DNF at 31%.

This book is so boring. I don't even know how I got to 31%. None of the characters are interesting and most of the book so far is bashing the Catholic Church. I'm not Catholic, but I dont need to read the other 69% to get the message.

I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. I think I was waiting for more titles to be released before I started. Now that I have started, I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of them. This is going to be such a great adventure.

I first read Dissolution more or less in tandem with Wolf Hall and I feel the former suffered unfairly by comparison. The two contrasting portrayals of Thomas Cromwell were too jarring and unfortunately Hilary Mantel's kindlier version won out. The re-read however revealed this as a far more atmospheric novel than I had remembered with Matthew Shardlake both a compelling character and an inventive take on the fictional detective. Set during the upheavals of the Reformation, hunchbacked lawyer Shardlake is working as a commissioner to investigate the monasteries, under the orders of Thomas Cromwell. But then one of his colleagues is found brutally murdered at the monastery of Scarnsea and so Cromwell sends Shardlake to investigate.

Regular readers will be aware that I can be a rabid pedant when it comes to historical fiction. But the Shardlake novels are a very different strain of the genre. For starters, C.J. Sansom has both a B.A. and a PhD in history and he is clearly more interested in creating an atmosphere via accuracy rather than the absurd. This is one of those wonderful books that transport the reader completely so that one can almost sense the sights and smells of the period. Certainly the tension makes an early appearance as Shardlake visits his infamous employer to be given his instructions.

The novel opens mere weeks after the death of Queen Jane in childbirth and Sansom captures a nation in turmoil. Shardlake is in favour of reform but there are many others who feel differently and the old ways are still well within reach. As he travels to the scene of the crime to investigate, Shardlake encounters obstacles of every sort. He is an outsider not only as a representative of Cromwell and the King but also as a hunchback.

There is something particularly haunting about a monastery murder case. There is a reason why The Brother Cadfael Mysteries were so successful. Lots of shadowy passages and whispering in corners. Shardlake pads back and forth through the snow meeting mad monks, religious zealots of both creeds, and also of course the good townsfolk for whom all the changes have gone over their head. He finds torture, greed and blasphemy and the sad universal truth that 'victims and scapegoats' will always be found in times of tension. Sansom has done well to set Shardlake, a true believer in the Reformation, up against the chaotic reality of what the dissolution of the monasteries really looks like.

This early exchange between Cromwell and Shardlake makes clear that they are in for some truly dirty work:

’This is not Thomas More’s Utopia, a nation of innocent savages waiting only for God’s word to complete their happiness. This is a violent realm, stewed in the corruption of a decadent church.’

‘I know.’

‘The papists will use every means to present us from building the christian commonwealth, and so God’s blood I will use every means to overcome them.’

‘I am sorry if my judgement erred.’

‘Some say you are soft, Matthew, ‘ he said quietly. ‘Lacking in fire and godly zeal, even perhaps in loyalty.’

Shardlake is not safe even among his masters and allies and still more in danger when he is away from them. His only hope for survival is to placate his master by finding the killer but this is easier said than done. The series takes a good man and puts him in a cruel time period. Add to this Sansom's deep understanding of the period and his flair for dialogue and what you have here is crime fiction dynamite. With plenty more Tudor political manoeuvring to factor in, little wonder that Shardlake manages to have so many more adventures as the series progresses. It just might be time for a detailed revisit.

Seem to have requested this book accidentally, and no longer wish to read the novel. Rating it as 3 stars for a neutral rating.

A long time has passed without reviewing this title, and therefore will not be reviewing at this time.

This is the Author's latest book in the Matthew Shardlake series set in Tudor England .

It is the time of Dissolution of the Monasteries , the time of Commisioners and Spies - no one is safe .
Matthew Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to the monastery of Scarnsea on the Sussex coast to investigate the death of Commissioner Robin Singleton - he has been murdered .
Matthew needs all his wits and bravery to solve this murder - there is only one man he can fully trust , his
servant Mark Poer .Can Matthew bring the murderer to justice , can he an Mark survive ?
Cut off from the outside world by the weather in the Monastery the Monks' whole way of life is threatened , will their misdeeds come to light ? will they impact on the investigation ?
What follows is a story full of plots and sub-plots , where most have a motive as a potential murderer .
The Author is an expert at bringing politics , the sights and sounds of the era to life - making
for a thoroughly enjoyable read .
I was given an arc of the book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I've always meant to read this series of books and I can't really understand why it took me so long. Fantastically written historical crime fiction. Start here and you'll soon want to work your way through the rest.

I've always meant to try the Shardlake series, so when I saw Dissolution pop up on NetGalley I thought it was the perfect opportunity. This is a good, atmospheric historical detective story which runs perhaps a little deeper than some series, with a lot of reflection on religion and faith in Tudor times. Despite the weight of the themes, the writing flows well and the story is pacey. The monastic setting begs a comparison to Brother Cadfael, though this is set some 400 years later; Shardlake's world seems bleaker and Shardlake himself more pessimistic, but I think fans of one will also find much to love in the other.

Can't believe I left this on my TBR pile for so long. Thoroughly enjoyable historic crime novel. This was recommended to me by customers and now I'm able to recommend it to many more. I look forward to working my way through the rest of the series.

I had not come across C J Sansom before, but have quickly warmed to him; Dissolution is the first in a series of books he has written about a hunch-backed lawyer called Matthew Shardlake who has as his patron one Thomas Cromwell. This book is set in Tudor England in 1537, during the time of Henry VIII’s short-lived marriage to Jane Seymour, his third wife, who did at least manage to produce him a son and male heir, Edward, before dying shortly after. Cromwell, acting on Henry’s instructions, is in the throes of finding reasons to justify the closing down of monasteries (the Dissolution of this book’s title) so when he receives a message that one of his commissioners, who has been sent to check on suspected fraudulent activity at the Monastery of St Donatus in Sussex, has been murdered, he sends Shardlake to investigate. So, we are then presented with a well-constructed detective novel, set in Tudor England, with Cromwell and Henry VIII very much in the background and Matthew Shardlake and his young assistant Mark Poer very much to the fore. The monastery has a large cohort of Monks and an Abbot, any of whom, plus various monastery employees, could have killed the commissioner, but Matthew and Mark soon learn that life at St Donatus has other complexities that make their investigation much more difficult. All In all, a very well written book with a very satisfactory ending and I certainly will be reading other books in the Shardlake series when I can. Thanks go to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review and apologies to them for the delay in providing the review.

I had never started this series before, and yet I have heard so many positive things about it so when this book popped up I had to give it a go. The interwoven realities of history really clinches this as a great book with a lot of research behind it.

Totally enthralling. I loved this book. It is a murder mystery set in Tudor times as Thomas Cromwell was overseeing the start of the dissolution of the monasteries. A super story littered with historical facts. The intrigue and twists/turns keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed. Highly recommended.

This was an ok read. It's not my chosen genre so I wasn't really expecting much, it was a good enough story that it kept me wondering what was going to happen but I didn't feel no character attraction.

Simply fantastic, this author is the master of the historical crime genre & this, the first in the series, is one of my favourites. Scheming monks, a brilliant lead in Shardlake & the force of Henry, what's not to love!!

I took the liberty of requesting this to reread ahead of obtaining the latest in the tale of Matthew Shardlake - Tombland. As an avid fan of both author and charecter and having read 1 to 6 in the series, following the highs and lows of Shardlake through the mid 1500's with all that happened throughout that time has been a reading pleasure. This particular book starts with effectively the Dissolution of the Monastries but also starts to develop the evolution of a "security service". Yes fictional storylines but based in the rich heritage of the 16th Century it is a must for anyone that likes the Historical Detective genre and few if any are better written.

Oh my goodness why have I taken so long to read the Shardlake series by CJ Sansom? I was absolutely gripped by ‘Dissolution’, first in this Tudor series of mysteries featuring Matthew Shardlake, commissioner for Thomas Cromwell. And now I want to read all the others.
It is 1537. Henry VIII is king and supreme head of the Church of England. A year has passed since Anne Boleyn was beheaded and her successor as queen, Jane Seymour, has just died following childbirth. Cromwell’s team of investigators, or commissioners, are reviewing every monastery across the land. The dissolution of these institutions is expected as Catholic worship is reformed and anglicised. Lawyer Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to the monastery of Scarnsea on the Sussex coast where the investigating commissioner Robin Singleton has been murdered. Cromwell wants a quick solution to the murder so he can tell the king the problem and solution at the same time, and so puts pressure on Shardlake to find the murderer within days.
Shardlake is a great central character; a hunchback, as a boy he turned to his studies when sports and girls seemed impossible. ‘My disability had come upon me when I was three, I began to stoop forward and to the right, and no brace could correct it. By the age of five I was a true hunchback, as I have remained to this day.’ At Scarnsea, Shardlake needs all his bravery and perseverance to unravel Singleton’s murder. There is only one person he can trust, his servant Mark Poer. Everyone else is a suspect. Sansom twists a variety of motives to make every person at Scarnsea a potential murderer and as the story is told totally from Shardlake’s viewpoint, we must consider each piece of new evidence with him. Everyone at the monastery knows their way of life is threatened and some monks fear the changes. But there have been sexual misdeeds in the past, drinking, gambling and, Shardlake comes to suspect, financial fraud too.
When the snow falls, Scarnsea is cut off from the outside world. Shardlake’s investigation is systematic, interviewing monks, examining correspondence, visiting the crime scene, checking financial records, considering potential scenarios. There is a creepiness about the monastery which made me shiver as Shardlake shivered, and not not just from the extreme cold. Threat is ever present, made gloomier by the adjacent marshes.
‘Dissolution’ is a terrific book. The historical setting and details are authentic; Shardlake is a compelling protagonist, caught as he is between light and shade, between what he wants to do and what he knows he should do; and the murderer is not obvious.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

What a splendid read! This book is such a treat, very atmospheric mystery set in a Tudor times. The hero of the book and he doesn’t disappoint, is Shardlake, a lawyer acting on behalf of Cromwell, I found his character noble and appealing, in this political religious setting in a monastery that is about to be foreclosed, as was the order of the day, in 1537. The conspiracies, the setting, the sights, the smells, the culture and mysterious occurrences are gripping and I couldn’t put the book down. Excellent read. I enjoyed this book so much I’ve ordered the next book in the series and would definitely recommend this book

If you enjoyed Wolf Hall, you’ll like this one - for a full review see https://joebloggshere.tumblr.com/post/180956218131/dissolution-by-cj-sansom-i-love-books-set-during

Book 1 of the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series.

This is the beginning of an ongoing series of Historical Mysteries that take place in the Tudor period of England. The books are all self-contained stand alone novels and the character who takes us through the progressing snippets of history is a high-level lawyer called Matthew Shardlake. In this first novel, it is 1537 and Lord Thomas Cromwell is the vicar general and supports the Reformation, as does Shardlake.

The country is divided between those who are faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to Henry VIII and his newly established Church of England. A murder leads Cromwell to bring in Shardlake to investigate.

Shardlake is a hunchback, which I thought was a brilliant way to bring diversity into a historical setting where not a lot of diversity existed. He is intelligent and thorough in his investigations and that can get him into some difficult situations when he uncovers uncomfortable evidence of such things as sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason.

Like much Historical Fiction, a lot of detail is included and it can take a while to get from one place to another. I wouldn't call it 'slow' because it keeps interest and seeing events from Shardlake's point of view works well with his detailed observations. It is basically a Mystery story, but within a historical context. The historical details look to be well-researched and accurate.

There's also a certain amount of dramatic action, especially at the end. I thought it was extremely well done and I enjoyed reading the historical notes after the end, as I always do when a Historical Fiction novel includes them.

Most importantly, the end really is the end. The first chapter of the next story in the series is included, but each story is complete and you don't have to buy another book to see what happened. If you enjoy a good historical mystery this is a good place to start as it develops Shardlake as a character and gives the reader some insight into how his deformity affects him as well as his thinking processes and how he came to be in his position, but after that the books could be read in any order.

A very intelligently written series.

It is 1537, Henry VIII has declared himself head of the church and ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and Thomas Cromwell is his enforcer. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake, up to now favoured by Cromwell, is charged as Commissioner at the monastery of Scarnsea to look into the murder of his predecessor, Commisioner Robin Singleton, who had been sent to Scarnsea to persuade the abbot to 'voluntarily' allow dissolution of the monastery. Shardlake and his young assistant are sent to solve the murder as well as further Cromwell's plans for the monastery.

So begins a tale like any other 'whodunnit' but for the unusual historical setting, so very skilfully portrayed that the reader is taken right to the heart of life in 16th century, which is not pleasant, to say the least. The saving grace, though, is the character of Matthew Shardlake, where compassion and kindness still reside - unusual in a commissioner from Cromwell, and who does war with his inner morality as he strives to solve the first - and subsequent - murders centred around Scarnsea monastery ... and discovers intrigue that takes him right back to Cromwell and the King himself, and makes him question for the first time the integrity of those he has looked up to as representatives of right.

I am not normally a lover of historical novels but was absolutely captured by this tale, finding myself immersed in the sights, sounds - and smells - of the era and encouraged to keep going through some of the wickedness and filth almost as a companion to Matthew Shardlake in his search for justice and goodness over and above the mere solving of a series of murders.

Quite brilliant.