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Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1)

C.J. Sansom

Start date: January 15, 2023

Finish date: February 7, 2023

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: First book in this popular historical mystery series.
[close] First book in this popular historical mystery series.

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What Members Thought

Jan 17, 2012 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First published in 2003, this is the first novel in the Matthew Shardlake series, and introduces us to our unlikely hero; lovelorn, hunchbacked, a reformist lawyer who begins the book as utterly loyal to Cromwell’s ideals and ends it plagued with doubts about his role and mission.

Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to the Monastery of St Donatus the Ascendant at Scarnsea, Sussex. It is 1537 and the dissolution of the monasteries is underway. Cromwell had sent Commissioner Robin Singleton there with l First published in 2003, this is the first novel in the Matthew Shardlake series, and introduces us to our unlikely hero; lovelorn, hunchbacked, a reformist lawyer who begins the book as utterly loyal to Cromwell’s ideals and ends it plagued with doubts about his role and mission.

Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to the Monastery of St Donatus the Ascendant at Scarnsea, Sussex. It is 1537 and the dissolution of the monasteries is underway. Cromwell had sent Commissioner Robin Singleton there with lawyer, Lawrence Goodhaps. Now Singleton has been found murdered and Shardlake is sent to investigate. He is accompanied by Mark Poer, a young man he had taken into his household as a family obligation. Mark has been in disgrace for his dalliance with a knight’s daughter and Shardlake hopes that success in their mission will plead Poer’s case for rehabilitation, while putting him in Cromwell’s favour. However, once they arrive they find Goodhaps terrified and the monks suspicious and concerned about their future. Snow begins to fall, making travel difficult, and the monastery is isolated, with dangerous marshland outside the gates and the possibility of smugglers. Before long, Shardlake is embroiled in an investigation of murder, which reaches back to the trial and beheading of Ann Boleyn – an event which Shardlake attended on Cromwell’s orders.

Although this is the first novel in the series, and there are bumps along the way, the character of Shardlake himself already seems like an old friend. The setting – the isolated monastery with a fixed group of suspects– works very well. Mark Poer is not the greatest foil to Shardlake, but the novel introduces other characters who appear in later books. Overall, even re-reading this, it is an assured and excellent debut to a series which has to be my favourite historical mystery series in print. The next books in the series are: Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, with Lamentation due out in 2014. A new Shardlake is an event but, until then, it is wonderful to revisit these books and rediscover how great they are. ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2018 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First published in 2003, this is the first novel in the Matthew Shardlake series, and introduces us to our unlikely hero; lovelorn, hunchbacked, a reformist lawyer who begins the book as utterly loyal to Cromwell’s ideals and ends it plagued with doubts about his role and mission.

Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to the Monastery of St Donatus the Ascendant at Scarnsea, Sussex. It is 1537 and the dissolution of the monasteries is underway. Cromwell had sent Commissioner Robin Singleton there with l First published in 2003, this is the first novel in the Matthew Shardlake series, and introduces us to our unlikely hero; lovelorn, hunchbacked, a reformist lawyer who begins the book as utterly loyal to Cromwell’s ideals and ends it plagued with doubts about his role and mission.

Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to the Monastery of St Donatus the Ascendant at Scarnsea, Sussex. It is 1537 and the dissolution of the monasteries is underway. Cromwell had sent Commissioner Robin Singleton there with lawyer, Lawrence Goodhaps. Now Singleton has been found murdered and Shardlake is sent to investigate. He is accompanied by Mark Poer, a young man he had taken into his household as a family obligation. Mark has been in disgrace for his dalliance with a knight’s daughter and Shardlake hopes that success in their mission will plead Poer’s case for rehabilitation, while putting him in Cromwell’s favour. However, once they arrive they find Goodhaps terrified and the monks suspicious and concerned about their future. Snow begins to fall, making travel difficult, and the monastery is isolated, with dangerous marshland outside the gates and the possibility of smugglers. Before long, Shardlake is embroiled in an investigation of murder, which reaches back to the trial and beheading of Ann Boleyn – an event which Shardlake attended on Cromwell’s orders.

Although this is the first novel in the series, and there are bumps along the way, the character of Shardlake himself already seems like an old friend. The setting – the isolated monastery with a fixed group of suspects– works very well. Mark Poer is not the greatest foil to Shardlake, but the novel introduces other characters who appear in later books. Overall, even re-reading this, it is an assured and excellent debut to a series which has to be my favourite historical mystery series in print (even if Bernie Gunther is such a close second he is virtually joint first...). The next books in the series are: Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation, with Tombland due out later this year. A new Shardlake is an event but, until then, it is wonderful to revisit these books and rediscover how great they are. ...more

21 likes · Like · see review

Jul 24, 2016 Linda Boa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-for-blog

Quite possibly every crime fan - bar me - has read this book by now, but I've read them out of order - which isn't a problem, but I'd rather have read them in order. If you think historical crime fiction isn't your thing, I would suggest you read this book and your mind will be changed. Matthew Shardlake, Commissioner to the King, has been sent to Scarnsea monastery to investigate his predecessor's murder. Henry VIII is dissolving the monasteries, but so far has only been successful with the sma ...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Kavita rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, uk, historical-fiction, tudors

The book was exciting and well-researched. I revelled in the times of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, and the description of life in 16th century England was excellent. While the history around the original characters was rather cliched and sometimes, blatantly false, the author managed to create an exciting murder mystery around the even more exciting events of 1530s England and I can safely say it was the little details that kept me hooked.

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Feb 04, 2023 Teri-K rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical-mystery, zz-2023-bought

I've been interested in this series for a long time, but haven't been able to get my hands on any of the books, so I was excited to read this. Set in England in the time of Henry VIII, our MC works for Thomas Cromwell as a lawyer and investigator, and sincerely believes that Cromwell is a good man working for the best of England. He's also called a hunchback, and is an outcast among many people because of this deformity.

The book concerns a series of murders in a monastery that is slated to be c ...more

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