Dissolution: A Darkly Atmospheric Murder Mystery from the Bestselling Historical Series
Sep 2008 · The Shardlake series Book 1 · Pan Macmillan
4.3star
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About this ebook
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'A fiendish puzzle and a slice of gritty historical fiction, with a brilliantly unconventional detective at its heart' – Richard Osman, bestselling author of We Solve Murders
Dissolution is the first novel in C. J. Sansom’s phenomenally bestselling Shardlake series. 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.
'A fiendish puzzle and a slice of gritty historical fiction, with a brilliantly unconventional detective at its heart' – Richard Osman, bestselling author of We Solve Murders
Dissolution is the first novel in C. J. Sansom’s phenomenally bestselling Shardlake series. 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.
Ratings and reviews
4.3
137 reviews
A Google user
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December 22, 2014
I tend to doubt whether people in Cromwell's era would really be shocked by murder. For goodness sakes, their form of entertainment was going to see hangings and beheadings. Queen Anne Boleyn had just been beheaded in front of the crowds! So, the shocked traumatised reactions of Dr Goodhaps seems not believable to me but merely a reaction of 21st century man. But all in all a good entertaining story.
A Google user
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October 24, 2012
This is not my normal read, but as I was recommended this I gave it a go and glad I did. I found it an easy informative read which interlaced history as well as fictional characters that drew you in to the plot. I shall be definitely reading the rest of the series and hope they are as enjoyable as this one was.
Trish Gray
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March 9, 2021
I am reading this on my phone, love the characters and storyline but the layout on the screen annoyingly loses part of the last line. Other than that it's a brilliant read.
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a PhD 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 number one bestseller Dominion. In 2023, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. He lived in Sussex until his death in 2024.
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