Synopses & Reviews
It is now 1540, three years after the events of DISSOLUTION, and Shardlake has returned to quietly practicing law in London. When he is called on to help a friend's young niece, charged with killing her cousin and imprisoned in Newgate, he has no idea it will force him back into Cromwell's dangerous schemes. The girl, Elizabeth, refuses to speak in her own defense, even when threatened with the rack and certain death. Shardlake is sure to lose the case, but at the last moment is inexplicably given a two week reprieve in which to gather more evidence and possibly convince Elizabeth to talk. He quickly discovers that Cromwell is behind the intervention, and there is a heavy price attached. Two men have secretly shown Cromwell Dark Fire, a mysterious substance fabled since the time of the Greeks to be a liquid flame used in battle, but the men disappeared before handing it over to Cromwell. Shardlake is sent on a mission to find this Dark Fire, and the men who have taken it, that leads him into life threatening danger and to the highest levels of a treasonous government. Whatever it takes, he must find an answer within the two weeks he has been given, or Elizabeth's life will be taken.
Synopsis
In this sequel to "Dissolution," it is now 1540, and Shardlake has returned to practicing law in London. When he is called on to help a friend's niece, charged with killing her cousin, he has no idea it will force him back into Cromwell's dangerous schemes.
Synopsis
It is 1540, and Matthew Shardlake, the lawyer renowned as the sharpest hunchback in the courts of England, is pressed to help a friends young niece who is charged with murder. Despite threats of torture and death by the rack, the girl is inexplicably silent. Shardlake is about to lose her case when he is suddenly granted a reprieveone that will ensnare him in the dangerous schemes of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIIIs feared vicar-general.
In exchange for two more weeks to investigate the murder, Shardlake accepts Cromwells dangerous assignment to find a lost cache of dark fire, a legendary weapon of mass destruction. Cromwell, out of favor since Henrys disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves, is relying on Shardlake to save his position at court, which is rife with treasonous conspiracies.
With its wonderful attention to period detail and its brilliant handling of suspense, Dark Fire is sure to win comparisons with Margaret Georges Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles and captivate readers of Philippa Gregory and David Liss.
Synopsis
From the bestselling author of Winter in Madrid and Dominion comes a second riveting sixteenth-century thriller featuring hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake
In 1540, during the reign of Henry VIII, Shardlake is asked to help a young girl accused of murder. She refuses to speak in her defense even when threatened with torture. But just when the case seems lost, Thomas Cromwell, the kings feared vicar general, offers Shardlake two more weeks to prove his clients innocence. In exchange, Shardlake must find a lost cache of "Dark Fire," a legendary weapon of mass destruction. What ensues is a page-turning adventure, filled with period detail and history.
"Atmospheric and engaging" (Margaret George), this second book in Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series delves again into the dark and superstitious world of Cromwell's England introduced in Dissolution.
About the Author
C. J. Sansom, the internationally bestselling author of