My Goodreads review: Dissolution

[ankh_hpl]

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you're a Brother Cadfael fan, or just enjoy detailed British historical fiction, you're likely to enjoy the first adventure of Matthew Shardlake. A lawyer in the time of Henry VIII (just post-Anne Boleyn, who figures prominently in the plotline), Shardlake & his reluctant assistant Mark Poer are sent to a monastery to investigate the murder of the last Commisioner sent there by Thomas Cromwell.

What follows -- besides several more murders -- is a well-crafted whodunit steeped in Tudor history. For a hunchback, Shardlake manages to get himself into a remarkable number of action scenes. Yet he is first & foremost a thoughtful, haunted man who is discovering the darkest secrets of his employer, Cromwell.

If you're the sort of reader who appreciates author notes futher explaining the history -- & changes made for the sake of plotting -- C.J. Sansom includes those as well. Recommended for historical mystery enthusiasts not afraid to get deep in the weeds, though the journey is worth it.



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