Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5)

Product Information

Certainly the boxed set includes "the four books of the Shardlake series" and the focus of this latest addition to the Shardlake stories has a focus which although steeped in the political intrigues and court goings-on of the time is also far more illustrative of everyday life for the majority of the underprivileged population of the British Isles at the time. Whether it is the dissolution of a monastery, a race to find a mysterious flame, a radical killing based on the book of Revelation, or the sinking of the Mary Rose, Sansom takes us on a non-stop roller coaster of emotions. He comes from a wealthy family, but when a disagreement happens, he goes to work for Matthew Shardlake. Even though the books seem to be get larger as this series grows, I enjoyed every page of this mystery series set in Tudor England. But I still give it four stars because inside, it is still a good thing – just not as good as the first four books.

A great attraction of CJ Sansom's series of novels set in the reign of Henry VIII lies not merely in the authentic background but in the personality of the main character - that persistent seeker after truth, Matthew Shardlake, Sansom's intelligent hunchbacked Tudor lawyer. By now he is married to Catherine Parr and he is not a well man although he is still pursuing his unfortunate desire to war against the French. Catherine Parr, the scholar turned queen whose writings and her views on religious reform walk a fine line between what is acceptable and what is considered heretical. The stories, of course, collide, but could have occurred without The Mary Rose – since it was the characters that linked the stories, not where they were. There were so many times that I was not sure Matthew was going to survive, but Sansom’s plan for his loveable protagonist throughout this series was simply brilliant.This true first edition, first printing (first impression) with the number starting with 1 to the copyright page to indicate a true first print in a fine Dust Jacket. With war coming and soldiers preparing for battle, Shardlake’s inquiries will prove explosive in all senses of the word.

This will require Shardlake to visit the Court of Wards, seeking not only an injunction against the placement of these two wards, but to discover what has been going on. If I did have a concern about this novel, I would say that the pacing in the middle was a bit slower than what I was anticipating.

I sometimes commented on the books of Matthew Shardlake as being a bit slow in story and pace, but this one, I have to say, I really enjoyed from beginning to end, even if it were 730 pages. Throughout, Heartstone is a rousing tour de force of period re-creation, testifying to Samson's fascination with history. The Shardlake books are now my favorite historical mystery series and Sansom’s name is generally one of the first on my lips when friends ask for book recommendations.