Description from the back of my book:
In 1540 Henry VIII has been on the throne for thirty-one years. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake has been called upon to help a young girl accused of murder who refused to speak in her own defense even when threatened with torture. On the verge of losing his case, Shardlake is suddenly granted a reprieve. His benefactor is Thomas Cromwell, the king's feared vicar general, who offers him two more weeks to investigate the murder. In exchange, Shardlake must find a lost cache of "Dark Fire," an ancient weapon of mass destruction.
My thoughts...
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom is a historical mystery set in London in 1540; it is the second book in a series of seven featuring lawyer Matthew Shardlake as the protagonist. In the first book, Dissolution, Shardlake was working for Thomas Cromwell, helping with the dissolution of the monasteries. In this book, it is three years later, and he is again working for Thomas Cromwell, this time under duress.
I have read a good bit about Thomas Cromwell in Hilary Mantel's series that starts with Wolf Hall, so I was familiar with Cromwell's career. It was interesting to see Cromwell in this book, at the point in his life when he was falling out of favor with Henry VIII. But Cromwell plays a relatively minor role in the story, and I don't think any prior knowledge is necessary to enjoy the novel.
This book is excellent historical fiction, very well written; the historical setting is described in detail but the reader is not lectured to. I was mesmerized by the story in the first chapter and stayed engaged throughout. The story is very dense, filled with action and interesting developments. The characters are all very well developed, even the secondary characters.
Dark Fire won the 2005 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, awarded by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA).
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Publisher: Penguin Books, 2006 (orig. publ. 2004)
Length: 501 pages
Format: Trade paperback
Series: Matthew Shardlake #2
Setting: England, 1540
Genre: Historical Mystery
Source: Purchased at the Planned Parenthood Book Sale, 2019.
20 comments:
I gave the first book in this series to my mother, who liked it. I will have to ask if she has read further. I want to read Dissolution myself. I read that the author died earlier this year, right before the miniseries was aired (although, depending on the adaptation, who knows if he would have enjoyed it or not).
I love this series and grieved when Sansom died, knowing that Matthew Shardlake died with him. You described the series quite well. They're long books, but never feel that way when reading them. I felt each one was wonderful, but I think my favorite might be Revelation. I rarely re-read books, but wouldn't mind visiting this series again.
Constance, I read Dissolution five years ago, so had forgotten much of the story, although it is the kind of story that stays with you. This second book was just as good.
I don't know much about the miniseries, but I had also read that Sansom died before it aired.
In my opinion, Tracy, this is one of the best historical crime fiction series out there. There are so many rich characters and a real sense of the times and places. As you say, though, the plot isn't overwhelmed by a lot of facts; they're just expertly woven into the story. So glad you liked this.
Kelly, I think it took me a week to read this book, but I enjoyed every minute spent reading it. The characters were believeable. I liked the addition of Barak in this story. I have the next book but after that I will have to get a copy of the fourth in the series.
ALthough I rarely read historical fiction, I know enough about Henry VIII that it gives me a good entry.
Margot, I used to avoid historical fiction that was set this far back in time, but now I am enjoying it and even like going back as far as the Brother Cadfael series. I am learning a lot more about history, and when the books are as well-written as this one, it is very enjoyable.
Patti, based on the cover and the title of the next book in the series, SOVEREIGN, I am guessing the story focuses a lot on Henry VIII. He was in the background in this particular book.
I loved this series, and was very sad when he died. I also watched the TV version of Dissolution, and thought it was pretty good.
Now I want to read Dark fire again. I agree with Margot - one of the best historical series out there.
I don't know this series, Tracy, but I do enjoy historical fiction of that era on occasion. Is the author's prose style easy to follow? Sometimes I find this kind of book to be so "densely packed" that it takes me forever to finish them.
Of the book in this series that I've read so far, this one is my favourite. I must get back to the series.
Moira, I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I find this series very impressive. While reading the book, I feel like I am part of the time, and the characters feel like they belong in the time. I do want to continue the series.
Sam, when I described the book as dense, I was saying that to me it was a more demanding read than many books. Some historic fiction can be much lighter. I find the time of Henry VIII to be horrifying in many ways, and the people around him were equally evil for the most part. But it is still fascinating history, and I loved reading the book and thought the author depicted the times very well. No anachronisms, not that I am good at spotting those.
Cath, I am thinking I will like the next book in the series because of the focus on Henry VIII, so I am glad I have a copy. I will look for books 4 and 5 in the series at the book sale, which is coming up in 3 weeks !!! and I am so excited. NOT that I need any books.
I wouldn't like working for Cromwell yikes. I know him from the Mantel books too. It seems a good series and i'm wondering about dark fire as a weapon. Hmm.
Susan, I would not want to work for Cromwell either, but it makes for an interesting story. I am just glad I did not live back then. I see that I did not talk much in my post about the quality of the mystery plots, I guess I was focused most on the description of the times. I did have some small quibbles with the mystery plots but the rest of the book was so good it made up for them.
I had some of the books in this series on my TBR list once, but I never got around to reading any of them. I don't know why. Too many other books got in the way I guess. Thanks for the reminder about this series! It is one I'd like to try. :D
Lark, I have a lot of books like that, that I meant to read and never got to. Every now and then I discover one of those and finally read it.
This is an exceptional historical mystery and the author had a lot of fans. I hope I follow through on my plans to read all of his books eventually. Even though they are very long.
These books are so absorbing, aren't they? Even though they get longer and longer as the series goes along! I hope you continue to enjoy them - it's my favourite historical fiction series of all time.
FictionFan, I am hoping this means you are back to blogging.
Absorbing is a very good description for this book. I did notice in some reviews for later books that they get longer, but I think I can handle that when I know how good the writing is. Your tribute post for C.J. Sansom in May was the motivator for me getting back to the series, and I thank you for that.
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