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Sovereign: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery (Matthew Shardlake Mysteries) (Hardcover)

by C. J. Sansom (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Sansom's engrossing third historical featuring Matthew Shardlake (after 2005's Dark Fire) finds the hunchbacked barrister at the vortex of strife-torn Tudor England in the rainy autumn of 1541. Northern Britain anxiously awaits the arrival of the Great Progress taking Henry VIII and an entourage of thousands toward York to quell a fresh rebellion. Recently appointed a legal counsel for the Progress, Shardlake has a secret mission from Archbishop Cranmer to guarantee the safe return to London of imprisoned conspirator Sir Edward Broderick. With his trusted assistant, Jack Barak, Shardlake also investigates the death of master glazier Peter Oldroyd, a suspected papist, who fell from his ladder and was impaled on glass shards. Their search of Oldroyd's house reveals intriguing documents that question the royal line of succession and even impugn Henry. Despite complex court politics and several attempts on his life, Shardlake stalwartly maintains his integrity while searching for truth amid the "vipers' nest" of Henry's court. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
In Dissolution, reformist Matthew Shardlake works with Thomas Cromwell to investigate the death of a royal commissioner; in Dark Fire, he defends a young woman accused of murder. Critics agree that Sovereign is as good as, or even better than, its predecessors. Themes of political ruses, conspiracy, religious fanaticism, and murder, combined with sophisticated plotting, meticulously researched details, and convincing characters (including a cruel, paranoid Henry) recreate the repression, tyranny, and gory minutiae of Tudor England. (Soft romance is patently absent.) A few critics commented on the heft of the novel, but in the end they agreed that Sovereign is an outstanding work of historical fiction.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 592 pages
  • Publisher: Viking Adult (March 22, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0670038318
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670038312
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #302,713 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Sovereign: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery (Matthew Shardlake Mysteries)
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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "Politics is a hard and cruel game.", September 30, 2007
C. J. Sansom's "Sovereign" is the third mystery in this critically acclaimed series featuring Matthew Shardlake, a thirty-nine year old lawyer, and his assistant, Jack Barak. The author demonstrates his prodigious historical knowledge as he traces Henry VIII's Great Progress to the North in 1541. Along with Catherine Howard, his fifth wife, a large number of soldiers, and members of the nobility, Henry and his retinue made their way from London to York with the goal of bringing the king's discontented northern subjects under control. Archbishop Cranmer sends Matthew Shardlake on the trip to process petitions for the king and to safeguard an important prisoner who is to be interrogated in the Tower of London. Matthew travels with a heavy heart, having recently buried his father, whom he had neglected. With the money that he will earn from this mission, Matthew hopes to pay off his father's remaining debts.

After the Progress finally reaches York, a glazier falls off his ladder and is impaled on fragments of glass. Shardlake quickly realizes that this was no accident. There may be a conspiracy afoot against Henry; papers hidden in the glazier's house would wreak havoc if they were to fall into the wrong hands. Since Matthew caught a glimpse of these papers, he becomes a target and narrowly escapes repeated attempts on his life. Meanwhile, Jack Barak has found love; he is smitten with a pretty young woman, Tamasin Reedbourne, who works in Queen Catherine's household. Matthew and Jack join forces to discover the identity of the killer and to uncover a secret so explosive that it could bring down a mighty monarch.

The strength of "Sovereign" lies in the author's exhaustive attention to historical detail; Sansom immerses the reader in the political, religious, and cultural events of Henry VIII's reign. Tudor England was filled with ruthless individuals who committed immoral acts because of their lust for power, a desire for wealth, and religious fanaticism. Scenes of cold-blooded murder, torture, and suicide reflect the violence and desperation of those volatile times. There is a contemporary flavor to the novel's themes; the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Matthew Shardlake is as admirable and likeable as ever. He has an abnormally curved back which makes him the butt of cruel jokes, but his deformity has not robbed him of his self-respect. His keen intellect and determination propel him to disregard his personal safety in order to bring a murderer to justice. Shardlake and Jack make a solid team: Matthew has experience, a thorough knowledge of the law, and patience; what Barak lacks in seasoning and judgment he makes up for in loyalty, courage, and strength. Jack looks up to Matthew, who has taught the younger man to venerate learning and behave with integrity.

Ironically, the initial strength of the novel ultimately becomes its undoing. The author gets carried away with his verbiage, and the novel soon becomes repetitious and tedious. At nearly six-hundred pages, "Sovereign" would have profited from careful pruning. The large cast of characters is too unwieldy to allow for much shading, and the impact of the mystery is diluted because of the many subplots that compete for the readers' attention. Although "Sovereign" is packed with fascinating information and colorful atmosphere, it would have been far more satisfying had it been more streamlined and better focused.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A superb writer crafts an engrossing tale: The principle character is the story, April 7, 2007
This is the third adventure of the author's invited protagonist, the lawyer, Matthew Shardlake. It's not only the best one so far, but it is also a perfect example of an historical novel. Not only does the the period at the beginning of the end of the reign of Henry VIII come alive in crisp detail, but also the daily life of the professional and lower classes is the backdrop. Hollywood prefers to tell stories set in the past only through the eyes of the ruling classes, so we get gorgeous clothing and fairy tale castles that seem to have central heating and air condioning for the comfort of their beautifully coiffed inhabitants who to a person have flawless skin and excellent health. C.J. Sansom shows us that the lives of all of the classes of society can be measured by who has more of less. A literally decaying while alive Henry VIII suffers from leg ulcers that ooze pus and stink close-up, court ladies wear thick white make-up for formal occasions that today would be called clown-like. Gentlemen reach for their swords and daggers at the drop of an insult or a perceived affront. Religion is politics and politics, in the mioddle Tudor period, was religion.

The best aspect of this novel is that it is seen trhough the eyes of Sansom's main character,a hunchback lawyer, who has brilliant deductive powers and an almost photographic memory, in the service of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the only fully developed "famous" historical figure in the story.

The very poor term, smellovision, might best describe this all too brief sojourn into the year 1541, but I use the term intending it to be a positive comment on Sansom's skill to let us re-live and breathe-through a scented linen cloth, hopefully, the mid sixteenth century.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My first Matthew Shardlake Mystery - I'm definitely a fan, May 25, 2007
By Heather A. Buettner (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
It seems that everything related to the Tudors and Reformation England is really trendy now, which I'm loving, since it was my major in college. Somehow I managed to miss these mysteries thus far, but I'm definitely ordering the first two right away.

Matthew Shardlake is a lawyer in London who is sent to York ostensibly to handle legal petitions when the King visits on his great Progress; but also on a clandestine assignment from the great Archbishop Cranmer himself - to guard over a prisoner's well-being so he can be safely taken back to London and face the experts in the Tower who will administer his interrogation.

Chaos ensues early on when a glazier is murdered and Shardlake overhears a dying man's last words that may have secret meaning. When attempts are made on Shardlake's life, it seems no one can be trusted and everyone is a suspect.

I really enjoyed this book. It really helped that I have a fair amount of knowledge of the subject matter - I think that would be important. As much as the dialog tried to give backgrounds and histories, I think I would have been really confused if I didn't know a lot of the history. As it was, it took all my effort just to concentrate on all the many characters.

The book is fairly long (though absorbing), so be prepared to dedicate a certain amount of time to this book, and don't start reading it if you have other stuff going on. You're going to want to read this as much as you can until the last of the 650+ pages.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sansom Ups the Ante and Still Wins the Pot
This is the third book in the Matthew Shardlake series. These are terrific historical fiction/mysteries, and you should absolutely read them in order, starting with... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Middle-aged Professor

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
This is an exceptional series. You never know the truth until the end. This writer keeps you guessing.
Published 2 months ago by T. Miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Sovereign Review
C. J. Sansom has written several mysteries based in the Tudor period. This one deals with Henry VIII's ill-fated marriage to Katharine Howard. A bit long but quite interesting.
Published 2 months ago by Frequent Reader

4.0 out of 5 stars A Richly Textured Historical Mystery Set In 16th Century England
Dark Fire Revelation: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery (Matthew Shardlake Mysteries) Dissolution

I have long been fascinated by the history of medieval England, especially... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jana L. Perskie

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery and History: Getting It Right
It is the time of king Henry VIII and the central character, a hunchback lawyer of keen intelligence and moral strength, is reluctantly set into a situation of murder, treason,... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Stephen McHenry

5.0 out of 5 stars Shardlake series
Sovereign was an excellent read, as were the 2 previous Shardlake novels. C. J. Sansom creates a great sense of place and very interesting and believable characters
Published 10 months ago by JR MD

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Shardlake Mystery!!
Sovereign is set in 1541, during the King Henry VIII Progress to the North, an area of the country where his reign and religous reforms are unpopular, and its immediate aftermath... Read more
Published 11 months ago by J.Flood

5.0 out of 5 stars Another engrossing historical novel by C.J. Sansom.
Highly recommended for those who like a lot of painless historical education, great characters and a plot that is well concealed. I really liked the first two as well.
Published 12 months ago by nature lover

5.0 out of 5 stars cant put down, historical
Couldnt put this book down, but I am a Tudor fan !! He writes so well, but with a modern way to it.He has a dissability and I like that the author, made him this way and it made... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jacqueline Butera

4.0 out of 5 stars Fathers and Sons and Monarchs, Oh My!
This is the third Matthew Shardlake mystery by C.J. Sansom. I enjoyed it very much. It's nice to come back to a familiar character and catch up on his latest exploits... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Barb Mechalke

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