Lamentation
A Breathtaking Conspiracy Thriller from the Bestselling Historical Series
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4.6 • 316 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
'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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Everything works in Sansom's superb sixth Matthew Shardlake novel (after 2011's Heartstone): the murder mystery with grave political implications, the depiction of Tudor England, and the further development of a lead who's both courageous and flawed. The "great heresy hunt of 1546" has attorney Shardlake jumpy, especially after he reluctantly witnesses the burning of four people who denied transubstantiation, the belief that the consecrated host contains the body and blood of Christ. His efforts to survive in these uncertain times are complicated when he agrees to try to locate Lamentation of a Sinner, a private work written by Henry VIII's queen, Catherine Parr, which has been taken from her chambers. In it, the queen speaks of her belief "that salvation comes through faith and study of the Bible, not vain ceremonies," a view that would be too radical for her capricious husband. A few days after the theft, printer Armistead Greening is found in his shop with his head beaten in and the first page of the volume clutched in his hand. Shardlake must now also identify Greening's killer. The rich period details burnish Sansom's status as one of today's top historical writers.
Customer Reviews
Addictive
You never want Matthew Shardlake to disappear from your life.
The best of the bunch
This story is the best of the Shardlake novels. Thankfully, Sansom has dropped his obsession with the weather, and smug references to Tudor life are reduced to a minimum. The story is gripping, full of political intrigue, and the historical note at the end fascinating.
Wonderful read
Brilliant. I have read all six - back to back and absolutely loved them all