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Shardlake
The ''Shardlake series'' is a series of historical mystery novels by C. J. Sansom, set in the reign of Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII in the 16th century. Sansom has said that he plans to write further Shardlake novels taking the lawyer into the reign of Elizabeth I. Description The series' protagonist is the kyphosis, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, who is assisted in his adventures by Mark Poer and then Jack Barak. Shardlake works on commission initially from Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, Thomas Cromwell in ''Dissolution (C. J. Sansom novel), Dissolution'' and ''Dark Fire (C. J. Sansom novel), Dark Fire'', Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in ''Sovereign (Sansom novel), Sovereign'' and ''Revelation (Sansom novel), Revelation'', Queen Catherine Parr in ''Heartstone (novel), Heartstone'' and ''Lamentation (C. J. Sansom novel), Lamentation'', and Princess Elizabeth I, Elizabeth in ''Tombland (C. J. Sansom novel), Tombland''. The seventh book, ''Tombland'', was published in O ...
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Sovereign (Sansom Novel)
''Sovereign'', published in 2006, is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's fourth novel and the third in the Matthew Shardlake Series. Set in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII, it follows hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant, Jack Barak as they investigate a series of murders and a plot to question the legitimacy of the line of succession to the English throne. Plot Set in the autumn of 1541, the novel describes fictional events surrounding Henry VIII's 'Progress' to the North (a state visit accompanied by the royal court and its attendants, the purpose of which was to accept the formal surrender from those who had rebelled during the Pilgrimage of Grace). Most of the novel is set in York though events in London and on the return journey via Hull are also depicted. Matthew Shardlake (a London lawyer) and his assistant Jack Barak arrive in York ahead of the Progress to fulfill an official role but als ...
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Dark Fire (Sansom Novel)
''Dark Fire'' is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's second novel, released in 2004, and also the second in the Shardlake series, Matthew Shardlake Series. Set in the 16th century during the reign of Tudor period, Tudor Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII, it follows kyphosis, hunchbacked lawyer Shardlake's search to recover the long-lost formula for Greek fire. The novel was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Edith Pargeter, Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in 2005.CJ Sansom wins with Dark Fire
– CWA announcement of the award.


Plot introduction

It is 1540 and the hottest summer of the sixteenth century. Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, Thomas Cromwell, is busy trying to m ...
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Heartstone (novel)
''Heartstone'' is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's sixth novel, and the fifth in the Matthew Shardlake Series. Set in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII, the events of the novel take place in the summer of 1545. Shardlake and his assistant Barak travel to Portsmouth on a legal case given to them by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. The book also concerns preparations for the Battle of the Solent and the King's warship, the ''Mary Rose''. The book introduces the young Princess Elizabeth in a minor role. An abridged audiobook on CD, narrated by Anton Lesser, was released by Macmillan Digital Audio in 2010. An unabridged audiobook, nearly 23 hours of narration performed by Steven Crossley, was released in 2011. In 2018, BBC Radio 4 aired a full-cast adaptation of the novel, dramatised by Colin MacDonald, with Justin Salinger starring as Shardlake. Awards and honors *2011 Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott ...
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Dissolution (Sansom Novel)
''Dissolution'' (2003) is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's first published novel, and the first in the Matthew Shardlake Series. It was dramatised by BBC Radio 4 in 2012. Background Set in the 16th century during the dissolution of the monasteries, the book follows the lawyer Shardlake in his attempts to solve the murder of one of Thomas Cromwell's commissioners in the monastery at the fictional town of Scarnsea on the south coast of England. Reception ''Dissolution'' has been well received by critics, although there has been some criticism of the language and detail in the writing. "The best crime novel I have read this year" – Colin Dexter; "Remarkable...the sights, the voices, the very smell of this turbulent age seem to rise from the page" – P. D. James;Dissoluti ...
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Tombland
''Tombland'' is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is the seventh book in the Matthew Shardlake series, following 2014's ''Lamentation''. Set in the summer of 1549, the story deals with the investigation of a murder in Norfolk. Matthew Shardlake is entrusted by Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I, to investigate the murder of the wife of a distant relative of hers. During the course of the investigation Shardlake gets involved in Kett's Rebellion. The title comes from the Tombland area of Norwich which is just situated outside Norwich Cathedral. Tombland's etymolgoy is Danish in origin meaning 'empty space' or 'open land', and in the 11th century the area was home to an Anglo-Scandinavian marketplace. Reception Critical reception for ''Tombland'' has been positive. Stephanie Merritt writing for ''The Guardian'' commented that the novel is 'more of a grand historical epic than a tightly packed whodunnit.' In a similar vein Andrew Taylor writing for ...
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Tombland (C
''Tombland'' is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is the seventh book in the Matthew Shardlake series, following 2014's ''Lamentation''. Set in the summer of 1549, the story deals with the investigation of a murder in Norfolk. Matthew Shardlake is entrusted by Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I, to investigate the murder of the wife of a distant relative of hers. During the course of the investigation Shardlake gets involved in Kett's Rebellion. The title comes from the Tombland area of Norwich which is just situated outside Norwich Cathedral. Tombland's etymolgoy is Danish in origin meaning 'empty space' or 'open land', and in the 11th century the area was home to an Anglo-Scandinavian marketplace. Reception Critical reception for ''Tombland'' has been positive. Stephanie Merritt writing for ''The Guardian'' commented that the novel is 'more of a grand historical epic than a tightly packed whodunnit.' In a similar vein Andrew Taylor writing for ...
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Revelation (Sansom Novel)
''Revelation'' is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's fifth novel, and the fourth in the Matthew Shardlake Series. Set in 1543 during the reign of King Henry VIII, it follows hunchbacked lawyer Shardlake and his assistant, Jack Barak as they hunt the killer of a fellow lawyer - who turns out to be a religiously fanatic serial killer, insane but highly intelligent and capable. Plot The plot centres around the challenges of Reformation England, draws on the prophesies of the Book of Revelation and features Archbishop Cranmer. Awards and nominations Revelation was short listed for the Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year 2009 and the Crime Writers Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ... Ellis Peters Historical Dagger ...
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Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl Of Essex
Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charges for the execution. Cromwell was one of the most powerful proponents of the English Reformation, and the creator of true English governance. He helped to engineer an annulment of the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that Henry could lawfully marry Anne Boleyn. Henry failed to obtain the approval of Pope Clement VII for the annulment in 1533, so Parliament endorsed the king's claim to be Supreme Head of the Church of England, giving him the authority to annul his own marriage. Cromwell subsequently charted an evangelical and reformist course for the Church of England from the unique posts of Vicegerent in Spirituals and Vicar-general (the two titles refer to the same position). During his rise to power, Cromwell made many enemies ...
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Historical Mystery
The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the solving of a mystery or crime (usually murder). Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 20th century, many credit Ellis Peters's '' Cadfael Chronicles'' (1977–1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery. The increasing popularity and prevalence of this type of fiction in subsequent decades has spawned a distinct subgenre recognized by the publishing industry and libraries. ''Publishers Weekly'' noted in 2010 of the genre, "The past decade has seen an explosion in both quantity and quality. Never before have so many historical mysteries been published, by so many gifted writers, and covering such a wide range of times and places." Editor Keith Kahla concurs, "From a small gr ...
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Historical Mystery
The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the solving of a mystery or crime (usually murder). Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 20th century, many credit Ellis Peters's '' Cadfael Chronicles'' (1977–1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery. The increasing popularity and prevalence of this type of fiction in subsequent decades has spawned a distinct subgenre recognized by the publishing industry and libraries. ''Publishers Weekly'' noted in 2010 of the genre, "The past decade has seen an explosion in both quantity and quality. Never before have so many historical mysteries been published, by so many gifted writers, and covering such a wide range of times and places." Editor Keith Kahla concurs, "From a small gr ...
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Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. The Association also promotes crime writing of fiction and non-fiction by holding annual competitions, publicising literary festivals and establishing links with libraries, booksellers and other writer organisations, both in the UK such as the Society of Authors, and overseas. The CWA enables members to network at its annual conference and through its regional chapters as well as through dedicated social media channels and private website. Members' events and general news items are published on the CWA website which also features Find An Author where CWA members are listed and information provided about themselves, their books and their awards. The CWA publishes a monthly magazine exclusively for members called ''Red Herrings'', edited by M ...
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Walter Scott Prize
The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter Scott Prize
, bordersbookfestival.org. Retrieved April 2012.
At £25,000, it is one of the largest literary awards in the UK. The award was created by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, whose ancestors were closely linked to Scottish author , who is generally considered the originator of historical fiction with the novel ''