Product Description

This box set contains all four titles from the critically acclaimed and extremely popular historical crime fiction series by C. J. Sansom.

Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and reformist in London during the reign of Henry VIII. His investigation skills are tested in four cases where both his life and the lives of others are threatened.

In Dissolution he travels to Scarnsea Monastery where one of Thomas Cromwell's Commissioner has been brutally murdered. Shardlake must expose the killer but his enquiries soon force him to question everything he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes. In Dark Fire Shardlake returns to London and a new assignment from Cromwell. The formula for Greek Fire, a legendary Byzantine weapon, is discovered by an official of the Court of Augmentations. Shardlake is sent to retrieve the formula but instead finds the official and his alchemist brother murdered and the formula missing. Sovereign takes Shardlake to York, following Henry VIII and his Progress to the North. The murder of a local glazier involves Shardlake in a mystery connected not only to a prisoner in York Castle but to the royal family itself. And in Revelation when an old friend is horrifically murdered Shardlake promises his widow to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to connections with the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation. Shardlake follows the trail of a series of horrific murders that shakes him to the core, and which are already bringing frenzied talk of witchcraft and a demonic possession – for what else would the Tudor mind make of a serial killer . . .?

Praise for the series:

'Dissolution is a remarkable, imaginative feat. It is a first-rate murder mystery and one of the most atmospheric historical novels I've read in years' Mail on Sunday

'One of the author's greatest gifts is the immediacy of his descriptions, for he writes about the past as if it were the living present'. Colin Dexter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11604 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-02
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover

Review
'A treat for CJ Sansom fans: four novels featuring Matthew Shardlake...all in one set.' --Choice Magazine

Review
'Mellifluously read by Anton Lesser...these four novels are as enthralling on disc as they are on the printed page.'

Review
'Lesser's intelligent, beautiful voice brings to Shardlake's encounter with the ageing and dangerous Henry VIII a chilling and unforgettable menace.'

Customer Reviews

Great value Audio Books
This is the 4 volume box set, I could not believe what value this was. I bought it at Christmas after I heard Colin Dexter (creator of Inspecter Morse) review 'Revelation' on Radio 4 and say it was his book of the year. So far I have listened to the first three volumes and they were very good, the storyline is so rich and full of detail. In summary, Most highly recommended.

Abridged
Great books, good value and well read, but disappointingly they are abridged (which isn't mentioned anywhere on Amazon's page). Not sure how altered they are as I don't have my paper copies to hand.

Outstanding performance by Anton Lesser
Yes, these audio CD's may be an abridged version of the novels - but Anton Lesser's superlative performance more than makes up for it. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to commit myself to reading a series of four longish books, so bought the audio CD's and listened to them in the car. Now looking forward to reading the finer detailing of the novels at a slower pace, and with the distinctive voice of each character in mind.