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Shardlake series
AuthorC. J. Sansom
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical mystery
Adventure
PublisherMacmillan Publishers
Published2003–present
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book

The Shardlake series is a series of historical mystery novels by C. J. Sansom, set in 16th century Tudor England. The series features barrister Matthew Shardlake, who, while navigating the religious reforms of Henry VIII, solves crime and tries to avoid getting caught up in political intrigue.

The first six books are set during the reign of Henry VIII, while the seventh, Tombland, takes place two years after the king's demise. Sansom said before his death that he planned to write further Shardlake novels taking the lawyer into the reign of Elizabeth I.[1]

Description

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The series' protagonist is the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, who is assisted in his adventures by Mark Poer and then Jack Barak.

Shardlake works on commission, initially from Thomas Cromwell in Dissolution[2] and Dark Fire,[3] then archbishop Thomas Cranmer in Sovereign and Revelation,[4] queen Catherine Parr in Heartstone and Lamentation, and lately princess Elizabeth in Tombland. The seventh book, Tombland, was published in October 2018.[5][6]

The books cover several historical events, such as the Dissolution of the monasteries (1536–1541), the Royal Progress to York (1541), the Battle of the Solent and the sinking of the Mary Rose (1545), the burning at the stake of Anne Askew (1546), the publication of The Lamentation of a Sinner (1547), Kett's Rebellion (1549), and the several marriages of king Henry VIII.

Principal characters

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Fictional

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  • Matthew Shardlake – main character and narrator of the series, a barrister of Lincoln's Inn and later Serjeant-at-law. Initially an adherent to the new Anglican faith, and ever a religious thinker, he was once refused as a candidate for the priesthood due to his infirmity.
  • Jack Barak – formerly Thomas Cromwell's henchman; after Cromwell's execution he comes to work for Shardlake as a law clerk and investigator. Of Jewish descent.
  • Stephen Bealknap – Shardlake's nemesis in the law courts of London; also a barrister of Lincoln's Inn.
  • Vincent Dyrick – Shardlake's opposing barrister in several cases (Heartstone, Lamentations); of Gray's Inn.
  • Dorothy Elliard – wife of Roger Elliard, and once a love interest of Shardlake's.
  • Roger Elliard – Shardlake's best friend and fellow lawyer at Lincoln's Inn.
  • Ellen Fettiplace – a woman who came originally from a small town in Sussex, she had been living in Bedlam, a lunatic asylum in London, for nearly two decades.
  • Brother Guy, later Guy Malton – a Moor turned Christian monk at Scarnsea monastery at Sussex. After the dissolution of the monasteries he came to London to practice as an apothecary, later as a physician; a target for racial discrimination because of his skin colour.
  • Nicholas Overton – a gentleman and Shardlake's pupil in chambers.
  • Tamasin Reedbourne – a confectioner and junior servant of queen Catherine Howard. After the queen’s death Tamasin marries Barak.
  • John Skelly – Shardlake's law clerk, a middle-aged family man with weak eyesight.

Characters who existed in real life

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Novels

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Matthew Shardlake series
Title Year set Year published Publisher ISBN Awards
Dissolution 1537 2003 London:Macmillan 1-4050-0542-4 Nominated for the 2003 Crime Writers' Association (CWA) John Creasey Memorial Dagger, for first books by previously unpublished writers. It was also nominated for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in the same year.[7]
Dark Fire 1540 2004 London:Macmillan 1-4050-0544-0 Awarded the Crime Writers' Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in 2005.[8]
Sovereign 1541 2006 London:Macmillan 0-3304-3608-2  
Revelation 1543 2008 London:Macmillan 0-3304-4710-6 Shortlisted for the Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year 2009[9] and the Crime Writers Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in 2008.[10]
Heartstone 1545 2010 London:Mantle 1-4050-9273-4 Shortlisted for the 2011 Walter Scott Prize[11]

Lamentation

1546 2014 London:Mantle 978-1-4472-6025-7  

Tombland

1549 2018 London:Mantle 978-1-4472-8449-9 Shortlisted at The British Book Awards 2019 for Fiction Book of the Year and Marketing Strategy of the Year[12]

Adaptations

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Radio

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BBC Radio 4 has adapted novels in the Shardlake series as part of its 15-Minute Drama series. In 2012, Dissolution was adapted into a 10-part radio serial by Colin MacDonald, starring Jason Watkins as Shardlake and Mark Bonnar as Cromwell.[13][14] BBC Radio 4 later broadcast Dark Fire in 2014, with Justin Salinger taking over the role of Shardlake and Bryan Dick playing Barak, Sovereign in 2015, Revelation in 2017, Heartstone in 2018, and Lamentation in 2021,[15] all adapted by Colin MacDonald as 10-part serials.[16]

Television

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Main article: Shardlake (TV series)

In 2007, the BBC commissioned an adaptation of Dissolution, with Kenneth Branagh set to star as Shardlake.[17] Branagh chose instead to star as the eponymous protagonist in the BBC series Wallander.[18]

In 2023, Disney+ greenlit an adaptation of the Shardlake novels. Released in 2024, the series consists of four episodes, and is directed by Justin Chadwick.[19] Arthur Hughes plays Shardlake.[20]

Stage

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In 2023, Mike Kenny adapted Sovereign as a community theatre production for the York Theatre Royal. Fergus Rattigan played Shardlake.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Shardlake". cjsansome.com.
  2. ^ "A review of Dominion". Upcoming4.me. 12 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013.
  3. ^ Duffy, Stella (6 November 2004). "A wherry across the Thames: A review of Dark Fire". The Guardian. UK.
  4. ^ Kemp, Peter (27 April 2008). "A review of 'Revelation'". The Sunday Times. UK. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014.
  5. ^ Sansom, C.J. (October 2018). Tombland. London: Mantle. ISBN 978-1-4472-8449-9.
  6. ^ Sansom, C.J. (October 2018). "New C.J. Samson: Tombland (2018)". PanMacMillan.
  7. ^ "2003 CWA Dagger Awards". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
  8. ^ "CJ Sansom wins with Dark Fire". 2005 CWA Dagger Awards. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
  9. ^ Flood, Alison (10 March 2009). "Obama battles vampires for Galaxy prize". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  10. ^ "CWA Shortlist". shotsmag.co.uk. 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  11. ^ "Walter Scott historical fiction shortlist announced". BBC News. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  12. ^ The British Book Awards: 2019 Books of the Year Shortlists
  13. ^ "Radio 4: Episode Guide: Dissolution". BBC.
  14. ^ "Episode Guide: Dissolution". Radio Times.
  15. ^ "Radio 4: Lamentation". BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  16. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Shardlake - Episode guide".
  17. ^ Dowell, Ben; Thorpe, Vanessa (18 November 2007). "Branagh to play Tudor sleuth". The Guardian.
  18. ^ "News Archive: January 2008 - June 2008". The Kenneth Branagh Compendium. Retrieved 8 January 2018. So, the new news is that Matthew Shardlake, and the announced BBC filming of Dissolution, will be left lurking back in the 16th century for the moment, while a more contemporary Swedish detective is brought to BBC screens. Kenneth Branagh will become Kurt Wallander for a BBC series tentatively titled Wallander.
  19. ^ Kanter, Jake (8 January 2023). "Disney+ Lines Up Series Adaptation Of CJ Sansom's Shardlake Tudor Detective Novels". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  20. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (31 March 2023). "Disney+ Sets Series Adaptation of C.J. Sansom's 'Shardlake' Murder Mystery Novels". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  21. ^ Love, Catherine (20 July 2023). "Sovereign review – CJ Sansom's historical doorstopper comes home to York". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
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