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Dissolution - The Shardlake series
Dissolution - The Shardlake series
paperback
Published:
16 July, 2015
Description
Now a major Disney+ original series
'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday Times
Dissolution is the first novel in C. J. Sansom’s phenomenal bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Phillipa Gregory. After one of Cromwell's commissioners is brutally murdered, Matthew Shardlake is drawn into an investigation that becomes darker than he could have ever imagined . . .
England, 1537. It is a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066. Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. And under the orders of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: dissolution.
But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege.
Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell to uncover the truth behind the dark happenings at Scarnsea. But Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything that he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes . . .
Follow Shardlake into the dark heart of Tudor England with the next book in the series, Dark Fire.
Prizes
Short-listed for CWA New Blood Dagger 2003 (UK),Short-listed for CWA Historical Dagger 2003 (UK),Short-listed for Waverton Good Read Award 2003 (UK)
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781447285830 |
| ISBN10 | 1447285832 |
| Number Of Pages | 480 |
| Item Weight | 342 g |
| Product Dimensions | 131 x 197 x 30 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Pan Macmillan |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
When it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival * Sunday Times *
Matthew Shardlake combines engrossing historical detail with a first-rate murder mystery. A really satisfying page-turner. * Independent on Sunday *
Sansom has a greater talent for animating period details than most of his contemporaries, his rendering of the Tudor winter in the first of the Shardlake series makes you reach for thick fleece blankets. * Guardian *
Remarkable . . . The sights, the voices, the very smell of this turbulent age seem to rise from the page. -- P.D. James, author of the Adam Dagliesh series
Extraordinarily impressive. The best crime novel I have read this year. -- Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse series
Terrific . . . a remarkable, imaginative feat. It is a first-rate murder mystery and one of the most atmospheric historical novels I’ve read in years. * Mail on Sunday *
Terrific. Historical fiction at its finest. -- Peter Robinson, author of the Roy Grace series
Dissolution is not just a fascinating detective story, but a convincing portrait of a turbulent period. * Sunday Telegraph *
I don’t read historical novels any more — it’s a busman’s holiday — but I make an exception for C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake books, which are set amid the uncertainties of the 16th-century Henrician Reformation. -- Bernard Cornwell, author of the Sharpe series * The Times ‘The 25 books you must read’ *
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a Ph.D. in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer. Sansom is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Shardlake series, the Spanish Civil War thriller Winter in Madrid and the lauded alternative history novel Dominion. He lives in Sussex.