Shardlake back in action - but radical religion is the problem at every turn - Rated 
Having thought that Shardlake hung up his detecting laurels after the traumas of the last book (Sovereign), we thought we had seen the last of him. But his reappearance has got hearts racing and excitement levels raised - because Sansom is undoubtedly a great thriller writer - with an incredible eye for historical detail and nuances to boot. What more could you want in an historical novel. As Colin Dexter said in his review of the earlier books, Sansom makes the past feel like the present.
This book drags Shardlake, Barak & Guy into a grizzly world of a religious fanatic serial killer who is driven by a scary misreading of the Book of Revelation. These three are modern heroes - they are our guides in a world that is at one level so alien from ours (with the twists and turns of religious battles affecting the lives of countless mortals, from London butchers caught selling meat during Lent to the priggish hypocrisy of reformist clergy dominating the lives of their parishioners); and yet as Sansom mentions in his afterword, one which bears uncomfortable resonances in to our era, intimidated as it is by the terrorism and implacable hatred of zealots.
I suppose as someone who is a Christian, and who is equally horrified by the lengths people's principles enable them to go, I am disappointed that there are few sympathetic characters in London's religious world. Perhaps that is accurate. Cranmer is the only one who seems really to draw our empathy in this murky world - forced daily, even hourly, to exist in the tension between principle and pragmatism.
But that is not so much a criticism of the book as an observation - because historical novels tend to say more about the era in which they are written than the period they describe. And that is very much the spirit of the age. It doesn't detract from the book, though. It was gripping as ever - and investigates some serious problems and questions - such as the nature of madness, the cruelties of those in power, the absurdities of a monarch's marital whims causing societal earthquakes. But above all - this is all weaved into a great story. And that is what makes Sansom such a satisfying writer. Let's hope Shardlake returns for more! And that they don't go and ruin it by trying to make a TV series of them all, and thus obliterate all the skillful complexities!
Good but not compulsive - Rated 
For CJ Samson fans like myself who eagerly await his books I was disappointed by Revelation. The main protagonist, Matthew Shardlake the crook back lawyer remains the same, and other familar characters (Guy the former Monk, Jack Barak and Tamasin)are all developed. However, I felt Revelation lacked the level of suspense of Dissolution, Dark Fire and Sovereign. It was gripping but not as gripping as Sansom's previous works.
Shardlake is brought back into political intrigue again against his inclination and is driven by a promise to the widow of a murdered friend. He is involved in tracking down a brutal serial murderer who appears to select his victims on the basis of their religious beliefs. At the end he elects to return to his "ordinary" life which he does on the completion of each story...
However whilst the plot seemed to follow a forumla the descriptions of Tudor London continue to be intriguing. The smells, the people, the buildings are all brought to life.
The sub plots involving Guy and his assistant and a young boy in Bedlam also add to the richness of the story.
Had this been the first novel I had read by CJ Sansom I would probably have been delighted but as it is my 5th, my high expectations were not fully met.
Man's Eternal Folly: the "...corruption of our leaders" Ch 4 - Rated
I've only recently discovered the real treasure of being able to immerse oneself in the 16th century world of Matthew Shardlake and what fascinates me about Sansom's magnificent achievement is his evocation of a society which truly senses it is out of control following the destruction of the monasteries during King Henry's reign of greed and terror.
Shardlake and characters like Guy Malton are the beacons of logic and light in a London which still believes in demonic darkness. Yes, this is a cracking character-based murder mystery which could sit comfortably alongside anything written by P.D. James and much of Ruth Rendell but, for me, the real heart of the Sharldlake series (and Revelation certainly doesn't disappoint!) is the writer's ability to dig deep into the dark motives that have always urged men to do what they feel they must in order to gain fulfilment. In relation to the religious fanaticism that pervades Sharlake's time, one is tempted to scoff from our so-called safe position nearly five hundred years on but we know it's not that black and white.
That's a big part of the joy of Sansom's series: we are made aware that life has always been chaotic and that "...our leaders" will always be driven by avarice and self-preservation.
A Tudor Treat. - Rated
Sansoms complete grasp of the minutaie and wider politico/religious issues that dominated the Tudor period is a delight. It is this knowledge that enables him to create believable and accurate backdrops against which his plot lines are set and proceed. Throughout his four books there is no diminution in the standard of his narrative skills. Although dark his stories are never less than a joy to read.
Another Case for Master Shardlake - Rated
There is always a ready audience for murder mystery books covering this period in English history and the Matthew Shardlake books are among the better ones on offer. They have become something of a cult following among their many readers and a new volume is always eagerly awaited. This is the fourth book in the series and the character of Matthew Shardlake is starting to feel like an old friend.
Matthew Shardlake, lawyer, confidant and servant to some of the most important and powerful men in the kingdom has come a long way since his early dealings, six years ago for Thomas Cromwell. The Dissolution of the monastries was not a happy time for Matthew, not sitting well with his own religious convictions and going against much of what he himself believed in.
Time has moved on apace, six years in fact and Matthew has struggled hard to better himself and to improve the standing of his lawyer's practice. He has over time even had dealings concerning King Henry himself. Meanwhile, Matthew has received notice of the foul murder of an old and trusted friend. So shocked is he by the news, that Matthew rashly promises the widow of his poor dead friend that he will do everything in his power to track down the perpetrators of the crime
This turns out to be no easy task in a city where life is cheap and many a throat has been cut for the price of a loaf of bread. Trying to devote his time to this case on top of his other workload is no easy task for Matthew and he needs all the help he can get from his assistant Jack Barak and his long time friend Guy Malton, The clues take them on dangerous and frightening journey, a journey that uncovers more than just the murder of his friend . . .
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