Sovereign

A Matthew Shardlake Mystery

By: C. J. Sansom

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 20 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

C. J. Sansom is an international best-selling author known for riveting suspense and intricately constructed mysteries. His atmospheric prose has earned him an Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award, among other accolades.

In the third novel in this riveting series, barrister Matthew Shardlake is faced with the most terrifying threat in the age of Tudor England: his own imprisonment in the Tower of London.

Harsh autumn winds stir the English countryside as King Henry VIII, along with a thousand soldiers and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, make their way from London to York after a violent uprising. Shardlake and his loyal assistant, John Barack, have a secret mission - they must transport a dangerous conspirator back to London for interrogation.

After a local glazier is murdered, Shardlake finds that this death seems not only connected to the prisoner, but to the royal family itself. Shardlake grows more determined when he realizes that a greater threat looms over the crown.

©2007 C. J. Sansom (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"An engaging mix of history and fiction that Sansom has made his own." ( Boston Globe)

Shardlake to the rescue, again

What did you love best about Sovereign?

How it gives a inside look at how life was in England during the 1500's.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like both Shardlake and Jack.....they both have their moments in the book....Jack keeps it real; he's the 'muscle' and Shardlake is the 'brains' of the mystery solving.

Any additional comments?

Each of the books do start out a bit slow but I'm willing to deal with that aspect because it's worth it in the end. I have enjoyed each book so far and can't wait to jump into the next one.

Magnificent

This was amazing! Master Shardlake is a strong character and the performance is outstanding! Great!

Love Matthew Shardlake!

Wish they would make a tv series from these books!!! Such a fun way to revisit Tudor history.
Well done Master Sansom!

Another good one

it is not necessary to read these in order. The story within the story is what makes them good. The narrator is excellent. Foreign accents can be tricky, but obviously it is only foreign to me, not Mr. Crossley.

Really long but really good

When King Henry VIII goes on a progress to York, which rebelled the year before, Matthew is hired to assist with petitions from the Yorkers to the king. Henry is trying to consolidate his power and force the nobles to swear allegiance to him. Of course, nothing goes right for poor Matthew, a hunchback lawyer at Lincoln's Inn. His father dies, so he and his assistant Jack Barak make a sidetrip to his old home, arriving a day late in York. Then a glazier removing stained glass from an abbey church falls into a wagon full of broken glass and dies after making a strange prediction about the king. Matthew can't resist a mystery, so he sets out to investigate only to be foiled by higher up authorities, but not before Matthew uncovers an important clue, putting his life in danger.

This is a really long book, 676 pages in print, and 21 hours in audio, so it took me two months to finish. It's really good though. Steven Crossley's narration is excellent given the number of voices and accents involved.

Extraordinary!

Historically significant and a luxurious trip back in time.
Enjoying the whole series; engrossed in the characters.

Depth, History, Ripping Yarns

This is one of the best historically-set murder mystery series I've ever read! sort of like Cadfael, but with more gritty introspection about faith and the disappointment of politics and political movements. The character development is tremendous and you really get attached to this cast of characters. It's also clean! No need to suffer through gratuitous p***-like sex scenes! I had to pause occasionally to jot down quotes from the book which were so profound and nearly prophetic during the Trump era and the failures of the Evangelical movement.

Superb Historical Mystery

A mystery, but much much more. Filled with brilliant historical detail. Compellingly written. Beautiful writing.

The historical fiction

That it really coincides with true facts that happened with Henry VII in 1541. That they brought the reader into the past .

Still well done, but not my favorite

Compared to most of the mystery genre, these are very good books. But compared to the first two, this was a letdown. It felt like Shardlake departed from character at multiple points, even carrying the idiot ball more than once to advance the plot. And the overall story felt like it dragged, with nothing propelling it forward. Tamasin was an interesting addition, but it was hard to get a grip on what to think of her, which was unsatisfying. Hoping the next book is better, otherwise I’m done.