Starred review from November 24, 2008
In March 1543, while London buzzes about Henry VIII's campaign to win newly widowed Lady Catherine Parr for his sixth wife, hunchbacked barrister Matthew Shardlake has grimmer matters on his mind in Sansom's gripping fourth Tudor historical (after 2007's Sovereign
). Not only has his close friend and colleague Roger Elliard been savagely murdered but Shardlake finds himself assigned the incendiary case of a young religious fanatic committed to Bedlam. Learning of a link between Elliard's death and a previous slaying, one touching Lady Catherine's household, he reluctantly agrees to join the top-secret probe by his mentor, Archbishop Cranmer—instantly plunging both himself and his intrepid assistant, Jack Barak, into a maelstrom of political intrigue, spiritual strife and personal peril. With its wealth of period detail, compelling characters and bold, fast-moving plot, this may be the most rousing Shardlake adventure so far.
November 1, 2008
Layers of deceit complicate a murder probe at a Viennese military school.
In the winter of 1902, police inspector Oskar Rheinhardt is called away from a night of ballroom dancing to investigate an unusual death at Saint Florian 's, an exclusive boys ' academy. The victim is mild-mannered student Thomas Zelenka, 15. Absent any obvious signs of violent death, the preliminary conclusion excludes foul play. But Rheinhardt —assisted again by his close friend, brilliant psychotherapist Max Liebermann (Vienna Blood, 2008, etc.) —is suspicious of strange scratches on the adolescent 's chest and armpits. Neither headmaster Eichmann nor the teaching staff go out of their way to cooperate, and math teacher Herr Sommer, rumored to be Zelenka 's confidant, suffers a fall that conveniently delays an interview. On the other hand, Frau Becker, wife of the assistant headmaster, eventually discloses her close relationship with the boy, and the author reveals that St. Florian 's harbors a sadistic cult led by swaggering student Wolf. Rheinhardt must tread carefully in questioning Wolf, the nephew of a police commissioner already leery of the inspector 's progressive methods. Meanwhile, a torrid affair with exotic Hungarian musician Trezska Novak brings Liebermann to the brink of personal destruction via a budding addiction to absinthe.
Tallis ' elegant prose aptly evokes the period. He explores his protagonists ' depths and again offers a strong flavor of contemporary arts, science and social history. On balance, an absorbing historical novel first and a mystery second.
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
Starred review from December 15, 2008
Seven avenging angels pouring out their vials of wrath. Seven gruesome ways to die. In Sansom's fourth series entry (after "Sovereign"), Shardlake, a London lawyer in 1543, discovers the murdered body of his good friend Roger Elliard in a courtyard fountain. Pressed by Elliard's widow and loyalty to his friend, Shardlake investigates, discovering that Elliard's death was but part of a bigger scheme by a radical religious fanatic who sees himself as the killer angel from the book of Revelation, meting out justice to the unfaithful. Will Shardlake be able to find the murderer before the prophecy is fulfilled? Sansom has written a taut, enigmatic, and compelling mystery with a sleuth who is cunning as well as honorable. Readers will be absorbed in Shardlake's pursuit of this demented murderer. Highly recommended for all historical mystery collections.Susan O. Moritz, Montgomery Cty. P.L.s., MD
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 15, 2009
In the fourth historical detective novel featuring barristerMatthew Shardlake, Sansom once again demonstrates his consummate knowledge of Tudor Englands politics and culture, and even the sounds and smellsof sixteenth-century Londons streets. This time out, the reign of King Henry VIII is in its twilight years, but His Majesty is nevertheless interested intaking a new wife, who would be his sixth. Religious issuescontinue toclash, as they have during much of his reignProtestant reformist ideas slamming up againstmore traditional religious dogma and practices. It is a dangerous time; people must be careful what they say in public these days. Shardlake has been assigned a peculiar case: a boy whose religious-oriented rantings have caused him to beincarcerated in a Bedlam hospital for the mentally unstable. When his good friend is found murdered, Shardlake is offand runningto connect all the puzzling dotsbetween the two cases. Like its predecessors, this installment in the series is sophisticated entertainment, with an intricately but not confusingly wrought plot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
November 1, 2008
Layers of deceit complicate a murder probe at a Viennese military school.
In the winter of 1902, police inspector Oskar Rheinhardt is called away from a night of ballroom dancing to investigate an unusual death at Saint Florian's, an exclusive boys ' academy. The victim is mild-mannered student Thomas Zelenka, 15. Absent any obvious signs of violent death, the preliminary conclusion excludes foul play. But Rheinhardt —assisted again by his close friend, brilliant psychotherapist Max Liebermann (Vienna Blood, 2008, etc.) —is suspicious of strange scratches on the adolescent's chest and armpits. Neither headmaster Eichmann nor the teaching staff go out of their way to cooperate, and math teacher Herr Sommer, rumored to be Zelenka's confidant, suffers a fall that conveniently delays an interview. On the other hand, Frau Becker, wife of the assistant headmaster, eventually discloses her close relationship with the boy, and the author reveals that St. Florian's harbors a sadistic cult led by swaggering student Wolf. Rheinhardt must tread carefully in questioning Wolf, the nephew of a police commissioner already leery of the inspector's progressive methods. Meanwhile, a torrid affair with exotic Hungarian musician Trezska Novak brings Liebermann to the brink of personal destruction via a budding addiction to absinthe.
Tallis ' elegant prose aptly evokes the period. He explores his protagonists ' depths and again offers a strong flavor of contemporary arts, science and social history. On balance, an absorbing historical novel first and a mystery second.
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)