Revelation (The Shardlake series, 4)

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Shardlake is a busy London lawyer who used to work for Thomas Cromwell, but with Cromwell gone (executed), he has been leading a more ordinary life and trying to stay out of King Henry VIII’s line of fire.

Revelation by C. J. Sansom: 9780143116240

As Shardlake works on the case, he realizes there is a political link, after all. Torn between keeping the king out of the investigations and exploring every possible suspect, Shardlake’s job isn’t easy. No one wants the added pressure of the king scrutinizing their every move, and so, it is Shardlake’s job to ensure the king doesn’t know anything about the murders—and the potential link to Catherine Parr. The face is of an old friend of Matthew Shardlake, and he promises the widow (whom he knew and cared for since their youth) to find the killer. This is the 1500s, Reformation England, when London had a population of about 60,000.Spring, 1543. London’s streets are filled with preachers; strange signs and portents are seen everywhere; and young men, maddened by differing interpretations of the Bible, are drawn into dangerous fundamentalism.

Sansom - Book Series In Order C.J. Sansom - Book Series In Order

We are thrown into the next installment of this engrossing series with Shardlake attending a dinner party hosted by his old friend Roger. Sansom paints this simple and honest friendship between the two men, which is tragically cut short when Roger is found horrifically murdered. After meeting with Archbishop Cranmer and other prominent men, including the Seymour brothers Thomas and Edward, Shardlake soon realizes that this was not a random act of violence, but a stage act by a deranged serial killer who based his murders off of the book of Revelation from the Bible. The additional characters of Thomas Seymour, Archbishop Cranmer, and Catherine Parr adds a sense that these events could have happened. The meticulous details of each murder intensify the experience for the reader and make you wonder if they will ever catch the fiend.Sansom paints a great picture of the times with the sights, sounds and smells hitting you in a visceral way. I also love Shardlakes observations and asides interspersed in the story. For example in chasing a suspect through the muddy streets of London: Nos sumergimos en la antigua abadía de Westminster, entre la ruina y la reconversión. En una sociedad en la que la lucha entre los puritanos y los católicos alumbrarán un "producto" nuevo y a la This story is much darker than the previous volumes, with a serial killer stalking victims and torturing them according to his interpretation of verses in the book of Revelation. Sansom takes this opportunity to evaluate the religious war taking place in England at the time along with Matthew's personal doubts. Another great instalment in one of my favourite series. It’s so sad I hear literally no one talk about these. Anyone who’s a fan of Tudor England and mysteries will adore them. There so well written and keep you interested throughout, despite the length of the novels.

Revelation (The Shardlake series, 4) - AbeBooks Revelation (The Shardlake series, 4) - AbeBooks

Sansom explained his reasons for making his protagonist a barrister, in an interview with The Guardian. Historical mysteries are all the rage, but Sansom’s are in a class of their own. His sheer narrative skill is matchless. -- Simon Shaw, Mail on Sunday The BBC have commissioned an adaptation of Dissolution with the actor Kenneth Branagh set to star as Shardlake. The rest of the Shardlake books are expected to follow. C. J. Sansom has been consulted on the series, which is in the final stages of negotiation.[citation needed]. One of lawyer Matthew Shardlake’s closest friends has been murdered and his body publicly displayed. Brought before Archbishop Cramer, Matthew learns this is not the first such killing. A serial killer is using versus in the Book of Revelations to carry out his killings. If I had one minor complaint about this book it was that the author attributes many protestant beliefs to Martin Luther than he did not hold. Maybe this was believed at the time, and that is why he chose to write it that way or maybe it was a simple mistake. Specifically, Martin Luther did not believe that certain people were predestined to hell. This is a belief more accurately attributed to Calvinists. On the other hand, Luther did believe in the true body and blood of Jesus being present in the Eucharist, though not all protestants did.I don't read this mystery series primarily for the suspense, the 'who done it' aspect. C.J. Sansom makes the history of Tudor England come alive. Henry VIII, Cromwell, the religious upheaval, and the vivid descriptions of London and its inhabitants are what I love about the series. The twists and turns along the path to the revealing of the murderer are also good and so rich with details of that period. Mathew Shardlake, the unconventional barrister who finds himself brilliantly fufilling the role of detective, adds to the overall appeal.