Sovereign - C.J. Sansom

Sovereign in short is an utterly fantastic, totally thrilling and consistenly compelling novel. From the moment I picked it up I simply couldn't put it down and I ended up devouring it from cover to cover in a weekend. It is the third novel in a series of book written by C.J Sansom that tell the somewhat adventures of Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of the reform by entwining hard-hitting historical fact with a gripping tale of murder, mystery and heresy. All of the novels in the series are set during the reign of Henry VIII and are pieces of historical fiction. This novel is set in the Autumn of 1541 and Henry VIII has set out ...  Read the complete review

*** The Author *** There have so far been 3 books by C J Sansom in this series about a Tudor lawyer. They are called Dissolution, Dark Fire and now Sovereign is the third published. A fourth book Revelation is due to be published in April 2008. The author has a PhD in history, as well as being a qualified solicitor. His combination of interests in both history and the law make the subject matter of this novel a good choice for him. He has also written the stand-alone novel Winter in Madrid, set in the Spain of 1940. *** Background to Plot *** I bought the Sovereign paperback without realising ...  Read the complete review