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Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Novel
 
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Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Novel [Audio Download]

by C. J. Sansom (Author), Anton Lesser (Narrator)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (216 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Audio Download
  • Listening Length: 6 hours and 29 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Abridged
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
  • Audible Release Date: 9 Aug 2007
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002SQ8OLG
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (216 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church, and the country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials, and the greatest network of informers ever seen. Under the order of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent through the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: the monasteries are to be dissolved.

But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder is accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege: a black cockerel sacrificed on the alter, and the disappearance of Scarnsea's Great Relic.

Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death. But Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything he hears and everything that he intrinsically believes.

© C. J. Sansom; (P) Macmillan Publishers Ltd
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
782 of 786 people found the following review helpful
By Mr TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I agree with previous reviewers that when you start out on this novel part of you is thinking "is this just a re-hash of The Name of the Rose" - no it isn't, it has many echoes, or should that be Eco's, of that great novel but is an of itself as absorbing, if not quite as high in writing style or rich in semiology.

As a frequent buyer from Amazon I always find it frustrating that coming to a series of novels it isn't always that clear in which order one should read them, yes you can sometimes tell by publication date - but these can often be just as confusing...so here for the new C J SANSOM fans is a list in order of ther series to 2010, should you wish to rattle off the series before the next publication...

Dissolution (2003), ISBN 1-4050-0542-4
Dark Fire (2004), ISBN 1-4050-0544-0
Sovereign (2006), ISBN 1-4050-5048-9
Revelation (2008) ISBN 1-4050-9272-2
Heartstone (2010) ISBN 0307356183

Hope that helps some of you...and it maybe something Amazon could consider doing on the author page?
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75 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I also bought this book on a whim in an airport - and was delighted to find a new author I hope to read much more of. The book itself is a great murder mystery - plenty of twists, without losing its credibility, and simply a superb story.

On top of this though, it's a great picture of a time of enormous change in England - although I knew the basics of the dissolution of the monasteries, this really brings everything to life, and although there is plenty of detail for those who like their history, it never becomes dry or boring.

Quite simply, this is one of the most gripping and readable books I've picked up for quite a while, and I'll be recommending it far and wide.

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199 of 203 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Meynell TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
To begin with i thought this was just a pastiche of Eco's Name of the Rose: Monastery in winter, dodgy monks, murders and a beautiful young girl with an unusual detective plus honourable apprentice (even Aristotle's lost work On Comedy makes an appearance). But this is set a few centuries later and is firmly rooted in the Tudor terrors at the time of Dissolution of the Monasteries. National politics and the reformation are the sword of Damocles that hang over the monastery throughout. What is so exciting and satisfying is the way (rather like Eco did) that national politics and scandals are interwoven naturally into the goings on in this remote monastery on the South Coast. Henry VIII exists as an invisible presence throughout; the nearest we get to him is his ruthless and foul henchman, Thomas Cromwell. But his lethal authority and whims are stamped on every page.

The hero of the piece is Matthew Shardlake who finds himself having to do Cromwell's bidding. He is a believable character, idealistic but flawed, given to blindspots and jealousies - but he acknowledges all these, especially as he recognises that to have remained neutral could have helped find the culprits sooner and thus prevented more deaths.

This is a great read - and brings a dark chapter of England's history to life. There are no easy answers - and the rights and wrongs of the period are not so categorically stated that the reader is drawn inevitably to either 'papists' or 'reformers'. A tour de force.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
greatbooks
I think Sansom is one of the very best writers. His work is historically accurate and very descritpive. Read more
Published 1 month ago by jgr
Dissoloution
Excellent who done it set in reign of Cromwell the central character is a monk, Shardlake . Understand there is a series featuring same monk, but nor read any others yet .
Published 4 months ago by T. Fagan
A bit slow
I found this novel a bit slow moving and drawn out. I did enjoy it, and having read a considerable amount of historical fiction, found this a bit predictable. Read more
Published 4 months ago by JMD
cleverly plotted detective story that also brings history to life
This is very clever: a historical novel that gives a sense of what the era was like but wears its learning lightly and a detective novel that is cunningly plotted and holds the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by William Jordan
Pending review
This page will be updated when there is something useful to add. This page will be updated when there is something useful to add.
Published 5 months ago by SJHEARN
Dissolution
Informative, enertaining and easy to read...what more can ask from a novel. Shardlake is an unusual 'hero' but the more you read about him the more you like and admire him. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. A. Lewis
gripping read
I never usually read historical fiction as I find it often romanticises events, but C J Samson has managed to get me hooked. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Liz
Dissolution
Anyone who has read C.J. Sansom's Master Shardlake books, this book does not need recommending. Again a masterpiece, set in the Tudor era. Very enjoyable reading.
Published 5 months ago by Avid_reader
What a start!
Wow! Found this gripping from the beginning even though after reading the following books - they got even better. This book really sets the scene of all the books that follow. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Baronessnewt
A wonderful first book experience !
My first experience with the author C.J. Sansom has been absolutely great.
This book "Dissolution" is just wonderful. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Clemens Schoonderwoert
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