
Shardlake: Dissolution
BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation
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Narrated by:
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Jason Watkins
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Mark Bonnar
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By:
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C. J. Sansom
About this listen
A thrilling BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on CJ Sansom's best-selling Tudor crime novel.
Winter, 1537. Henry VIII has declared himself Supreme Head of the Church and instructed his Chief Minister, Thomas Cromwell, to dissolve England's religious houses and seize their wealth. But Cromwell's plot to bring down the abbeys has hit a snag - one of the King's Commissioners has been found brutally murdered in Scarnsea monastery, on the south coast of Kent.
If news of the killing were to get out, the consequences could be disastrous. Desiring a quick, discreet result, he sends his trusted lawyer-detective, Matthew Shardlake, to investigate. However, as Shardlake interviews the prime suspects and delves deeper into the mysteries of Scarnsea, it soon becomes clear that the case will not be as simple to solve as he had hoped.
Which of the terrified monks is the murderer? And can Shardlake catch him before he strikes again?
CJ Sansom's Shardlake series has sold over two million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his debut novel to electrifying life. Fast paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England.
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Can’t wait for the last one!
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By: CJ Sansom
-
The Evening and the Morning
- Kingsbridge, Book 4
- By: Ken Follett
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- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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-
-
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- By Firebolt on 09-20-20
By: Ken Follett
-
Alison Larkin Presents: The Secret Adversary, Murder on the Links, and The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, James Warwick
- Length: 24 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
Three critically acclaimed recordings are joined together in this dazzling Agatha Christie Triple Bill, read by award-winning narrators Alison Larkin and James Warwick, star of the Partners in Crime TV series on Masterpiece Theater.
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Pitch perfect narration of Agatha Christie!
- By Mary Katherine Worth on 10-18-19
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Napoleonic Wars
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- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
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-
-
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- By John Gaston on 01-15-21
-
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- Narrated by: Gordon Gordon
- Length: 21 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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-
-
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- By Annie on 10-04-09
By: C. J. Sansom
-
The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
-
-
Wonderful!!!
- By AKowalczyk on 01-05-20
By: Mel Starr
What listeners say about Shardlake: Dissolution
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-05-17
Enjoyable mystery
Story a little hard to follow at times, assumes that you have a prior understanding of Henry the 8th and the history of all that he did.
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- Julie L. Sharpless
- 08-13-24
Good story with interesting history, but difficult to listen to because of the volume issues mentioned below
Poor audio quality with too much quiet to loud range, a challenge to listen to on headphones or in the car because of Frequent volume adjustment
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- Sarah
- 07-22-16
Love Shardlake
Would you listen to Shardlake: Dissolution again? Why?
Yes, especially if the rest of the series is made available as a BBC radio production. Having read the books and love them, I very much enjoyed a full cast production. Jason Watkins is terrific as Shardlake.
What other book might you compare Shardlake: Dissolution to and why?
The Shardlake series represent the closest I have come to finding books with all the elements i like to read. Quality writing, good mysteries, historical setting, and character development. And Sansom is a wonderful writer.
Which scene was your favorite?
The final act between Shardlake and the murderer. The dramatization was so well done, I might have been holding my breath while driving.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
It's always when Shardlake gives readers a peek at his emotions, especially when talking about his disability and his love for others.
Any additional comments?
I hope there are more in this series to come! A great book with great narrators and production elevates every story.
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1 person found this helpful