Dissolution is the start of a series of books called the Shardlake series set during the time period of Henry VIII of England. This is a mystery series that also combines elements of the history and polity of the times.
The series is named after its main protagonist, Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked lawyer with a strong sense of morality and justice.
About Dissolution
Henry VIII has ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and England is full of informers. At the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiraled out of control with the murder of Commissioner Robin Singleton. Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer, and his assistant are sent to investigate.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
I think I’ve found my next favorite series. Dissolution was that rare beast – an excellent historical thriller, that didn’t mess around with the history.
Later I realized why. The author C.J.Sansom has a phD in history! No wonder the book feels so historically accurate!
Historical setting
The book starts with the death of Queen Jane Seymour. England is well on its path of dissolving the old Roman catholic monasteries and Cromwell is at the peak of his power. When there’s a murder of a Cromwell representative in a monastery, he sends Matthew Shardlake a Protestant lawyer to investigate.
The unspoken message is that Shardlake find something wrong with the monastery that gives Cromwell an excuse to close it down.
Cromwell says:
The papists will use every means to prevent us from building the christian commonwealth, and so God’s blood I will use every means to overcome them.
Shardlake is a true believer in the Reformation but he’s also a very nice and just man, and the situation he finds himself in, makes him question his allegiances. This conflict of interest is one of the core points of the book and adds a layer of complexity to the murder mystery – something I really appreciated.
Murder Mystery
The style of the murder mystery is very similar to those Christie-style country house murders. Nobody outside the monastery could have committed the murders, so the focus remains on a very small group of characters – all of whom have sufficient motive.
Another book I would compare this novel to is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Uco. The narrative framework of the two novels is very similar – gruesome crime scenes, conflicted monks, hints of devilish forces at work. Dissolution though is much easier to read (although not necessarily better) than The Name of the Rose.
I found the mystery in Dissolution a little weak. What I mean is that there’s plenty of suspense, but I didn’t care enough about the various monks to feel too invested when one monk is found guilty over another.
Overall thoughts
I loved this book, in spite of the slightly hackneyed mystery. I really loved the lead character of Shardlake, and look forward to the rest of the books in this series.
I hope they live up to (or better) the quality of this one.
Have you read the Shardlake series? Did you like it?
I’m currently reading Revelation by the same author, its the fourth in the Shardlake series. A great read! Enjoyed your review on Dissolution.
I’m glad you enjoyed your first Shardlake book! I agree that the mystery in this one is quite weak, but the wonderful historical setting and interesting characters make up for it. The books in this series get better and better, so you have a lot to look forward to. 🙂
I’m so looking forward now to the rest of the books in this series!
I’ve read four of the series. Though I enjoy the characterisation of Shardlake I find it a bit preposterous that he gets into such physical scrapes even though his back pain is excruciating. Never mind, the best part by far is the period setting which is fabulous. Sansom shows the degeneration of Henry extremely well.
Dissolution didn’t have too much physical exertion, I think. But yes, I heard the later books have a lot more action – which is ridiculous since he’s supposed to be a hunchback.