
Tombland
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Narrated by:
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Steven Crossley
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By:
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C.J. Sansom
About this listen
One of the great overlooked historical detective series continues with this mystery for fans of Hilary Mantel, set in a time of great political upheaval in Tudor-era England.
Spring, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos.
The nominal king, Edward VI, is 11 years old. His uncle, Edward Seymour, Lord Hertford, rules as Edward's regent and Protector. In the kingdom, radical Protestants are driving the old religion into extinction, while the Protector's prolonged war with Scotland has led to hyperinflation and economic collapse. Rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.
Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of one of Elizabeth's distant relations, rumored to be politically murdered, draws Shardlake and his companion Nicholas to the lady's summer estate, where a second murder is committed.
As the kingdom explodes into rebellion, Nicholas is imprisoned for his loyalty, and Shardlake must decide where his loyalties lie - with his kingdom, or with his lady?
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Read it after reading others in the series
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Critic reviews
"The tale is enthralling.... Sansom describes 16th-century events in the crisply realistic style of someone watching them transpire right outside his window.... Don't believe those tapestries of pretty lords and ladies happily hunting unicorns: The Middle Ages were murder." (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review)
"Longtime readers of this superb series will know what to expect on every level: sharply drawn characters, particularly Shardlake himself, who has grown into one of the most well-textured leading characters in the entire genre.... Tombland is the latest in what is easily one of the best ongoing mystery series currently being published." (Christian Science Monitor)
"Gripping and engrossing.... The audio book, read by Steven Crossley, interprets Sansom's prose well. The narrative sections are low key, allowing Shardlake's voice to carry the story. In the dialogue, Crossley interprets the voices of the characters: Richard Rich speaks with a high-pitched sneer, William Cecil has low, modulated tones. Regional accents are realistically reproduced for people of different areas, for the gentry, the merchant classes the yeomen and the servant classes.... The pageantry is rich, the murder is macabre, the deaths portrayed are often brutal and violent." (Strand magazine)
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Badly in need of editing
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I love Shardlake, but this one taught me something really new
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Enjoyable series, expertly narrated/acted
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Good look at Kett's Rebellion
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Thanks for keeping me so happy.
Another fabulous adventure!
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Another winner!
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By far, the best of the Shardlake novels
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"Tombland" follows a usual pattern for Shardlake: it starts out with Shardlake being asked to investigate an odd murder, and ending up caught up in Kett's Rebellion. In the books until now, the "mystery" part of the story was the dominant theme and the "history" part of the story, while important, was not the story itself. "Tombland" was more of a story about Kett's Rebellion with a murder mystery thrown in, rather than a murder mystery story set in and around Kett's Rebellion. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the mystery part of the story was given more prominence. (Note: Tombland is also long---50% longer than the next-longest Shardlake mystery.)
That's not to say I hated it; I enjoyed the book and still rate it 4 stars. Shardlake is still an interesting character and his interactions on the fringes of the highest of English society (he is hired for this investigation by the future Queen Elizabeth) and English history (Kett's Rebellion) are interesting to see.
Steven Crossley continues to be an excellent narrator for the Shardlake stories. I think he adds a little---something special---to the audio versions.
In conclusion, it was not my favorite Shardlake story (that is still "Heartstone"), but worth the (long) listen.
More history than mystery
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I seldom do reviews, but felt it was important to note that these are great books and worth your attention. When I first read the preview, I was not impressed with a hunchback lawyer as the main character, but soon got over that!
I don't know if there is a book 8, but sure hope so!
Excellent Series and Narration
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Awesome, intriguing, great book.
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