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simon326's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A superbly dark and thrilling adventure comes in this latest Shardlake mystery as the lawyer finds himself hunting perhaps his most dangerous villain yet - a twisted, but cunning serial killer - during the latter years of Henry VIII's reign. Again, the author does a fantastic job of portraying the historical events around which his story takes place and he captures the mood of the time well.
This is perhaps the darkest mystery yet and the nature of the crimes may leave some people feeling squeamish, including the main characters. However the sense of danger simply enhances the excitement and I again found the book impossible to put down.
This book also contains good character development for many of our by now familiar friends. I will avoid spoilers here, but I can say that I felt one particular change was very welcome. I felt that in previous books Shardlake was somew at passive and spent most of his time responding to events around him. However, in this book I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him play the role of the determined investigator, tracking down leads and making deductions as he hunted the villain.
Overall, perhaps the most tense and exciting Shardlake book to date (and that's saying something).
This is perhaps the darkest mystery yet and the nature of the crimes may leave some people feeling squeamish, including the main characters. However the sense of danger simply enhances the excitement and I again found the book impossible to put down.
This book also contains good character development for many of our by now familiar friends. I will avoid spoilers here, but I can say that I felt one particular change was very welcome. I felt that in previous books Shardlake was somew at passive and spent most of his time responding to events around him. However, in this book I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him play the role of the determined investigator, tracking down leads and making deductions as he hunted the villain.
Overall, perhaps the most tense and exciting Shardlake book to date (and that's saying something).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content
m1nature's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
lydia_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Death, and Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed the murder mystery element of this and the characters were really well developed. But for me it was just too long. I thought the backdrop of Henry VIII's attempt to woo Catherine Parr was clever and it was refreshing to have a book set in the 16th century where the king isn't a major character, but there was so much material to cover (relating to the story and covering the history of that era) and it felt like it was really dragging in a few places.
One of the things I enjoyed most was the investigation of the concept of serial killers, at a time when the idea was so unfamiliar. It gave the mystery a chilling air. The narrative ties up nicely and there are interesting connections between story strands; I just wish it had been a bit more concise in places, it's a very long book!
One of the things I enjoyed most was the investigation of the concept of serial killers, at a time when the idea was so unfamiliar. It gave the mystery a chilling air. The narrative ties up nicely and there are interesting connections between story strands; I just wish it had been a bit more concise in places, it's a very long book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, and Torture
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