Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Many writers jostle for position at the top of the historical crime fiction tree, but for many aficionados one novelist has maintained an assured premium position for quite some time: the British writer CJ Sansom. His sprawling, exuberant and brilliantly organised novels featuring the wily hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake are particular favourites of those who seek something a little more ambitious in the field, and it's not hard to see why. Most of Sansom’s novels (which include Dissolution, Sovereign, Dark Fire and Revelation) seem positively operatic in their sheer scale, and the vividness of which Tudor England is covered by the author makes most other writing in the genre seem footling.
At over 600 pages, the new book, Heartstone, is one of his most imposing, but after a challenging, slowish start (something frequently attempted by Sansom -- like many good writers, he often demands a certain patience from his readers), the customary comprehensive grip is rigorously maintained. The invasion of France mounted by Henry VIII has been a disaster, and, in retaliation, an imposing French fleet is making preparations to cross the Channel. At Portsmouth, the English navy is readying itself for the battle of its life, and at Henry's autocratic direction, a massive militia army is being raised. England, reeling under the debasing of its currency to pay for the war, is suffering crippling inflation and economic meltdown. (If the thought of Britain's involvement in controversial foreign wars while suffering an economic crisis might remind the reader of a few contemporary parallels, there is little doubt that is exactly what CJ Sansom intends.) Against this tumultuous backdrop, the lawyer Matthew Shardlake is presented with a difficult case via an elderly servant of Queen Catherine Parr which will plunge him into the labyrinthine toils of the King's Court of Wards. Shardlake’s job is to look into wrongs which have been done to the young ward Hugh Curteys by a Hampshire landowner, and (as is customary with most cases involving Shardlake) violent death is soon on the agenda, as the threat of war lours.
Readers of CJ Sansom will know exactly what to expect here, and all the usual pleasures afforded by this massively talented writer are satisfyingly on offer. If Heartstone is not quite vintage Sansom, that is perhaps because the author has set (and maintained) such a high standard. But what the novel provides in terms of reach and achievement is streets ahead of most of his contemporaries. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
'Readers of C J Sansom will know exactly what to expect here, and all the usual pleasures afforded by this massively talented writer are satisfyingly on offer.' --Burton Mail
'One of the virtues of historical crime fiction, that Sansom demonstrates exceptionally well, is the deployment of what seem to be contemporary `noirish' horrors- madness, sexual deviance, corruption, serial killing -within a particular past context...' --History Today
'Heartstone like its predecessors, bristles with outlandish deaths, jeopardy and fiendish plots as it plunges into upheaval caused by the King's foreign policy. Heartstone is a tour de force of period re-creation and shows its author's flair for hoodwinking event the most hawk-eyed reader while devices borrowed from Tudor theatre deepen the mystery...' --Sunday Times Culture, Peter Kemp
'The narrative is complex and ever-twisting and contains some wonderful large-scale scenes...As with his previous books, while the authentic and detailed background is impressive and wholly convincing it is the rich characterisation that is the core of Heartstone...I look forward with impatience to the next adventure.' --Historical Novel Review, Gordon O' Sullivan
`A virtuoso twisting together of Tudor history and murder mystery that bristles with skulduggery, suspicious behaviour and sinister deaths as Henry VIII faces imminent invasion by the French in 1545.'
--Sunday Times Culture Summer Reading
`The hunchback lawyer once again tackles dastardly opponents, ingenious plots and the dangers of Tudor bureaucracy in a masterly amalgam of history and mystery. An engrossing holiday read.' --The Tablet
'One of the virtues of historical crime fiction, that Sansom demonstrates exceptionally well, is the deployment of what seem to be contemporary `noirish' horrors- madness, sexual deviance, corruption, serial killing -within a particular past context...' --History Today
'Heartstone like its predecessors, bristles with outlandish deaths, jeopardy and fiendish plots as it plunges into upheaval caused by the King's foreign policy. Heartstone is a tour de force of period re-creation and shows its author's flair for hoodwinking event the most hawk-eyed reader while devices borrowed from Tudor theatre deepen the mystery...' --Sunday Times Culture, Peter Kemp
'The narrative is complex and ever-twisting and contains some wonderful large-scale scenes...As with his previous books, while the authentic and detailed background is impressive and wholly convincing it is the rich characterisation that is the core of Heartstone...I look forward with impatience to the next adventure.' --Historical Novel Review, Gordon O' Sullivan
`A virtuoso twisting together of Tudor history and murder mystery that bristles with skulduggery, suspicious behaviour and sinister deaths as Henry VIII faces imminent invasion by the French in 1545.'
--Sunday Times Culture Summer Reading
`The hunchback lawyer once again tackles dastardly opponents, ingenious plots and the dangers of Tudor bureaucracy in a masterly amalgam of history and mystery. An engrossing holiday read.' --The Tablet
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
248 of 264 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More of the same in this excellent series,
By
This review is from: Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5) (Hardcover)
Heartstone continues the story of Matthew Shardlake and co, and weaves together at least 3 different strands of plot to reach a satisfying conclusion. There are no major departures from type to be fair but I like the fact that CJ Sansom has chosen once again to move the story out of London and in so doing can further describe the countryside, the town of Portsmouth, and the early days of the navy. There are some engaging characters to be met as well, some more integral to the plot than others, and to be fair some of them are a tad stereotypical, but maybe that's because the stereotypes are true. One thing that does grate though is the use of modern idiom such as "mad as a box of frogs". I know we don't want the dialogue to be all "yea verily" and the like but the use of such idiom does seem a bit incongruous. Of course someone will now tell me that the phrase was first coined in Tudor times in which case I withdraw my complaint.But seriously, this will please fans of the series, and although new readers could start with this book they would be advised to start at book 1 to see how the relationships develop through the series as that does have some significance in this book.
99 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Shardlake,
By
This review is from: Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5) (Hardcover)
Well after the last book `Revelation', I thought we had seen the end of Shardlake and Barak and therefore sadly resigned myself to the fact that there may only ever be four books in this fantastic series. I am sure I do not need to tell you how excited I was to see `Heartstone' advertised earlier on in the year! I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this book and ensured I was able to buy a copy on its publication date.The book itself is aesthetically beautiful. The dust jacket, colour maps on front and back covers and the red ribbon have helped to create a book which demands centre stage on your bookshelf. The book is slightly heavy, which can be problematic when reading the book in bed at the end of the day when your aching limbs are succumbing to the effects of gravity! Yet that is the only negative point for a book which definitely stands out from the rest. Aesthetics aside, the content is typical Shardlake with the story plodding along quite nicely until the final third when revelation after revelation is thrown at our indomitable lawyer in true, plot twisting style! This time Shardlake is away from London and thus the story focuses mainly on his adventures in Hampshire. We have a new setting with a different story, but one which contains just enough familiar elements from the previous book to sustain the flow from `Revelation' into `Heartstone'. In Heartstone, you will see a slightly different Shardlake and in some ways he appears to be more vulnerable to his enemies. I experienced a greater range of emotions when reading this book than I have done with the previous instalments, which ranged from anger to sorrow, empathy to disgust. All in all, key ingredients for a dangerously addictive read. I would certainly advise that you have a clear week or two before beginning this book as you will not be able to set it down once you have begun. I sincerely hope that this is not the end of Shardlake and if I have to wait another year or two for a new book - I'm quite happy to do so! Some people may say that with any lengthy series, the commercial/financial aspects overshadow the quality of the books and the series' `sell-by date' is prolonged to exploit the success. That is definitely not the case with this book; it feels fresher than ever and leaves you wanting more. Highly recommended reading.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
:( What Happened???,
This review is from: Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5) (Hardcover)
Having found in the summer of last year that C J Samson was releasing a new Shardlake book, I was literally jumping for joy. I eagerly went and bought the book, and could not wait to get home to start on another gripping, page turning adventure like all the previous books (Revelation probably being my favourite). I have to say having come to the end of the book which seems to have taken a lifetime for me to finish, I am sorely disappointed. This book has taken me months to read, partly in all honesty, because on a night I couldn't be bothered to read it before bed, and baring in mind that all the previous books have taken me literally a week to read, for me speaks volumes.The book starts in the normal Shardlake way, with well known and loved characters, Guy, Barak etc, but the whole journey to Portsmouth and the whole time Shardlake was in Portsmouth bored me to tears. I understand that Samson has a great love for the history and excels in describing the surroundings but it seemed to me he was spending most of the book "describing" rather than giving me a nail biting plot. The description of the Mary Rose, The Great Harry etc is commendable as is the description of the soldiers and the whole scene at Portsmouth but there was more of this going on than there was plot. I wanted to scream at Shardlake "for godsake man, get back to bloody London!" The first glimmer of hope I got was the murder at Hoyland Priory a mere 384 pages into the novel but this was short lived and I found myself once again getting bored. In conclusion if you are a Shardlake fan, you will want to read this book as I did, as I don't want the time to come when I have to say goodbye to Shardlake and Barak, but I would warn you that if you are more interested in the thriller side of the books and not historical war, you will not enjoy this read as you will have done with the previous novels. I just hope that the rumours from last year are true and a Shardlake series appears on the BBC, as I worry that the novels have come to the end of the road. C J Samson I salute you, you have had me captivated for years, I just wish Heartstone had the heart of your other novels.
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