Dissolution

Rating:
Summary: Quite good historical mystery
Review: An interesting premise; a mystery set in a soon-to-be dissolved Tudor monastery. The author does a good job of presenting the religious conflicts of the day through the details of the plot. Good characterization, though I think the main character's hunchback is a bit trite. Well written and suspenseful. Politically adroit.

If you like the popular historians Alison Weir and David Starkey, you'll likely find this fictive departure in the Tudor period a fun read.

Rating:
Summary: I liked this despite its weaknesses
Review: As many have noted, the strength of this book was in detial and historic accuracy. As a mystery it was weak (come on a red herring whose name neams death, something that would be expected of an attorney author to know and to eschew as to obviously a diversion) furthur, the solution is tied up in a little "encyclopedia brown" solution. Nevertheless, the jouney itself is remarkable for its detail and historical flavor. And the author does make the resolution slightly more complex than what is obvious in the first hunderd pages.
Despite likeing the story overall, I didn't much care for the "hero". ( larely because cover implied that there would be sequals) As some other reviewr have noted, haveing an huncback as the hero allowed the illustration of the mind set of the age, a mind set that lingers today. I got a bit tired of his self-pity. It was enough for one book, I don't think i would want to read of it again. ( physical deformation may make a fine metaphore, as in the case of Elric, but it wasn't present here, except perhpas as an ham-handed example or the office being as twisted as the officer ) I just think I would be more likely to read soemthing else by the author if it didin't have the same protagotist.

Rating:
Summary: A tidy opener
Review: C J Samson's murder mystery set at the heart of England's troubled period during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries poses a serious challenge to the other great pseudonymal medieval murder mystery author, Susanna Gregory and also inevitably takes on that great hallmark, The Name of the Rose.
If you're a fan of the latter's Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles, this opener with our sleuth, Matthew Shardlake, will not disappoint you. With the imminent `Dark Fire' promising a series then this is one novel you will not waste your time on.
It is 1537, and Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in the pay of Thomas Cromwell, vicar-general, is sent south to Scarnsea to investigate the decapitation of the King's Commissioner, Robert Singleton. In tow is the son of his father's farm steward, Mark, whose previous amorous adventures have seen his standing in the courts plummet. It is a time of major canonical and secular upheaval as Henry VIII seeks to divorce himself from the papacy with the infamous dissolution of the monasteries and our protagonists are firmly behind the star ascendant of Thomas Cromwell.
After arriving at Scarnsea the inclement weather forces our blinkered sleuth to remain at the monastery for several days as his view that he merely has to ask in order to obtain the truth proves somewhat naive. With the torturously mad Carthusian monk, Brother Jerome, Prior Mortimus, Abbot Fabian, Sacrist Brother Gabriel, the infirmian, brother Guy and several other assorted ecclesiastical characters plus the peripheral events from the townsfolk such as Justice Copynger, Shardlake finds himself weaving through several tales where everyone has a hidden agenda a deep of mistrust of his high-handed methods of investigation.
Eventually, there are three murders to solve, Singleton's, Simon Whelplay's and Orphan Stonegarden's.
Mixed in is a silted pond, altar desecration, sordid tales, swords and Mark Poer's burgeoning desire for Alice, the only female onsite. The lot comes together after a rapid return to London which turns our murders into effects of far greater political upheaval as Matthew Shardlake is forced to also confront the fact that his master's character is not as pure as he thought it might be.
C J Samson's opener is rather good, actually. The plot is concise, the narrative tight and logical, the characterisation entirely plausible and human. Matthew Shardlake lacks a little empathy and is somewhat naive and comes across as enjoying his power a little too much whilst mildly embittered with his lot in life.
All in all a fine effort and I will be looking for Dark Fire immediately.

Rating:
Summary: The Name of the Rose by Any Other Name
Review: Enjoyable but predictable University Novel. I am sure Umberto Ecco must enjoy the sincere flattery of this imitation.

Rating:
Summary: Very different and dark Tudor mystery...
Review: For those who adore historical mysteries, this was not a bad find. Dealing with the period of change that occurred after Henry VIII cut the English church off from the Catholic church, this mystery dealt with his heavy-handed breakup of the monastaries (and nunneries) through his minion, Cromwell. This confusing time for all of Britain, was acclaimed by some, hated by others, and was the typical politically-rife antagonisms between two groups, that we are all too familiar with at present. What was different back then, was if you disagreed with the wrong group, you could end up with no head! Both Cromwell and the king had their own agendas, and the people who worked under either of them did so precariously, never knowing what these two strong personalities were going to be like from day to day.

Into this mess comes a commissioner/lawyer of Cromwell's with lofty views of change he expected to come with the dissolution of the Catholic church in England. As in most time periods, there were good and bad institutions, and it was the same in this time period. The monastaries had become rich and lazy, and had lost their priorities to God and to charitable acts. Unfortunately, it becomes all too clear to Shardlake, the commissioner, that the world replacing the one Cromwell was in the act of destroying, was not going to be significantly different. The king wanted the monasteries riches and lands, and Cromwell himself used the dissolutions to reward those doing his bidding. This had to be deeply disappointing for those who were seeking a true religious change, starting with the publishing of the Bible in English for the first time...which directly led to people becoming more literate (as they wanted to read the Bible on their own).

Shardlake comes to a monastery that includes both good and bad men. A murder is done there of a previous commisioner and Shardlake is sent by Cromwell to do two things; determine who murdered the other commissioner, and get the abbot to sign a dissolution agreement (in exchange for pensions). Sounds a bit like Enron.

The writing is mixed. A bit repetitive, takes a bit to long to get to the point. Sansom does give a good description of the darkness of the period, and the mixed feelings of the people in England towards all this change in which they had little or no say. Makes you sincerely glad you didn't live in those times.

Karen Sadler

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Ecclesiastical Thriller
Review: I went into this book (a Christmas gift) with low expectations, expecting only a shabby period thriller. I was more than pleasantly surprised -- I could hardly put it down over the few days it took to read. It's a thoughtful, quality story with good historical research behind it (although in reality wasn't poor Mark Smeaton hanged, drawn and quartered, not beheaded?), moral dilemmas that aren't black and white, and a couple of likeable protagonists who are both brave and fearful, certain and uncertain (Sansom tracks adolescent sullenness and impulsiveness in the young assistant so well I laughed more than once, recognizing a few real-life teenagers). The plot is clever, although the ending is a bit pat. I rolled my eyes during that final big struggle -- something out of an old movie. Indeed, at times I had the feeling I was reading the draft of a screenplay. That cuts both ways -- it means the book is highly visual, but lacks some of the depth and diversions you might like. Think, for example, of Eco's gloriously detailed description of the tympanum in "Name of the Rose." That sort of thing, to me, makes great historical literature. Sansom does not write "Dissolution" in that league, but nonetheless if you like Eco you'll very probably like this too. If Sansom publishes another novel, I'll be near the front of the line to buy it. Overall, a highly enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful first novel...
Review: If you want to see just how good this novel of Henry Tudor's time is, also read "Day of Wrath" by Iris Collier. Dissolution is extremely well written, with a believable plot and characters....this becomes very apparent when you read Collier's mystery of the "dissolution" in Tudor times...it's a horribly written, amateurish first attempt.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful first novel...
Review: If you want to see just how good this novel of Henry Tudor's time is, also read "Day of Wrath" by Iris Collier. Dissolution is extremely well written, with a believable plot and characters....this becomes very apparent when you read Collier's mystery of the "dissolution" in Tudor times...it's a horribly written, amateurish first attempt.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating historical mystery debut
Review: In the winter of 1537, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is asked to look into the brutal murder of a commissioner of Thomas Cromwell, the vicar general of King Henry VIII at a monastery on the south coast of Britain. The much feared Cromwell demands that Shardlake get results immediately so Cromwell will have everything wrapped up when he tells the king about the incident. He sends Shardlake as his representative to solve the crime. This is in the midst of the dissolutions of the Catholic monasteries throughout the realm as presided over by Cromwell. Shardlake, a hunchback travels the treacherous roads with his aide, Mark Poer, from London to the remote monastery. The suspects include many of the monks residing there. Things get especially tense as the deaths continue even after Shardlake arrives.
There is a wealth of detail in this well written debut which, alone, makes this work noteworthy. Sansom succeeds in bringing this time and place of almost five hundred years ago to the reader with a rare sense of immediacy. In fact, it is the fascinating detail that keeps the pages turning. The mystery itself is cleverly presented and the solution quite adequate. Pacing is the casualty of the meticulous attention to detail. Characters appear realistic, yet, it is difficult to distinguish one monk from another. A glossary in the front helps. Historical mysteries can be extremely difficult to write especially by a first time novelist who handles the task adeptly. A worthy nominee in two Crime Writers Association categories.

Rating:
Summary: vivid Tudor historical mystery
Review: King Henry VIII selects Thomas Cromwell to destroy the Roman Church through newly enacted laws, phony witchcraft-like trials, and informers in every walk of life. Cromwell performs his assignment with zeal, but also worries about a revolt from the oppressed Papists and others opposed to the newly formed Church of England.

In 1537 Cromwell learns that someone murdered one of his agents Commissioner Singleton while on the King' s business at the Monastery of St. Donatus the Ascendant of Scarnsea. He enlists lawyer Matthew Shardlake to investigate. Known in the court system for his hunchback, Shardlake and his clerk travel to the Benedictine cloister to make inquiries amongst close-mouthed individuals filled with animosity towards the outsiders. The sleuths find a hotbed of sexual depravity and treasonous acts, but worse to Shardlake, he obtains damaging information about his employer that places Cromwell in a less than holy light and himself in peril for his life. Still he must stop a serial killer from murdering again.

Using historical facts and real persona from the period of "Dissolution of the English Monasteries" (1536-1540), C.J. Sansom provides readers with a vivid Tudor historical mystery. The background is so descriptive it overwhelms the prime theme of a well-written who-done-it in spite of interweaving tidbits into the plot. Shardlake is the glue as he refuses to allow his handicap back from keeping him from performing his duties but struggles with his values once he learns the truth about his mentor. Cromwell is cleverly drawn as a Machiavellian type by using authentic references to his recorded actions. Fans of historical mysteries with an emphasis on the era will appreciate DISSOLUTION.

Harriet Klausner