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Dissolution (Shardlake) | 
 enlarge | Author: C.j. Sansom
Publisher: Pan Books
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £3.45
You Save: £3.54 (51%)
New (26) Used (3) from £1.99
Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 194
Media: Paperback
Pages: 463
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 0330450794
EAN: 9780330450799
ASIN: 0330450794
Publication Date: May 18, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: IN STOCK - BRAND NEW - SENT FIRST CLASS - IMMEDIATE DISPATCH
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Great mystery novel from the time of Henry VIII August 11, 2003
D. Proctor (Kendal)
58 out of 58 found this review helpful
This novels centres around a series of mysterious deaths that occur in a religious house during the time of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. Although it is primarily of novel of detection it also explores in a very impressive way, many of the themes that surround the time including the corruption in the monsteries and some of the hardship surrounding the dissolution. I know that this is an excellent novel because I did not want it to end. The author evokes the time and place in which the story is set beautifully and draws some very interesting, complex and ultimately likeable characters indeed. I liked the fact that the author was balanced in his attitude to the period - neither the reformers nor the monk supporters are perfect. I much preferred the story to The Name of the Rose to which it can be compared. I found it more credible and more atmospheric. Not bad for a first novel. The investigator is a hunchback who works under the auspices of Thomas Cromwell but who finds himself questioning some of the methods the reformers use to carry out their tasks. He also has a young assistant who gets friendly with a young woman who works at the monastery - much to the hunchback's dissaproval and jealousy. All this adds to the story. I wholeheartedly recommend this to any lover of historical novels or mystery novels. It ranks very highly in both these categories. I am delighted to know that the author is going to write a sequel!
Historically rooted, gripping story, a whodunnit with real verve April 12, 2007
Mark Meynell (London, UK)
62 out of 63 found this review helpful
To begin with i thought this was just a pastiche of Eco's Name of the Rose: Monastery in winter, dodgy monks, murders and a beautiful young girl with an unusual detective plus honourable apprentice (even Aristotle's lost work On Comedy makes an appearance). But this is set a few centuries later and is firmly rooted in the Tudor terrors at the time of Dissolution of the Monasteries. National politics and the reformation are the sword of Damocles that hang over the monastery throughout. What is so exciting and satisfying is the way (rather like Eco did) that national politics and scandals are interwoven naturally into the goings on in this remote monastery on the South Coast. Henry VIII exists as an invisible presence throughout; the nearest we get to him is his ruthless and foul henchman, Thomas Cromwell. But his lethal authority and whims are stamped on every page.
The hero of the piece is Matthew Shardlake who finds himself having to do Cromwell's bidding. He is a believable character, idealistic but flawed, given to blindspots and jealousies - but he acknowledges all these, especially as he recognises that to have remained neutral could have helped find the culprits sooner and thus prevented more deaths.
This is a great read - and brings a dark chapter of England's history to life. There are no easy answers - and the rights and wrongs of the period are not so categorically stated that the reader is drawn inevitably to either 'papists' or 'reformers'. A tour de force.
Dissolution November 3, 2004
Janet (Northamptonshire)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is one of the best books I've ever read. I just couldn't put it down! It has a wonderful story line, very cleverly written with plenty of twists and turns - a great murder mystery, but with a bonus. The bonus is the historical content, and I feel I have learned so much about life in Tudor times, and the dissolution of the Monasteries in particular. They say that every picture tells a story - well this book gives you a vivid picture of what life was like - so much so that you can almost smell it!
A novel approach, and an excellent novel! July 14, 2005
Chris Chalk (Croydon, United Kingdom)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
I picked this book up on a whim, read the back cover and decided to give it a go. Thank goodness I did.This is a fantastic novel, one of the best of the genre, and when I saw the genre, I do mean a book that can fit into a straight up crime / detective novel, as well as a "faction" (fact and fiction) style novel. The historical setting of the dissolution of the monasteries of England is excellent, CJ Samson really grabs the feel and style of the late 1530's. He has an ability to really make the reader feel as if they are there, in the middle of England smelling the smells, seeing the sights and being wrapped up in the social feelings of the time. The story is set around Matthew Shardlake, a gifted lawyer with the unfortunate affliction of being a hunchback. Misunderstood by the people of the age, he is though respected through his position within the community. A position bolstered by his connections to none other than Thomas Cromwell himself. This allegiance though forces Shardlake into an investigation into a brutal murder in Scarnsea where he meets a number of the residing Monks. As a reformist he naturally distrusts these servants of god and quickly goes about his investigation. Through his subsequent friendship with a maid and Brother Guy you see him change, evolve if you will, as a character giving the reader a real sense of empathy and an insight into how no situation is ever black and white. This really is an excellent read, and the follow up "Dark Fire" is no less impressive. I would strongly advise anyone with an interest in well written books to pick this one up, it is worth the time spent on it and you never know,you might even learn something from it.
Absorbing, exciting - a great book October 5, 2004
C. Winston (London)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
I also bought this book on a whim in an airport - and was delighted to find a new author I hope to read much more of. The book itself is a great murder mystery - plenty of twists, without losing its credibility, and simply a superb story. On top of this though, it's a great picture of a time of enormous change in England - although I knew the basics of the dissolution of the monasteries, this really brings everything to life, and although there is plenty of detail for those who like their history, it never becomes dry or boring. Quite simply, this is one of the most gripping and readable books I've picked up for quite a while, and I'll be recommending it far and wide.
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