Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger,Dark Fire is the second thrilling book in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series,perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.'When it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives,Hilary Mantel has a serious rival'- Sunday Times'Sansom has the trick of writing an enthralling narrative. Like Hilary Mantel,he produces densely textured historical novels that absorb their readers in another time'- Andrew Taylor,SpectatorEngland,1540: Matthew Shardlake,believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell,is busy trying to maintain his legal practice and keep a low profile. But his involvement with a murder case,defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin,brings him once again into contact with the king's chief minister - and a new assignment . . .The secret of Greek Fire,the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies,has been lost for centuries. Now an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it,he finds the official and his alchemist brother horribly murdered - the formula has disappeared.Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London,while trying at the same time to prove his young client's innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems . . .An internationally bestselling phenomenon,this gripping historical series continues with Sovereign,Revelation,Heartstone,Lamentation and Tombland.
Publisher: Pan MacmillanISBN: 9781447285847Number of pages: 608Weight: 422 gDimensions: 197 x 131 x 41 mm
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Historical crime fiction is sometimes little more than a modern adventure in fancy dress. Not so the novels of C. J. Sansom,whose magnificent books set in the reign of Henry VIII bring to life the sounds and smells of Tudor England...Dark Fire is a creation of real brilliance.Sansom gives us a broad view of politics - Tudor housing to rival Rachman,Dickensian prisons,a sewage-glutted Thames,beggars in gutters,conspiracies at court and a political system predicated on birth not merit,intrigue not intelligence...like many before him,he offers an enjoyable history; but this is also an ethically informed one...a strong and intelligent novel.One of the author's greatest gifts is the immediacy of his descriptions...But it is Shardlake himself who steals the show. His honesty and humility shine out in a dark world where murder and mayhem are the order of the day.Spellbinding...Sansom's vivid portrayal of squalid,stinking,bustling London; the city's wealth and poverty; the brutality and righteousness of religious persecution; and the complexities of English law make this a suspenseful,colourful and compelling tale.Dark Fire is wonderful stuff,featuring a sort of Tudor Rebus who moves through the religious and political chaos of the 1540s with sinister élan.CJ Sansom's books are arguably the best Tudor novels going
C. J. Sansom
British author C. (Christopher) J. (John) Sansom is best known as the author of the phenomenally popular sixteenth-century detective series Shardlake. Dubbed the "Tudor Morse" the Shardlake novels - beginning with Dissolution - trace the progress of lawyer Matthew Shardlake from 1537 as he is drawn into investigating a series of complex cases that bring him ever-closer to the machinations of the Tudor court. C.J. Sansom is also the author of the bestselling novels Winter in Madrid and Dominion.
Visit the C. J. Sansom author page
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