As always an excellent Shardlake novel, but it feels as if there is a second novel nestled within the first, about the revolt that Shardlake finds himself caught up in. It makes the book feel a little unwieldy.

I absolutely love the Shardlake series. Tombland is so well researched and written that you almost feel like you are right there , in the story taking part in the camp! A must read for all Tudor fans!

Shardlake is commissioned by the Lady Elizabeth to support her distant cousin who has been accused of murder and is to be tried in Norwich. The case is suspicious but Boleyn is convicted and nearly hanged until Shardlake intercepts. Around Norwich there is talk of rebellion and Shardlake and his companions end up being caught up in Kett's Revolt which ends in a battle between the English Army and English rebels.
At their heart Sansom's novels are just satisfyingly complex historical mystery novels but that is to completely underplay them. Shardlake is a flawed and damaged character and he seems to be a bystander to major events in Tudor England. Here the rebellion against the Protector and the landed classes by the poor across the South of England is the setting. This is a little known piece of history, taking place over one summer in the early reign of Edward VI, in which the poor rose up against the gentry angry about inflation and the eroding of their rights. Yes, there is a murder to solve and a few tricky situations for the protagonists but Sansom's research and the comfortable accuracy of her use of time and place make this writing peerless in the genre.

Book 7 of the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series.

Set in the rebellions of 1549 during the reign of Edward VI, two years after the death of Henry VIII. The nominal king is eleven years old and his uncle, Edward Seymour, Lord Hertford, rules as Edward's regent and Protector. Catholics and Protestants are at odds and the Lady Elizabeth has a personal interest in a murder of the wife of one of her distant relatives that she sends Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in her service, to investigate.

Medieval intrigue and mystery mostly keep attention through over 800 pages that cover among other things, Kett's Rebellion in the Tombland area of historic Norwich. These are real places and the history has been well researched. I did, however, think it was overly long. The books in this series contain a lot of detail of every move and I think it was asking a bit much to carry on with so much scrutiny for so long.

On one hand it's a good Historical Fiction, but it's also a murder mystery. I'll admit I'm not a big fan of murder mysteries in general and making me wait so long to find out who did it was torment! It is well done in the end though.

Those who do enjoy murder mysteries will have a great time trying to sift through the plentiful suspects and possible motives, both political and personal. The author leads us through a merry chase through all the possibilities. I did think that the final reveal was a little forced and not quite realistic, but by then I was just glad to have answers.

So thrilled to get my hands on this book. I’m a massive fan of Sansom especially his character Shardlake. This was definitely worth the wait. Grabbed at the beginning and spat me out at the end. Like all of his books, it’s crammed full of history that keeps me enthralled. Will there be another? Sharlake is getting on a bit in age now? I really hope so.

This latest chapter in the Shardlake series takes place two years after the death of Henry VIII with Henry’s eleven year old son now king, but his uncle is actually the one running the country. In the summer of 1549 England is descending into chaos, the religious reforms are still proving to be unpopular, the latest war with Scotland is proving to be a disaster, but the biggest cause of discontent among the people is the rising inflation and collapsing economy. With landowners forcing their tenants off the land and enclosing common land in the hopes of making more money from sheep farming the country is ripe for rebellion.

Since Henry’s death, Shardlake has been in the service of the Lady Elizabeth, when a distant relative of Elizabeth’s is charged with murder Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas are sent to Norwich to investigate. There they are reunited with Shardlake’s former assistant Jack Barak who has been working for lawyers involved with the summer assizes.
While they are investigating the murder peasant rebellion breaks out across the country, and in East Anglia Robert Kett leads a force of thousands in overthrowing the landlords and taking over the city of Norwich. After being taken to the camp Shardlake, Barak and Nicholas must decide whose side they are on, all the while trying to find out who was responsible for the murder.
Extremely well written and an engaging read. Was it an accurate description of the events? I have no idea, to my shame this was an event that I knew absolutely nothing about, but to my mind a good historical novel should have you reaching for non-fiction books about the time period.

I was disappointed by the previous Shardlake book so was a little apprehensive about this one but Sansom is back on form. As always he puts himself in danger by going against the scheming politicians of the day to protect the underdog, this time he’s been sent to Norfolk to see whether princess Elizabeth’s distant Boleyn relative is guilty of the murder of his wife. All he has to do is keep a low profile and stay out of trouble but that was never going to happen. An interesting twist has him caught up in a protest against the use of enclosure to bring more wealth to the gentry with The final 50 pages giving an historical account of this little known period in history, showing how much Sansom researches the period before writing the books. A cut above most detective novels.

well worth the long wait! Sansom has done it again with another fantastic, suspense-filled Shardlake tale.

Both my husband and I have enjoyed the series of books featuring Matthew Shardlake. I didn’t read them in order but, having read book 4, immediately downloaded the previous 3 and read them in a row. Since then we have eagerly awaited the latest book in the series. This one does not disappoint. Although there are many characters and it is a complex, satisfying read, I found it easy enough to follow the storyline. The attention to detail is incredible without ever being boring. Although it is a series of books I don’t feel you necessarily need to have read the previous ones to enjoy this one.
Even if you feel you have read all there is to read about Tudor England - think again.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I have followed Mathew Shardlake avidly since he first appeared in Dissolution so I was delighted to be given early sight of Tombland and gobbled it up. It presents an opportunity to share yet more painful moments with Matthew (both for his physical challenges and the situations into which he is propelled) and to explore this, to me, less well known period of history; Kett’s rebellion.

The story is historically accurate and fascinating and Sansom manages to bring to life a real sense of the period. The descriptions were so vivid I felt as if I was with the rebels on Mousehold Heath, enjoying the delights of John Boleyn imprisonment and spending uncomfortable days in the saddle; we are not spared any of the gruesome details. It is history come to life. As an added bonus it is a murder mystery in which the eventual reveal is a surprise (at least to me).

Tombland lives up to the high standard set by by author and was well worth the wait.

A welcome return to Shardlake's England. A good long intriguing murder mystery set in a period of history unknown to me. As usual , excellent and engrossing writing , with interesting regional use of language and words. This should satisfy fans of Sansoms novels.

Looooved it. Next one soon please. I really hope this series continues as it is one of my favourites and really goes from strength to strength. Adored that we learn more about how "normal" people lived in Tudor times and the trouble for the common folk after Henry's death.

There are a handful of fine authors that always deliver the goods, especially when continuing an established series. No need to pore over countless reviews on various sites, read an excerpt or listen to a sample before parting with my money - I‘ll just click ‘pre-order’ as soon as I discover that the next installment even exists. CJ Sansom and his Shardlake series belong firmly in that category. Return here for finely woven stories and painstaking research but most importantly a character that you want to spend time with over and over again. Each new book is like a hug from an old friend.

Tombland is an exceptional novel; all of the Shardlake stories are excellent but I found the specific time setting for this book to be particularly compelling.

England is a country in crisis. The nation has endured political and religious upheavals inflicted on them by a sovereign driven more by his ego and libido than the good of his subjects. Now a solemn child sits on the throne and his uncle holds the reins of power. A scrappy but long-winded campaign against Scotland has drained the national coffers and the coinage has been debased more than once. Rich landowners are evicting rural families, replacing crops with sheep bred for their lucrative wool. Food is scarce and prices are high. All of these factors lead to a populace at boiling point, rebels are sweeping the land and scooping up anyone they encounter. Dear Master Shardlake often lands himself in hot water whilst doing the honourable thing but this time he is kept simmering for almost half the book.

As always there is a multi-faceted murder mystery to be solved at the behest of an important patron (in this case the young Lady Elizabeth). Also, a retinue of colourful characters including those of the ‘boo-hiss’ pantomime variety (here some deliciously vile twins and their hateful grandfather join the self-interested courtiers on the naughty list). However, for me the strength of this novel lies in the way Sansom brings the plight of the average Englander to life. We cannot help but empathise with the rebels just as Matthew surely does, at the same time we worry about the consequences of his involvement with them. This book truly gives the reader insight into this dark period of English history. I wish I could say that we have come a long way since then but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. What is true is that CJ Sansom is a wonderful writer who will hopefully keep me clicking the ‘pre-order’ button for many years to come.