Regardless, he knows his period and he can depict the constant shimming between mind sets and loyalties/ trusts that was at its heart to stay eating and breathing. Q. Ford Madox Ford’s underappreciated trilogy, The Fifth Queen, focuses on roughly the same period in English history as you do in Sovereign. Have you read the trilogy and, if so, did it provide you with any help in fictionalizing the period? Catherine Howard, though not a major figure in your novel, is certainly not the tragic and moving queen of Ford’s trilogy. Does history reveal her to be a young and careless woman overwhelmed by the circumstances of her position or is she something greater than that? Add (and my apologies for Sir Arthur for this) superbly crafted plots, rich, nuanced characterizations and deeply immersive historical settings; and... Of course, since this novel touches on the relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine Howard, Sansom had to include a way for Shardlake to meet these two, as well as confront figures like Lady Rochford, Culpepper, Dereham, and of course Sir Richard Rich. The way he does this is ingenious. Sansom’s attention to details of the Progress is nothing short of extraordinary. Compared to the first two books, this one is much darker as you are unsure how Shardlake and Barak will ever get out of their dangerous situations, but that is what makes it so remarkable. After settling into their living quarters, Shardlake witnesses a man fall to a terrible death and, on hearing his last words, feels sure it was more than an unfortunate accident.

Q. A number of reviewers have compared your Shardlake novels with the work of Umberto Eco, especially The Name of the Rose. How do you feel about such comparisons? Is Eco an influence on your fiction?Into this charged atmosphere of politics and people, Matthew and Barak enter. Who is a friend, who is foe and why are some both? Sunday Times Not only a great detective novel but also a fabulous insight into the historical happenings of the Tudor period, this book is an absorbing read. Maleverer’s smile turned into a cruel smirk. ‘Jesu, sir, you are a righteous prig. I wish I could afford your scruples.’” And with that, the monastery is cursed, haunted by murder and deception for the next five centuries. With the Great Progress arriving in York, Shardlake and Barak will find a cache of important papers that can bring danger to the King's throne, and all these dangerous events will lead to Shardlake having to face the most terrifying fate of the age.

When an old friend is brutally murdered, Shardlake promises his widow—whom he has for the longest time had tangled feelings for—that he will deliver justice. A key narrative thread throughout the novel is the dangerous information that the Tudor claim to the English throne is invalid, and that Henry VIII is the grandson of a bastard. Shardlake finds (then loses) some documents that relate to this proposition, and his safety is threatened several times as various scheming individuals try to get the information from him to satisfy their own aims. The resolution of this plot line at the end of the book was fascinating and gave me much food for thought. Well, a murder occurring shortly after Matthew’s arrival points to a vast conspiracy that could lead to disaster for the King and his family. I will leave it there and just say that the intertwining plots and subplots are very well done and engrossing. This is easily my favorite historical mystery series and among my favorite mystery series period. In The Independent, Amanda Craig praised the novel, likening the quality of the series to the detective fiction by P. D. James, Ruth Rendell, Ian Rankin and Minette Walters. She praised its "vigorous, well-drawn characters" and "impressive historical research". [1] Madrid lies in destruction in the wake of the Spanish Civil War. Its citizens are starving while Germany continues with its conquest of Europe.

This tale is set in the year AD 1541, and King Henry VIII heading for the North on his Progress accompanied by his new wife, Catherine Howard. By the end of the novel, Shardlake has been able to satisfactorily tie up the plot’s many loose ends, with the possible exception of Tamasin. He hasn’t been able to penetrate her character or quite understand her motives. Do you think Tamasin is a potential threat to Barak or Shardlake? Does Shardlake, as Barak claims, simply not understand women? Kemp, Peter (27 April 2008). "A review of 'Revelation' ". The Sunday Times. UK. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Of course this is historical fiction, so I really appreciate C.J. Sansom's Historical Note at the end of the book, which provides some helpful information.

Frank Muncaster, a frail scientist somewhere in a Birmingham mental hospital, keeps a secret that could forever change the balance of the global struggle.It is alleged that when the full moon rises on Solsbury Hill, only the pure in heart will pull through. When her lifeless body is however discovered in the chapel where she kept her nightly vigils, many believe that she was murdered by Viking raiders destroying the country. Both marvellously exciting to read and a totally convincing evocation of England in the reign of Henry VIII. * Spectator, Books of the Year * Autumn, 1541: King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Progress to the North to attend an extravagant submission of his rebellious subjects in York. Like I did with Dark Fire, I listened to portions of this via the audiobook. The audiobooks for this series are really well narrated and I loved that the narrator puts on different accents. It was nice hearing a Yorkshire/Northern accent and reminded me of home, as I was born in Yorkshire. Even in the physical copy of the book the accent came through in the way the words were written. So props to the author.