In C J Sansom's most recent installment,
hunchbacked medieval lawyer Matthew Shardlake is asked to help Queen
Catherine Parr recover a compromising book revealing her
controversial religious opinions, before it is brought to King Henry
VIII and causes her downfall and possible execution. His efforts to
discover the book entangle him with some of the most powerful figures
in the realm and lead him into danger and self-doubt.
As with the previous novels in the
series, one of the best things about this novel is the vividity of
description Sansom uses to bring the reader into medieval London. We
experience the sights, smells and sounds, and are jostled in the
crowds along with Shardlake. I'm not ashamed to admit that much of my
historical knowledge is taken from historical fiction, and getting to
know historical characters and their deeds by almost experiencing
them by proxy sticks in my mind much better than by trying to
memorise dates and battles.
Sansom creates memorable, believable
characters, and the plot twists and winds deviously with betrayal,
double-bluffs, spies and infiltration. Lamentation
is full of emotional depth as well as intrigue, and keeps you turning
the pages right until the end.
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up: The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting
by Syd Field
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