Awards

• Short-listed for CWA Historical Dagger 2015 (UK)

Overview

'C. J. Sansom's books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' - The Sunday Times Lamentation is the sixth breathtaking historical novel in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory. England, 1546. King Henry VIII is dying. Meanwhile, his Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle to control the government of Henry's successor, eight-year-old Prince Edward. As heretics are hunted across London, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry's sixth wife, Matthew Shardlake's old mentor, Queen Catherine Parr, and Shardlake is unexpectedly summoned to Whitehall Palace. For the Queen has a secret. She has written a confessional book, Lamentation of a Sinner, so radically Protestant that if it came to the King's attention it could bring both her and her sympathizers crashing down. When the book inexplicably vanishes, and a single page is found clutched in the hand of a murdered printer, Shardlake must help the desperate Queen. His loyalty will drive him into a swirl of intrigue inside the palace, where Catholic enemies and Protestant friends can be equally dangerous, and the political opportunists, who will follow the wind wherever it blows, more dangerous than either . . . Lamentation is the sixth novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. Continue the series with book seven, Tombland.

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9781035012336

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Reviews

This gripping new novel by the inventive C. J. Sansom shows that, when it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival . . . Lamentation is sure to give Sansom's many fans further cause for jubilation * The Sunday Times * Shardlake's back and better than ever . . . The plot and pacing make this the best Shardlake yet . . . it is a vision of how individuals find the moral courage to fight injustice which links the Shardlake novels to Sansom's other fictions, Winter in Madrid and Dominion. Lamentation, like its predecessors, is a triumph both as detective fiction and as a novel . . . Sansom's deep feeling for the psychology of religious faith and for the defenceless makes him, in my view, superior to Hilary Mantel. * Independent on Sunday * Sansom is highly skilled at weaving together the threads of his plot with the real and riveting history . . . Lamentation is a wonderful, engaging read. The atmosphere of fear and suspicion is brilliantly rendered * The Times * As always, Sansom conjures the atmosphere, costumes and smells of Tudor London with vigour, from the gilded halls of Whitehall Palace to the dungeons of the Tower . . . once Shardlake finds himself in real jeopardy [the novel] quickly picks up pace, all the way to a shocking climax that promises to mark a new chapter for Shardlake, and for England * The Observer * Sansom brilliantly conveys the uncertainty of the time when a frail young prince would ascend the throne with different factions fighting for regency . . . Sansom has the gift of plunging us into the different worlds of the period * Independent * So engrossing is the tale that I didn't pause long enough to take a note. Even when judged by the high standards of the earlier Shardlake novels, this one stands out - not least because it successfully maintains suspense for over 600 pages. With the Shardlake series, and with this volume in particular, Sansom has surely established himself as one of the best novelists around * The Spectator * This is a terrific book . . . It is a convincing account of a cruel and fascinating period and a very exciting read * Literary Review * The Tudor Holmes finds himself plunged into crisis at the English Court . . . Sansom recreates a fascinating era as he carries the reader along with Shardlake on his diligent and perilous quest, criss-crossing medieval London from the luxury of the royal palaces at Whitehall to the filthy backstreets of the city * Daily Mail * A dark and atmospheric story . . . Shardlake deserves his wide and rapturous readership -- Antonia Senior * The Times * Sansom has an extraordinary gift for atmosphere: he immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, smells and dreadful paranoia of life in the last days of Henry VIII . . . Utterly gripping -- Marian Keyes, <i>The Irish Times</i> Books of the Year This, the sixth of C. J. Sansom's Shardlake novels, unsurprisingly went straight to the top of the bestseller list as soon as it was published. Such is their reputation. Every book is a delight, and each one that little bit better than the last . . . Sansom's skill as a writer, coupled with his exhaustive research, makes readers feel as if they are living in the period he is writing about. Hilary Mantel may gobble up the big literary prizes for her explorations of the complex mind of Shardlake's old boss, Thomas Cromwell, but when it comes to recreating the authentic atmosphere of 500 years ago Sansom wins hands down -- Nigel Nelson * Tribune * Packed with accurate and atmospheric historical detail . . . In a crowded Tudor field, this novel finds Sansom again at the top of his game * The Daily Telegraph * Sansom's inventive Tudor fiction sequence combines a scholarly intelligence with the suspense and surprises of the detective genre . . . Lamentation is sure to give Sansom's many fans further cause for jubilation -- Peter Kemp * The Sunday Times * Highly intelligent historical fiction and a guaranteed chart-topper * Daily Express * Sansom cleverly keeps the king just off stage for most of the novel but we can sense his monstrously obese and malevolent presence lurking in the shadows. The threads of Sansom's plot are skilfully woven together with real and riveting history -- Antonia Senior * The Times * C. J. Sansom's books are arguably the best Tudor novels going * The Sunday Times *

This gripping new novel by the inventive C. J. Sansom shows that, when it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival . . . Lamentation is sure to give Sansom’s many fans further cause for jubilation * The Sunday Times * Shardlake’s back and better than ever . . . The plot and pacing make this the best Shardlake yet . . . it is a vision of how individuals find the moral courage to fight injustice which links the Shardlake novels to Sansom’s other fictions, Winter in Madrid and Dominion. Lamentation, like its predecessors, is a triumph both as detective fiction and as a novel . . . Sansom’s deep feeling for the psychology of religious faith and for the defenceless makes him, in my view, superior to Hilary Mantel. * Independent on Sunday * Sansom is highly skilled at weaving together the threads of his plot with the real and riveting history . . . Lamentation is a wonderful, engaging read. The atmosphere of fear and suspicion is brilliantly rendered * The Times * As always, Sansom conjures the atmosphere, costumes and smells of Tudor London with vigour, from the gilded halls of Whitehall Palace to the dungeons of the Tower . . . once Shardlake finds himself in real jeopardy [the novel] quickly picks up pace, all the way to a shocking climax that promises to mark a new chapter for Shardlake, and for England * The Observer * Sansom brilliantly conveys the uncertainty of the time when a frail young prince would ascend the throne with different factions fighting for regency . . . Sansom has the gift of plunging us into the different worlds of the period * Independent * So engrossing is the tale that I didn’t pause long enough to take a note. Even when judged by the high standards of the earlier Shardlake novels, this one stands out - not least because it successfully maintains suspense for over 600 pages. With the Shardlake series, and with this volume in particular, Sansom has surely established himself as one of the best novelists around * The Spectator * This is a terrific book . . . It is a convincing account of a cruel and fascinating period and a very exciting read * Literary Review * The Tudor Holmes finds himself plunged into crisis at the English Court . . . Sansom recreates a fascinating era as he carries the reader along with Shardlake on his diligent and perilous quest, criss-crossing medieval London from the luxury of the royal palaces at Whitehall to the filthy backstreets of the city * Daily Mail * A dark and atmospheric story . . . Shardlake deserves his wide and rapturous readership -- Antonia Senior * The Times * Sansom has an extraordinary gift for atmosphere: he immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, smells and dreadful paranoia of life in the last days of Henry VIII . . . Utterly gripping -- Marian Keyes, <i>The Irish Times</i> Books of the Year This, the sixth of C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake novels, unsurprisingly went straight to the top of the bestseller list as soon as it was published. Such is their reputation. Every book is a delight, and each one that little bit better than the last . . . Sansom’s skill as a writer, coupled with his exhaustive research, makes readers feel as if they are living in the period he is writing about. Hilary Mantel may gobble up the big literary prizes for her explorations of the complex mind of Shardlake’s old boss, Thomas Cromwell, but when it comes to recreating the authentic atmosphere of 500 years ago Sansom wins hands down -- Nigel Nelson * Tribune * Packed with accurate and atmospheric historical detail . . . In a crowded Tudor field, this novel finds Sansom again at the top of his game * The Daily Telegraph * Sansom's inventive Tudor fiction sequence combines a scholarly intelligence with the suspense and surprises of the detective genre . . . Lamentation is sure to give Sansom’s many fans further cause for jubilation -- Peter Kemp * The Sunday Times * Highly intelligent historical fiction and a guaranteed chart-topper * Daily Express * Sansom cleverly keeps the king just off stage for most of the novel but we can sense his monstrously obese and malevolent presence lurking in the shadows. The threads of Sansom’s plot are skilfully woven together with real and riveting history -- Antonia Senior * The Times * C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going * The Sunday Times *

Author Information

C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex until becoming a full-time writer. Sansom is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Shardlake series, as well as Winter in Madrid and Dominion. He lives in Sussex.

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