| Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom |
Historical Fiction - The Tudors |
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| Summer Reading –– a mystery that take place in the England of Henry the VIII, at the time he is just moving over to wife number 5. I am partway through the book but have read another by the same author a few years ago, “Dissolution”. This is equally well written. The characters are well drawn, the background of the times is easily understandable, and the plots & intrigues are thick and heavy. The essence of the story is Mathew Shardlake, a lawyer, is manoeuvred by Thomas Cromwell, into investigating a possible rediscovery of the legendary substance Greek Fire. Which leads him into investigating the murder of two supposed rediscovers of Greek fire.
At the same time, he is trying to prove the innocence of a 15-year-old girl from a murder charge. Who, refusing to speak, will not enter a plea in court? Failure to do so means being she will be crushed by heavy stones, instead of either going free or being hung. Against all this is the background of the breaking way of England from Rome and becoming Protestant, the way the law courts worked then, much of which will be familiar and some not so, and the general level of filth everywhere that was accepted as normal. All in all a rather bloody period in history. While I have not finished the book, I heartily recommend it to all who enjoy historical mysteries. |
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