Tombland

By: C.J. Sansom

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

One of the great overlooked historical detective series continues with this mystery for fans of Hilary Mantel, set in a time of great political upheaval in Tudor-era England.

Spring, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos.

The nominal king, Edward VI, is 11 years old. His uncle, Edward Seymour, Lord Hertford, rules as Edward's regent and Protector. In the kingdom, radical Protestants are driving the old religion into extinction, while the Protector's prolonged war with Scotland has led to hyperinflation and economic collapse. Rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.

Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of one of Elizabeth's distant relations, rumored to be politically murdered, draws Shardlake and his companion Nicholas to the lady's summer estate, where a second murder is committed.

As the kingdom explodes into rebellion, Nicholas is imprisoned for his loyalty, and Shardlake must decide where his loyalties lie - with his kingdom, or with his lady?

©2019 C.J. Sansom (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"The tale is enthralling.... Sansom describes 16th-century events in the crisply realistic style of someone watching them transpire right outside his window.... Don't believe those tapestries of pretty lords and ladies happily hunting unicorns: The Middle Ages were murder." (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review)

"Longtime readers of this superb series will know what to expect on every level: sharply drawn characters, particularly Shardlake himself, who has grown into one of the most well-textured leading characters in the entire genre.... Tombland is the latest in what is easily one of the best ongoing mystery series currently being published." (Christian Science Monitor)

"Gripping and engrossing.... The audio book, read by Steven Crossley, interprets Sansom's prose well. The narrative sections are low key, allowing Shardlake's voice to carry the story. In the dialogue, Crossley interprets the voices of the characters: Richard Rich speaks with a high-pitched sneer, William Cecil has low, modulated tones. Regional accents are realistically reproduced for people of different areas, for the gentry, the merchant classes the yeomen and the servant classes.... The pageantry is rich, the murder is macabre, the deaths portrayed are often brutal and violent." (Strand magazine)

Badly in need of editing

As too often happens with writers of successful series, Sansom got carried away with his love of his characters and the era. He threw discipline to the winds and went on and on and on and …. His editor should have taken the reins and excised huge portions of this book. They even solved the very thin “mystery “ with 5 hours still to go.
For those without the fortitude to slog through, listen to the first third, Skip or skim the middle and pick it up again for the last few hours.

I love Shardlake, but this one taught me something really new

I didn’t know about the Kett Rebellian or any of them during that time, and I found the story very compelling. I liked the way Sansome was able to bring to life the camp life without becoming pedantic or jingoistic. The reader felt sympathy for the rebels without also feeling preached at. As usual, Sansome tells a wonderful human tale. I can’t wait for the next installment. While this isn’t jaw-dropping writing (as Wolf Hall etc was), it “teaches and delights” in a powerful way by a master of his craft. Bravo!

Enjoyable series, expertly narrated/acted

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this entire series. If you are an Anglophile and British history enthusiast, I highly recommend. Shardlake is a very likable and human main character and I liked getting to know all of the characters and their progression throughout the series.

Good look at Kett's Rebellion

Honestly, there aren't any negative remarks I can make about C.J Sansom's series and Steven Crossley's narration of the books. I have loved every single one of them. Matthew, Jack, Tamisyn, Guy -- everyone -- I feel as if I know them. I worry about them while I'm reading! I loved the insights into Kett's Rebellion in this book. England wouldn't have been somewhere I would have wanted to live but do enjoy reading about it. Sansom explores and explains the class system & monarchy so well. People were trapped in their class roles with almost no way to get out. He gives an in-depth look at the people that actually made up the population including the royals with behavior and dress standards included. I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire series and always want another book to see what Matthew, Jack & Guy are doing. I enjoyed this book and the entire series!!

Another fabulous adventure!

I have loved each of these 7 Shardlake adventures with the large cast of characters read by the talented Steven Crossley.
Thanks for keeping me so happy.

Another winner!

Excellent! As always. Wonderful historic series with great characters. Love this series. Every book is well written and performed.

By far, the best of the Shardlake novels

This latest book in the Shardlake series is the best one by far. It deals with Kett's uprising in 1547 in Norwich. The story is exciting and the whole account is historically accurate. Once again we see these events through the eyes of Matthew Shardlake, the lawyer who is the protagonist and narrates all of the Shardlake novels. This is great reading and you should not miss it.

More history than mystery

I liked "Dissolution" and loved the next 5 Shardlake mysteries. "Tombland" was down a notch from classics like "Heartstone" and "Lamentation."

"Tombland" follows a usual pattern for Shardlake: it starts out with Shardlake being asked to investigate an odd murder, and ending up caught up in Kett's Rebellion. In the books until now, the "mystery" part of the story was the dominant theme and the "history" part of the story, while important, was not the story itself. "Tombland" was more of a story about Kett's Rebellion with a murder mystery thrown in, rather than a murder mystery story set in and around Kett's Rebellion. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the mystery part of the story was given more prominence. (Note: Tombland is also long---50% longer than the next-longest Shardlake mystery.)

That's not to say I hated it; I enjoyed the book and still rate it 4 stars. Shardlake is still an interesting character and his interactions on the fringes of the highest of English society (he is hired for this investigation by the future Queen Elizabeth) and English history (Kett's Rebellion) are interesting to see.

Steven Crossley continues to be an excellent narrator for the Shardlake stories. I think he adds a little---something special---to the audio versions.

In conclusion, it was not my favorite Shardlake story (that is still "Heartstone"), but worth the (long) listen.

Excellent Series and Narration

Just finished the 7th book in the Mathew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom. one of the best series of historical fiction I have ever read. The books are long, but are so interesting you do not want them to end. The narration is excellent, Steven Crossley does a great job of using different voices for each main character, you feel that you are listening to an actual conversation.

I seldom do reviews, but felt it was important to note that these are great books and worth your attention. When I first read the preview, I was not impressed with a hunchback lawyer as the main character, but soon got over that!

I don't know if there is a book 8, but sure hope so!

Awesome, intriguing, great book.

as always excellent book and wonderful narration. intriguing plot to keep you on your toes.