Product Description

It is 1540 and the hottest summer of the sixteenth century. Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, is busy trying to maintain his legal practice and keep a low profile. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin, brings him once again into contact with the king’s chief minister – and a new assignment . . .

The secret of Greek Fire, the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for centuries. Now an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered – the formula has disappeared.

Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while trying at the same time to prove his young client’s innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #284 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Stella Duffy, The Guardian
... a strong and intelligent novel which, while it will certainly please historical crime fans, deserves a wider readership.

Stella Duffy, The Guardian
Sansom appears to have entirely beaten the second novel blues.

Sainsbury's Magazine, December 2004
Steeped in the sights, sounds and smells of one of the most fascinating periods in history...

Customer Reviews

excellent sequel to Dissolution - recommended
Having raced through DIssolution last weekened, I'm thrilled to discover Dark Fire, also featuring the hunchback Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake, just as compelling. Set three years after the events of the first novel, it has the honest barrister once again forced to work for Lord Cromwell - a man who still strikes terror into all, but who is on the verge of losing his power and his head thanks to his attempts to shore up Henry Vlll's dismal marriage to Anne of Cleves. Cromwell intervenes to allow a young girl, accused of murdering her cousin, two weeks' grace in order for Shardlake to track down the secret of "Greek Fire", a fearsome weapon believed to have been rediscovered by two alchemists, now brutally murdered. To assist him in this Shardlake not only has the enchanting Arab physician (now apothecary) and former monk, Brother Guy, but a Jewish man, Barak, loyal to Cromwell. Their difficult relationship and reluctant respect for each other form a most entertaining and thoughful part of a race against time to solve two murder cases. Once again, what is so captivating about this new star of historical fiction is the intelligence and compassion with which he writes. I highly recommend this to all who love really good detective fiction, historical fiction and an intelligent, literate novel that does not disdain a strong plot and characters.

Compelling stuff
If you have even a passing interest in historical fiction, particularly Tudor London, and you enjoy a gripping mystery replete with twists, turns and colourful characters, you're likely to have a good time with this book. C.J. Sansom's Shardlake character is a little on the obvious side, with his pure heart and indefatigability overcoming the constraints of his flawed physical being (he's a hunchback lawyer in case you're wondering). Still, it's impossible not to become enthralled by this tale of political intrigue and murder with its adroit descriptions of the machinations of the nobility, corrupt lawyers and officials, and vivid portrayal of the sights and sounds of Tudor London. To my mind, one of the best compliments a book like this can have is that it makes you want buy the next one before you've even finished it, just to be able to delve straight back into Shardlake's world.

Dark Fire is as HOT as its title
Dark Fire is a well written if somewhat slow paced novel in parts that is the sequel to the equally good Dissolution.

Welcome to the 16th century world of the lawyer Mathew Shardlake, a hunchback who is a skilled scholar and a savvy Detective all rolled into one.

Dark Fire takes place a few years after Dissolution and sees him defending the niece of a friend who has been accused of murdering her 12 year old cousin Ralph.

With the case surely lost because the judge is eager to see the girl pressed for not pleading, Mathew gains time to help her through Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's Vice General who wants Mathew to do a job for him, a job that Mathew knows will not be easy or for that matter with dangers lurking in every corner.

In this book we are introduced to Barek, an insolent young commoner with some learning who on his father's side is descended from the ancient faith of Judea, in Dark Fire we watch the jaded Mathew and the shrewd Barek slowly form a grudging relationship, based on their abilities to use their brains together and come up with some startling answers to some frightening questions.

Dark Fire is actually two stories, who actually murdered the 12 year old boy and who has the formula to Greek Fire, an ancient weapon with modern ramifications.

With murders happening all over the place, a mad Grandmother hell bent on preserving her family honour, along with a power struggle between Thomas Cromwell and the Duke of Norfolk, and a whole heap of other exciting threads to bring together we have book filled with intrigues, dark secrets and even darker tragedies.

I really enjoyed Dissolution but I enjoyed Dark Fire even more and the hunchback lawyer protagonist in my opinion is a new breed of hero, a person with a disability in a time when disability was not accepted, not only that he is a lawyer, a man of letters, a man of compassion and a man of honour.

I am really looking forward to the next instalment in this series of book which I think will be equally as interesting and intriguing.

A cracking good read for those cold lonely winter nights when you want something intelligent to get your teeth into.

Excellent!