become my favorite in the series if it hadn't been so long, and the last part hadn't been so... Formulaic. But because I have read these back-to-back, I found myself being annoyed by the main character. In the beginning, I loved that he was never more than a man of his time, that he was a bit naive and got so caught up in Cromwell's reforms that he was blind to it's effects. But now, after four books, it was annoying me to see that he had learned absolutely nothing: give him a good sob story, get him to feel sorry for you, and the man is blind to everything, only to be shocked and hurt when (once again) he ends up being taken advantage of and almost killed. Therefore, I found the "big reveal" at the end completely underwhelming. But still, these books are wonderful in terms of historical detail, and make the era come to life really remarkably.
June 24, 2011
I was so irritated by Matthew and his bulldog attitude in helping people who neither asked or wanted his help that I wanted to slap him. That's how invested I am in this series. He was real enough to me that I thought I could have impact on his decisions.
I stumbled onto this series after I heard Craig Ferguson talking about the author and I am so grateful. Each book gets better that the last. I feel like Matthew, Barak and Guy are old friends now and I can't wait to see what they are up to next.
In this book, Matthew kept sticking his nose into things that nobody asked him to because he thought it was for the best. I'm not sure he really helped anyone and his actions led to horrible outcomes to those around him. I was irritated but it was realistic and I hope he learned something from it.
I put off reading this book for awhile because it is the last one published. I didn't have another one on hand and am now forced to wait for the author. I can't wait.
Do yourseld a big favor and read this series.
I stumbled onto this series after I heard Craig Ferguson talking about the author and I am so grateful. Each book gets better that the last. I feel like Matthew, Barak and Guy are old friends now and I can't wait to see what they are up to next.
In this book, Matthew kept sticking his nose into things that nobody asked him to because he thought it was for the best. I'm not sure he really helped anyone and his actions led to horrible outcomes to those around him. I was irritated but it was realistic and I hope he learned something from it.
I put off reading this book for awhile because it is the last one published. I didn't have another one on hand and am now forced to wait for the author. I can't wait.
Do yourseld a big favor and read this series.
September 25, 2012
658 pages long but I have read this one in just over a week - it is hard to put down! I thought in March, when I finished Revelation that it should have been called Resolution in that it tied all the loose ends up neatly and took Shardlake from the dissolution of the monasteries and the beginnings of the break from Rome and the establishment of the church of England, through to Catherine Parr becoming Henry's 6th Queen, and Shardlake and Barak settling down and attempting to keep out of politics.
Certainly the boxed set includes "the four books of the Shardlake series" and the focus of this latest addition to the Shardlake stories has a focus which although steeped in the political intrigues and court goings-on of the time is also far more illustrative of everyday life for the majority of the underprivileged population of the British Isles at the time.
Much of the action takes place outside London in Hampshire, Sussex and in Portsmouth and its surrounds, including the Solent. There is a wealth of interesting detail about the Mary Rose and other ships of the fleet assembled to repulse the French invasions forces, but throughout the strands of the two separate investigations Matthew Shardlake is undertaking drive the narrative forward.
I always appreciate short chapters which give natural reading breaks but here they become irrelevant when I just felt I had to read the next bit, and then the next.. and the next... If there were not so many other necessary calls on my time I would have read it all at one sitting. But as Henry's death follows shortly after the events of this book, I fear it may really be the last Shardlake story. That is the downside of a fast read!
Certainly the boxed set includes "the four books of the Shardlake series" and the focus of this latest addition to the Shardlake stories has a focus which although steeped in the political intrigues and court goings-on of the time is also far more illustrative of everyday life for the majority of the underprivileged population of the British Isles at the time.
Much of the action takes place outside London in Hampshire, Sussex and in Portsmouth and its surrounds, including the Solent. There is a wealth of interesting detail about the Mary Rose and other ships of the fleet assembled to repulse the French invasions forces, but throughout the strands of the two separate investigations Matthew Shardlake is undertaking drive the narrative forward.
I always appreciate short chapters which give natural reading breaks but here they become irrelevant when I just felt I had to read the next bit, and then the next.. and the next... If there were not so many other necessary calls on my time I would have read it all at one sitting. But as Henry's death follows shortly after the events of this book, I fear it may really be the last Shardlake story. That is the downside of a fast read!
January 2, 2022
Read this book in 2011, and its the 5th volume of the incredible "Matthew Shardlake" series.
The year is AD 1545, and England is at war with France, and this war is going very bad for King Henry VIII.
The French are threatening to cross the channel with a fleet and England is in uproar, and in Portsmouth everything is make ready to repel the French.
Due to debasing of the currency in an effort to finance this war, the country will see the greatest militia raised against King Henry VIII.
While this is going on Matthew Shardlake is given a legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr, in which he's asked to investigate the monstrous wrongs done against a young ward of the court, and which have already involved one mysterious death.
This case Sahrdlake and Barak will be investigating in Portsmouth, and once there they will also investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettipace, incarcerated now in Bedlam, and to find out eventually that both cases of the young ward and that of Ellen Fettpace are connected to a certain degree.
And there in Portsmouth they will encounter an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne, and in these warlike circumstances they must solve these cases of treason and death.
Highly recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fantastic Heartstone"!
The year is AD 1545, and England is at war with France, and this war is going very bad for King Henry VIII.
The French are threatening to cross the channel with a fleet and England is in uproar, and in Portsmouth everything is make ready to repel the French.
Due to debasing of the currency in an effort to finance this war, the country will see the greatest militia raised against King Henry VIII.
While this is going on Matthew Shardlake is given a legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr, in which he's asked to investigate the monstrous wrongs done against a young ward of the court, and which have already involved one mysterious death.
This case Sahrdlake and Barak will be investigating in Portsmouth, and once there they will also investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettipace, incarcerated now in Bedlam, and to find out eventually that both cases of the young ward and that of Ellen Fettpace are connected to a certain degree.
And there in Portsmouth they will encounter an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne, and in these warlike circumstances they must solve these cases of treason and death.
Highly recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fantastic Heartstone"!
July 30, 2017
Rock solid five stars for this one. Sent to investigate corrupt dealings - by Queen Catherine Parr, ) hunchback lawyer Matthew Sheldrake is faced with murder, high level political deceit, the imminent invasion by the French, old debts that have to be settled and getting to the bottom of why a friend is confined to the Bedlum asylum. Rich in the history of these turbulent times this is a masterful read and one of the best historical crime novels you could read. Top, top class.
April 30, 2018
4.5★s
I am a big fan of C.J. Sansom's series featuring the lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Set during the reign of Henry VIII, the novels focus on various crimes, which the intrepid Shardlake investigates while dealing with the prevailing situation of London and England under Henry's increasingly erratic reign. Sansom is both a qualified lawyer and a PhD in English History, so he is able to insert credible elements from both aspects of his professional life into the narratives. A key feature of his writing is his talent for invoking the sights, sounds and smells of the era, making the reader feel like they are really there, in the stinking hovels, traversing the filthy streets, engaging with the drunken deadbeats, sleazy solicitors and leary louts of the heaving city of 1540s London.
In Heartstone, the fifth instalment in the series, Shardlake's attentions are drawn to the plight of two orphan children whose inheritance seems to be disappearing at the hands of a greedy guardian, and a mature woman suffering agoraphobia which prevents her from leaving the asylum where she has dwelt for nineteen years. Seemingly unrelated, both cases take Shardlake and his loyal retainer, Jack Barak, to the south in the Portsmouth district. That town is abuzz with threats of invasion by the French, and the military build-up has begun, with the conscription of men and the gathering of equipment and supplies. As with all wars, greedy profiteers are doing their utmost to maximise their personal profits, at the expense of the ordinary people.
Shardlake is a fascinating character, whose traits have been defined and elaborated throughout the series of novels. Born with a spinal curvature, he is routinely abused by citizens as ugly, deformed, a product of the Devil...his self-esteem gets battered a lot. He compensates by taking on cases of injustice, fighting for the rights of ordinary folk who find themselves at the mercy of the self-serving, rapacious manipulators who enjoy King Henry's favour. His efforts often take him into dangerous situations and he has suffered violence and degradation in pursuit of his goals.
In Heartstone his supporters and assistants think he is going too far in his quest for answers. His interest in Ellen Fettiplace, 35yo resident of The Bedlam asylum, is complicated by her romantic attraction to him, and he feels guilty that he cannot reciprocate. To expiate for his lack of affection, Shardlake is determined to find out why Ellen has been institutionalised for 19 years without being certified. Those around him suggest that he let her be, as she is happy there, working with other inmates, and determined never to leave despite being free to. The answers lie in a Sussex village where Ellen lived before she arrived in London.
A half day's horse ride west, across the border in Hampshire, Shardlake seeks answers to his second pressing problem. Following the suicide of her only son, Mistress Bess Calfhill seeks assistance from her former employer, Queen Catherine Parr, to uncover a possible injustice to the Curteys children, her son's pupils. Knowing Shardlake's determination to obtain justice for the unfortunate, Catherine engages him to travel to Hoyland, the home of the childrens' guardians, Master Nicholas Hobbey and his wife, Abigail. Prior to his sudden death the tutor had filed a request for the courts to investigate financial fraud and "monstrous wrongs having been done" to the boy Hugh, his sister Emma having died of smallpox a few years earlier. The alleged monstrous wrongs are not specified, and the Hobbeys deny strongly any misdeeds.
These two investigations are set against the background of Tudor England preparing for war against the French. Shardlake's faithful law clerk, the redoubtable Jack Barak, falls foul of an army recruiter, and is in danger of being pressed into military service. He is particularly anxious about this as his wife is heavily pregnant. He is glad to be leaving London for a while, to escape the clutches of the recruiter. Huge consignments of men, arms and supplies are choking the roads leading to Portsmouth, where the English fleet is assembling. The reader is immersed in the dust and odours and petty dramas that unfold along the highway, thanks to Sansom's vivid descriptions.
Hugh Curteys stands to inherit a valuable tract of Hampshire woodland when he turns 21, and this estate is being managed by his ward, Nicholas Hobbey, supposedly to benefit the boy. With war imminent, the demand for firewood and ship building timbers has risen and top prices are being paid, but it seems that Hobbey may be misappropriating some of the profits. His denials are supported by his sharp-tongued lawyer, Vincent Dyrick and his officious steward, Ambrose Fulstowe. Sansom is as skilled with his characterisations as he is with his scenic descriptions, and the people who inhabit the pages are authentic personalities whose voices contribute much to the tone of the novel.
Shardlake and Barak embark on their road journey south and experience all sorts of indignities and challenges along the way. Shardlake is resolute in his determination to uncover the mysteries of what happened to Ellen and to the Curteys children. He faces major obstacles from those with vested interests in concealing the truth. His detective instincts take him all the way to Portsmouth, where he becomes enmeshed in the mighty efforts to do battle against the enemy. He sees at first hand the English flotilla of warships, including the King's favourite vessel, the Mary Rose.
A long way into the book we finally get our first murder. In previous instalments of the series, suspicious deaths come early in the story and the body count can rise dramatically as Shardlake probes dark secrets. Heartstone differs markedly, being more of a mystery-solving plot, with incidents having happened in the distant past. Shardlake must piece together a coherent account of what happened years earlier from fragmentary evidence and hearsay. He frustrates his colleagues intensely by continuing to dig, to not accept the facile testimony of untrustworthy witnesses. He and Barak argue a lot, and their long relationship is put under strain. Most importantly Barak asks Shardlake to take a hard look at what he is doing and what underlies his obstinacy. There is no doubt that he has a messiah complex, and he holds true to his goals to deliver truth and equity for both victims of the crimes he is investigating. This determination takes him right into the midst of war, with a lengthy segment on the Battle of The Solent of 1545.
Thanks to his effortless prose, Sansom paints a vivid picture of the times. At 630 pages, this is a hefty volume, but I did not find it a chore to read. The words flowed off the page, and I became immersed in the story for most of the length of the book. I must say that there were a few sections where I thought the detail became a bit excessive, and I had a tendency to skim those paragraphs. Although I greatly enjoyed this novel, I found it a little too wordy, lacking the sharpness of some of the earlier instalments. Normally I am happy to award Sansom's writing five stars, but on this occasion I'm deducting a half star for this minor fault.
I am a big fan of C.J. Sansom's series featuring the lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Set during the reign of Henry VIII, the novels focus on various crimes, which the intrepid Shardlake investigates while dealing with the prevailing situation of London and England under Henry's increasingly erratic reign. Sansom is both a qualified lawyer and a PhD in English History, so he is able to insert credible elements from both aspects of his professional life into the narratives. A key feature of his writing is his talent for invoking the sights, sounds and smells of the era, making the reader feel like they are really there, in the stinking hovels, traversing the filthy streets, engaging with the drunken deadbeats, sleazy solicitors and leary louts of the heaving city of 1540s London.
In Heartstone, the fifth instalment in the series, Shardlake's attentions are drawn to the plight of two orphan children whose inheritance seems to be disappearing at the hands of a greedy guardian, and a mature woman suffering agoraphobia which prevents her from leaving the asylum where she has dwelt for nineteen years. Seemingly unrelated, both cases take Shardlake and his loyal retainer, Jack Barak, to the south in the Portsmouth district. That town is abuzz with threats of invasion by the French, and the military build-up has begun, with the conscription of men and the gathering of equipment and supplies. As with all wars, greedy profiteers are doing their utmost to maximise their personal profits, at the expense of the ordinary people.
Shardlake is a fascinating character, whose traits have been defined and elaborated throughout the series of novels. Born with a spinal curvature, he is routinely abused by citizens as ugly, deformed, a product of the Devil...his self-esteem gets battered a lot. He compensates by taking on cases of injustice, fighting for the rights of ordinary folk who find themselves at the mercy of the self-serving, rapacious manipulators who enjoy King Henry's favour. His efforts often take him into dangerous situations and he has suffered violence and degradation in pursuit of his goals.
In Heartstone his supporters and assistants think he is going too far in his quest for answers. His interest in Ellen Fettiplace, 35yo resident of The Bedlam asylum, is complicated by her romantic attraction to him, and he feels guilty that he cannot reciprocate. To expiate for his lack of affection, Shardlake is determined to find out why Ellen has been institutionalised for 19 years without being certified. Those around him suggest that he let her be, as she is happy there, working with other inmates, and determined never to leave despite being free to. The answers lie in a Sussex village where Ellen lived before she arrived in London.
A half day's horse ride west, across the border in Hampshire, Shardlake seeks answers to his second pressing problem. Following the suicide of her only son, Mistress Bess Calfhill seeks assistance from her former employer, Queen Catherine Parr, to uncover a possible injustice to the Curteys children, her son's pupils. Knowing Shardlake's determination to obtain justice for the unfortunate, Catherine engages him to travel to Hoyland, the home of the childrens' guardians, Master Nicholas Hobbey and his wife, Abigail. Prior to his sudden death the tutor had filed a request for the courts to investigate financial fraud and "monstrous wrongs having been done" to the boy Hugh, his sister Emma having died of smallpox a few years earlier. The alleged monstrous wrongs are not specified, and the Hobbeys deny strongly any misdeeds.
These two investigations are set against the background of Tudor England preparing for war against the French. Shardlake's faithful law clerk, the redoubtable Jack Barak, falls foul of an army recruiter, and is in danger of being pressed into military service. He is particularly anxious about this as his wife is heavily pregnant. He is glad to be leaving London for a while, to escape the clutches of the recruiter. Huge consignments of men, arms and supplies are choking the roads leading to Portsmouth, where the English fleet is assembling. The reader is immersed in the dust and odours and petty dramas that unfold along the highway, thanks to Sansom's vivid descriptions.
Hugh Curteys stands to inherit a valuable tract of Hampshire woodland when he turns 21, and this estate is being managed by his ward, Nicholas Hobbey, supposedly to benefit the boy. With war imminent, the demand for firewood and ship building timbers has risen and top prices are being paid, but it seems that Hobbey may be misappropriating some of the profits. His denials are supported by his sharp-tongued lawyer, Vincent Dyrick and his officious steward, Ambrose Fulstowe. Sansom is as skilled with his characterisations as he is with his scenic descriptions, and the people who inhabit the pages are authentic personalities whose voices contribute much to the tone of the novel.
Shardlake and Barak embark on their road journey south and experience all sorts of indignities and challenges along the way. Shardlake is resolute in his determination to uncover the mysteries of what happened to Ellen and to the Curteys children. He faces major obstacles from those with vested interests in concealing the truth. His detective instincts take him all the way to Portsmouth, where he becomes enmeshed in the mighty efforts to do battle against the enemy. He sees at first hand the English flotilla of warships, including the King's favourite vessel, the Mary Rose.
A long way into the book we finally get our first murder. In previous instalments of the series, suspicious deaths come early in the story and the body count can rise dramatically as Shardlake probes dark secrets. Heartstone differs markedly, being more of a mystery-solving plot, with incidents having happened in the distant past. Shardlake must piece together a coherent account of what happened years earlier from fragmentary evidence and hearsay. He frustrates his colleagues intensely by continuing to dig, to not accept the facile testimony of untrustworthy witnesses. He and Barak argue a lot, and their long relationship is put under strain. Most importantly Barak asks Shardlake to take a hard look at what he is doing and what underlies his obstinacy. There is no doubt that he has a messiah complex, and he holds true to his goals to deliver truth and equity for both victims of the crimes he is investigating. This determination takes him right into the midst of war, with a lengthy segment on the Battle of The Solent of 1545.
Thanks to his effortless prose, Sansom paints a vivid picture of the times. At 630 pages, this is a hefty volume, but I did not find it a chore to read. The words flowed off the page, and I became immersed in the story for most of the length of the book. I must say that there were a few sections where I thought the detail became a bit excessive, and I had a tendency to skim those paragraphs. Although I greatly enjoyed this novel, I found it a little too wordy, lacking the sharpness of some of the earlier instalments. Normally I am happy to award Sansom's writing five stars, but on this occasion I'm deducting a half star for this minor fault.
March 22, 2017
This book has taken me a while to finish but it was so worth it. This is the best book in the series by far. There were so many strands to this story that it was in danger of falling completely flat but I should have had more faith in C.J who is a master at intertwining everything together.
I found myself doubting Matthew 3/4 of the wait through thinking this time hebhad gone too far and was seeing issues that weren't there, forgive me Matthew I was wrong. The climax was amazing, it lasted for the last quarter of the book and shocked me, made me laugh and cry at the loss of some incredible and brave characters. I'm at a loss what to do with myself now, a sign of an incredibly good book!
I found myself doubting Matthew 3/4 of the wait through thinking this time hebhad gone too far and was seeing issues that weren't there, forgive me Matthew I was wrong. The climax was amazing, it lasted for the last quarter of the book and shocked me, made me laugh and cry at the loss of some incredible and brave characters. I'm at a loss what to do with myself now, a sign of an incredibly good book!
December 16, 2019
A little long; includes a lot on Henry VIII's 1545 War with the French and the wreck of the Mary Rose.
Interesting descriptions of how the countryside fared and prepared, debasement of currency, and armor/weapons of the period.
At least three completely different plotlines bogged it down quite a bit - but still worthwhile.
Interesting descriptions of how the countryside fared and prepared, debasement of currency, and armor/weapons of the period.
At least three completely different plotlines bogged it down quite a bit - but still worthwhile.
January 20, 2023
It is 1545 and people all over England are bracing for an imminent attack from France in retaliation for Henry VIII’s ill-advised attack on Boulogne the previous year. Henry has been selling off former monastery land, raising taxes, and even debasing the coinage, all in an effort to finance the war. Able-bodied men are required to hone their archery skills and are being forcefully conscripted into the army, adding to the turmoil. This is the backdrop for this fifth installment in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series.
Shardlake is a hunchback solicitor/barrister practicing in Lincoln’s Inn Court in London. He is favored by Queen Catherine Parr for having saved her life and is called by her to investigate claims of wrongdoing against a young man who has been a ward of the court. Simultaneously, Shardlake is pursuing information about an inmate in the asylum whom he has befriended. These cases take him to the South and to Portsmouth, the site where British army and naval forces are gathering to fight off the French attack. Shardlake’s dogged pursuit of the truth in both cases ruffles feathers and embroils him in the battle of the Solent and the sinking of the British warship, the Mary Rose.
I have enjoyed each of the books in the series, but this is a new favorite. Shardlake’s determination to achieve justice, especially for the downtrodden, knows no bounds and increasingly subjects him to personal danger. At the same time, he is not without flaws, making him a perfectly imperfect protagonist. Like the others in the series, this installment is rich in suspense and well-drawn characters and brings the Tudor world of everyday people to life with excellent historic detail.
Shardlake is a hunchback solicitor/barrister practicing in Lincoln’s Inn Court in London. He is favored by Queen Catherine Parr for having saved her life and is called by her to investigate claims of wrongdoing against a young man who has been a ward of the court. Simultaneously, Shardlake is pursuing information about an inmate in the asylum whom he has befriended. These cases take him to the South and to Portsmouth, the site where British army and naval forces are gathering to fight off the French attack. Shardlake’s dogged pursuit of the truth in both cases ruffles feathers and embroils him in the battle of the Solent and the sinking of the British warship, the Mary Rose.
I have enjoyed each of the books in the series, but this is a new favorite. Shardlake’s determination to achieve justice, especially for the downtrodden, knows no bounds and increasingly subjects him to personal danger. At the same time, he is not without flaws, making him a perfectly imperfect protagonist. Like the others in the series, this installment is rich in suspense and well-drawn characters and brings the Tudor world of everyday people to life with excellent historic detail.
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