Sovereign by C. J. Sansom
Sovereign by C. J. Sansom is the third book in the Matthew Shardlake series. The story takes place in 1541, when King Henry VIII made his Progress to the North. Shardlake was hired by Archbishop Cranmer to transport a conspirator back to London for interrogation, a secret mission. He was also involved in doing legal work for the King, processing petitions.
A York glazier is killed and Shardlake was a witness. The glazier was connected to the prisoner from York, but also to the Royal family. Shardlake finds some important secret documents and the story gets more and more complicated. I’ve loved this book too. It’s so exciting. The story is gripping and very interesting, making it hard to put it down. I had to admit I suspected the conspirator, but I didn’t imagine the book will finish the way it did.
Sovereign could have been made into two books, as there is so much going on and the book is not exactly short at almost 600 pages, but it was great anyway. I really love this series.
Sovereign by C. J. Sansom
Details about the picture: Much of the story happens in a progress, so I’ve taken the picture in a suitable setting, with a forest path.
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: Yes
Published by: Viking
Year it was published: 2007
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Pages: 583
About the author: Christopher John Sansom is an English writer of crime novels. Born in 1952, he gained a BA and a PhD in history at the University of Birmingham. He worked as a solicitor, in Sussex, before deciding to work as a full-time writer.
He is known for his series of mystery historical fiction novels taking place in the 16th century. The main character is hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake. An adaptation of Dissolution is commissioned by the BBC and the others might follow. Winter in Madrid is a thriller set in 1940 Spain and deals with the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
Matthew Shardlake series: Dissolution, Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation, Tombland.
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I’m really glad this is turning out to be a good series for you. It’s always a concern when recommending books to others since taste in reading really is subjective. They are long books, but they seems to move quickly.