Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5)

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The history lessons from school were certainly never this gripping and almost none of the information that was listed in such a lacklustre way stuck with me. Shardlake works on commission initially from Thomas Cromwell in Dissolution and Dark Fire and then Thomas Cranmer in Sovereign and Revelation. I do not normally read murder mystery novels, but since it was based in the Tudor dynasty, I decided to give it a shot and I wholeheartedly loved it.

As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. To expiate for his lack of affection, Shardlake is determined to find out why Ellen has been institutionalised for 19 years without being certified. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again. 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.These seven books make for a fabulous series, but Sansom has mentioned that he does wish for the series to go through the reign of Elizabeth I, which I would love. Born with a spinal curvature, he is routinely abused by citizens as ugly, deformed, a product of the Devil. When Shardlake is summoned to Court, he meets with Queen Catherine (Parr) and discovers a new case on which to work. First edition, super octavo hardcover (VG+) in d/w, (VG+); all our specials have minimal description to keep listing them viable. A wholly unexpected twist takes us to a superb denouement aboard the doomed warship Mary Rose - terrific stuff, for both fans and newcomers to the series.

These two cases seem like they could not be more different, however, they push Shardlake and Barak on a collision course with Shardlake’s arch-nemesis, Sir Richard Rich. It is one of those series that I will reread soon so that I can visit Matthew Shardlake and his friends all over again. Another enjoyable Shardlake book that sees our hero move between London, Portsmouth and rural Hampshire and Sussex as he takes on two cases: one for a high-ranking client and the other for himself. Shardlake is resolute in his determination to uncover the mysteries of what happened to Ellen and to the Curteys children.the pace and tension hot up splendidly as Shardlake's inquiries take him to the Hampshire home of a family with a great deal to hide. The case involves a ward named Hugh Curtey and his estates possibly being mismanaged by his protector Sir Nicholas Hobbey. The servant’s late son, Hugh’s former tutor, was convinced that something was terribly wrong in the Hobbey household, and it is up to Shardlake to find out if the tutor was right — and if Hugh’s situation had anything to do with the tutor’s death. At the beginning of the novel, Shardlake is summoned by Queen Catherine Parr (Henry VIII’s sixth wife) to aid one of her servants. With a strong affinity for Ellen Fettiplace, the reader can see a softer side of Shardlake’s character, though there is still something holding him back.

His detective instincts take him all the way to Portsmouth, where he becomes enmeshed in the mighty efforts to do battle against the enemy. In fact, throughout the book, one had a sense that many more would have been murdered for less than he interfered with, with or without the Queen’s protection. I feel like Matthew, Barak and Guy are old friends now and I can't wait to see what they are up to next. Shardlake and Barak embark on their road journey south and experience all sorts of indignities and challenges along the way.As with all wars, greedy profiteers are doing their utmost to maximise their personal profits, at the expense of the ordinary people. 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. I pitied Ellen, all the more when I learned she had been incarcerated in the Bedlam after she was attacked and raped near her home in Sussex.

He sees at first hand the English flotilla of warships, including the King's favourite vessel, the Mary Rose. The legend himself, King Henry VIII, who is glittery and magnanimous to his people, but if you cross him, his true colors come out in full force.Sansom can blend the two cases with military movements and the French invasion to heighten the danger and intrigue. This will lead him and his man, Jack Barak, into some dangerous waters whilst uncovering secrets that involve and affect many. Likewise, as mentioned earlier, large parts of this novel are set in Hampshire too 🙂 Although the main location in Hampshire ( Hoyland Priory) is fictional, there are enough mentions and descriptions of real places to make this element of the story absolutely fascinating. He was born in 1952 and was educated at the University of Birmingham, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history.