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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book for my book club. It is the fourth book in the Shardlake series. Matthew Shardlake is a lawyer who solves crimes in Tudor England. He has two major friends that were first introduced in the first book of the series, Guy (a Moor turned Catholic who was originally an apothecary but later became a doctor) and Jack Barak, a bruiser who was introduced in the second book to assist in the search for Greek Fire, but became Shardlake's assistant. Barak was originally a servant who did dirty work for Thomas Cromwell.
Shardlake becomes involved in a series of murders connected to the Book of Revelation (vials of wrath). The story is set in the tension between Roman Catholic sympathizes, church reformers, and radical anabaptist types. Numerous characters are affected in negative ways by the Anabaptist approach to sin and salvation. It was interesting to think about how certain portrayals of God/Jesus in scripture can lend themselves to certain pathologies, and how damaging that can be to certain individuals. I'm not sure what to make of that in terms of how it should affect how we take scripture.
Shardlake becomes involved in a series of murders connected to the Book of Revelation (vials of wrath). The story is set in the tension between Roman Catholic sympathizes, church reformers, and radical anabaptist types. Numerous characters are affected in negative ways by the Anabaptist approach to sin and salvation. It was interesting to think about how certain portrayals of God/Jesus in scripture can lend themselves to certain pathologies, and how damaging that can be to certain individuals. I'm not sure what to make of that in terms of how it should affect how we take scripture.
It is 1543 and King Henry VIII is wooing Katherine Parr (his final wife) and the Protestants are keenly hoping for a positive outcome.
Matthew Shardlake is investigating the case of a young boy locked in the Bedlam Asylum for the insane to prevent him being charged and executed for his heretical words when his attention is directed elsewhere. An old friend is murdered and it soons become apparent that there is a killer roaming the streets of London looking to fulfill prophecies from The Book of Revelation.
As much as I love “Dissolution”, arguably “Revelation” is so far the best book in the series. Some of the niggling flaws from the previous two books (sometimes confusing) are ironed out and though this is not exactly a page-turner, it is the most intriguing since “Dissolution”.
C.J. Sansom just gets stronger and stronger. This book, possibly the longest in the Shardlake series so far, deals with a serial killer in Tudor England against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine Parr. Complex yet easy to read, Sansom develops the relationship between his two main characters, Shardlake and Barak who make for an interesting double act. A must for anybody who has read the previous books in the series.
See more book reviews at my blog
Matthew Shardlake is investigating the case of a young boy locked in the Bedlam Asylum for the insane to prevent him being charged and executed for his heretical words when his attention is directed elsewhere. An old friend is murdered and it soons become apparent that there is a killer roaming the streets of London looking to fulfill prophecies from The Book of Revelation.
As much as I love “Dissolution”, arguably “Revelation” is so far the best book in the series. Some of the niggling flaws from the previous two books (sometimes confusing) are ironed out and though this is not exactly a page-turner, it is the most intriguing since “Dissolution”.
C.J. Sansom just gets stronger and stronger. This book, possibly the longest in the Shardlake series so far, deals with a serial killer in Tudor England against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine Parr. Complex yet easy to read, Sansom develops the relationship between his two main characters, Shardlake and Barak who make for an interesting double act. A must for anybody who has read the previous books in the series.
See more book reviews at my blog
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4 stars for book 4 in the Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom. This series was recommended to me by my Goodreads friend Ingrid several years ago and I am glad that she did. The books tend to be somewhat long, about 550 pages, but the plot moves along quite briskly. It is set in 1543 London, England. It opens in March 1543, with Shardlake accepting a case in his capacity as a barrister appointed to plead before the Court of Requests where poor men's pleas were heard. The parents of a boy who has been put in the Bedlam(institution for insane). Shardlake's task is to determine if he is truly mad. This case is quite difficult, but Shardlake makes progress with the help of a physician friend.
But then his dear friend Roger Elliard is murdered, and Shardlake promises his widow Dorothy to find out who murdered her husband. Unbeknownst to him, there was a previous similar murder of a physician who has a connection to Lady Catherine Parr. King Henry VIII is courting widow Parr and the two murders have political implications. Shardlake is admitted into a secret group investigating the murders. The killer is very clever and threatens Shardlake and two of his friends. Shardlake and his team do solve the mystery, but not before more people die. I did not suspect the killer until the end. I have been reading this series in order, but this would work as a stand alone. If you read them in order, you will understand how the characters come to know each other.
Both plot elements have a satisfactory ending. One side plot ends on a sad note.
This was a library book.
But then his dear friend Roger Elliard is murdered, and Shardlake promises his widow Dorothy to find out who murdered her husband. Unbeknownst to him, there was a previous similar murder of a physician who has a connection to Lady Catherine Parr. King Henry VIII is courting widow Parr and the two murders have political implications. Shardlake is admitted into a secret group investigating the murders. The killer is very clever and threatens Shardlake and two of his friends. Shardlake and his team do solve the mystery, but not before more people die. I did not suspect the killer until the end. I have been reading this series in order, but this would work as a stand alone. If you read them in order, you will understand how the characters come to know each other.
Both plot elements have a satisfactory ending. One side plot ends on a sad note.
This was a library book.