C. J. Sansom – författare

Now a major Disney+ original series, Shardlake – also airing on ITV.'A fiendish puzzle and a slice of gritty historical fiction, with a brilliantly unconventional detective at its heart' – Richard Osman, bestselling author of We Solve MurdersDissolution is the first novel in C. J. Sansom’s phenomenally bestselling Shardlake series. After one of Cromwell's commissioners is brutally murdered, Matthew Shardlake is drawn into an investigation that becomes darker than he could have ever imagined . . .England, 1537. It is a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066. Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. And under the orders of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: dissolution.But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege.Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell to uncover the truth behind the dark happenings at Scarnsea. But Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything that he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes . . .Follow Shardlake into the dark heart of Tudor England with the next book in the series, Dark Fire.Praise for the series:'A remarkable, imaginative feat' – Mail on Sunday'His narrative’s tingling intrigues will have you hooked from first page to last' – Sunday Times'The perfect mixture of novelistic passion and historical detail' – Antonia Fraser, Sunday Telegraph'Extraordinarily impressive' – Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse series'An utterly convincing world' – Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Boleyn Girl'Utterly gripping' – Marian Keyes, author of Rachel's Holiday

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesWinner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, Dark Fire is the second thrilling book in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1540. Out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, Matthew Shardlake is intent on keeping a low profile in the courts. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally killing 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 monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered – the formula gone.Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while still trying to prove his young client’s innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems . . .This is the second novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by Sovereign, the third book in the series.

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesFollowing on from Dissolution and Dark Fire, Sovereign is the third gripping historical novel in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1541. King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Progress to the North to attend an extravagant submission by his rebellious subjects in York.Already in the city are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak, whom have reluctantly undertaken a special mission for Archbishop Thomas Cranmer – to ensure the welfare of an important but dangerous conspirator who is to be returned to London for interrogation.But the murder of a York glazier involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York castle but to the royal family itself. And when Shardlake and Barak stumble upon a cache of secret documents which could threaten the Tudor throne, a chain of events unfolds that will lead Shardlake to face the most terrifying fate of the age . . .This is the third novel in C. J. Sansom's internationally bestselling Shardlake series. It is followed by Revelation, the fourth book in the series.

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesRevelation is the haunting fourth book in C. J. Sansom's bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1543. King Henry VIII is wooing Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the embattled Protestant faction at court are watching keenly, for Lady Catherine is known to have reformist sympathies.Matthew Shardlake, meanwhile, is working on the case of a teenage zealot detained in the Bedlam insane asylum, and whom he fears could be burned as a heretic. But when an old friend is horrifically murdered, Shardlake determines to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to Cranmer and Catherine Parr – and to the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation.As London’s Bishop Bonner prepares a purge of Protestants, Shardlake, together with his assistant Jack Barak and physician friend Guy Malton, uncovers a series of terrible murders which soon bring talk of sorcery and demonic possession – for what else would the Tudor mind make of a serial killer . . . ?This is the fourth novel in C. J. Sansom's thrilling historical series. Continue the series with Heartstone.

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesHeartstone is the fifth spellbinding mystery in C. J. Sansom’s number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII’s invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel.Meanwhile, Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of ‘monstrous wrongs’ committed against a young ward of the court, Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak journey to Portsmouth. There, Shardlake also intends to investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettiplace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam.Once in Portsmouth, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing for war. The mysteries surrounding the two cases involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. And soon, events will converge on board one of the King’s great warships gathered in Portsmouth harbour, waiting to confront the approaching French fleet . . .Heartstone is the fifth novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by the sixth book in the series, Lamentation.

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesLamentation 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.

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesRevelation is the haunting fourth book in C. J. Sansom's bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1543. King Henry VIII is wooing Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the embattled Protestant faction at court are watching keenly, for Lady Catherine is known to have reformist sympathies.Matthew Shardlake, meanwhile, is working on the case of a teenage zealot detained in the Bedlam insane asylum, and whom he fears could be burned as a heretic. But when an old friend is horrifically murdered, Shardlake determines to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to Cranmer and Catherine Parr – and to the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation.As London’s Bishop Bonner prepares a purge of Protestants, Shardlake, together with his assistant Jack Barak and physician friend Guy Malton, uncovers a series of terrible murders which soon bring talk of sorcery and demonic possession – for what else would the Tudor mind make of a serial killer . . . ?This is the fourth novel in C. J. Sansom's thrilling historical series. Continue the series with Heartstone.

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesHeartstone is the fifth spellbinding mystery in C. J. Sansom’s number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII’s invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel.Meanwhile, Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of ‘monstrous wrongs’ committed against a young ward of the court, Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak journey to Portsmouth. There, Shardlake also intends to investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettiplace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam.Once in Portsmouth, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing for war. The mysteries surrounding the two cases involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. And soon, events will converge on board one of the King’s great warships gathered in Portsmouth harbour, waiting to confront the approaching French fleet . . .Heartstone is the fifth novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by the sixth book in the series, Lamentation.

'Tremendous' – The Guardian'I just fell in love with it' – Stephen KingSet in a reimagined 1950s Britain, Dominion is a gripping, haunting spy thriller – and a poignant love story. From the master of the historical novel and author of the Shardlake series, C.J. Sansom.1952. Twelve years have passed since Churchill lost to the appeasers and Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany after Dunkirk. As the long German war against Russia rages on in the east, the British people find themselves under dark authoritarian rule: the press, radio and television are controlled; the streets patrolled by violent auxiliary police and British Jews face ever greater constraints. There are terrible rumours too about what is happening in the basement of the German Embassy at Senate House.Defiance, though, is growing. In Britain, Winston Churchill's Resistance organization is increasingly a thorn in the government's side. And in a Birmingham mental hospital an incarcerated scientist, Frank Muncaster, may hold a secret that could change the balance of the world struggle for ever.Civil Servant David Fitzgerald, secretly acting as a spy for the Resistance, is given the mission to rescue his old friend Frank and get him out of the country. Before long he, together with a disparate group of Resistance activists, will find themselves fugitives in the midst of London's Great Smog – as David's wife Sarah finds herself drawn into a world more terrifying than she ever could have imagined. And hard on their heels is Gestapo Sturmbannfuhrer Gunther Hoth, brilliant, implacable hunter of men . . .'Absorbing, mordant and written with a passionate persuasiveness' – Independent on Sunday'Exciting, sophisticated and moving' – The Sunday Times

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesLamentation 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.

'An unsentimental and utterly fascinating portrait of Spain in 1940 . . . Superb' – The GuardianA vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom is a compelling historical novel that grapples with the profound impact of impossible choices.1940. The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined. Now, as General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war, Britain stands alone against Germany's relentless march through Europe.Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of an old school friend turned shady Madrid businessman, Harry soon finds himself involved in a dangerous game – and surrounded by memories he would rather forget.'A convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller' – The Sunday Times'Sansom's action-packed thriller is a classic tale of old loyalties pitched against new ideologies' – Daily Mail

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesWinner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, Dark Fire is the second thrilling book in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1540. Out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, Matthew Shardlake is intent on keeping a low profile in the courts. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally killing 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 monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered – the formula gone.Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while still trying to prove his young client’s innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems . . .This is the second novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by Sovereign, the third book in the series.

Now a major Disney+ original series, Shardlake – also airing on ITV.'A fiendish puzzle and a slice of gritty historical fiction, with a brilliantly unconventional detective at its heart' – Richard Osman, bestselling author of We Solve MurdersDissolution is the first novel in C. J. Sansom’s phenomenally bestselling Shardlake series. After one of Cromwell's commissioners is brutally murdered, Matthew Shardlake is drawn into an investigation that becomes darker than he could have ever imagined . . .England, 1537. It is a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066. Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. And under the orders of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: dissolution.But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege.Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell to uncover the truth behind the dark happenings at Scarnsea. But Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything that he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes . . .Follow Shardlake into the dark heart of Tudor England with the next book in the series, Dark Fire.Praise for the series:'A remarkable, imaginative feat' – Mail on Sunday'His narrative’s tingling intrigues will have you hooked from first page to last' – Sunday Times'The perfect mixture of novelistic passion and historical detail' – Antonia Fraser, Sunday Telegraph'Extraordinarily impressive' – Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse series'An utterly convincing world' – Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Boleyn Girl'Utterly gripping' – Marian Keyes, author of Rachel's Holiday

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesFollowing on from Dissolution and Dark Fire, Sovereign is the third gripping historical novel in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1541. King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Progress to the North to attend an extravagant submission by his rebellious subjects in York.Already in the city are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak, whom have reluctantly undertaken a special mission for Archbishop Thomas Cranmer – to ensure the welfare of an important but dangerous conspirator who is to be returned to London for interrogation.But the murder of a York glazier involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York castle but to the royal family itself. And when Shardlake and Barak stumble upon a cache of secret documents which could threaten the Tudor throne, a chain of events unfolds that will lead Shardlake to face the most terrifying fate of the age . . .This is the third novel in C. J. Sansom's internationally bestselling Shardlake series. It is followed by Revelation, the fourth book in the series.

'Tremendous' – The Guardian'I just fell in love with it' – Stephen KingSet in a reimagined 1950s Britain, Dominion is a gripping, haunting spy thriller – and a poignant love story. From the master of the historical novel and author of the Shardlake series, C.J. Sansom.1952. Twelve years have passed since Churchill lost to the appeasers and Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany after Dunkirk. As the long German war against Russia rages on in the east, the British people find themselves under dark authoritarian rule: the press, radio and television are controlled; the streets patrolled by violent auxiliary police and British Jews face ever greater constraints. There are terrible rumours too about what is happening in the basement of the German Embassy at Senate House.Defiance, though, is growing. In Britain, Winston Churchill's Resistance organization is increasingly a thorn in the government's side. And in a Birmingham mental hospital an incarcerated scientist, Frank Muncaster, may hold a secret that could change the balance of the world struggle for ever.Civil Servant David Fitzgerald, secretly acting as a spy for the Resistance, is given the mission to rescue his old friend Frank and get him out of the country. Before long he, together with a disparate group of Resistance activists, will find themselves fugitives in the midst of London's Great Smog – as David's wife Sarah finds herself drawn into a world more terrifying than she ever could have imagined. And hard on their heels is Gestapo Sturmbannfuhrer Gunther Hoth, brilliant, implacable hunter of men . . .'Absorbing, mordant and written with a passionate persuasiveness' – Independent on Sunday'Exciting, sophisticated and moving' – The Sunday Times

'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday TimesTombland is the seventh epic novel in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.England, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos. The economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry . . .Since the old king’s death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry’s daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of Edith Boleyn – a distant relative in Norfolk – sends Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer Assizes at Norwich. And then East Anglia explodes, as peasant rebellion breaks out across the country. The yeoman Robert Kett leads a force of thousands in overthrowing the landlords and taking over Norwich, England’s second largest city.Now Shardlake must decide where his ultimate loyalties lie, as government forces in London prepare to march north and destroy the rebels. Meanwhile he discovers that the murder of Edith Boleyn may have connections reaching into both the heart of the Norfolk gentry and the rebel camp itself . . .This is the seventh novel in C. J. Sansom's thrilling historical series that started with Dissolution. Includes an Historical Essay from the author on Reimagining Kett's Rebellion.

A special 20th anniversary edition of the standalone bestselling, original Second World War espionage thriller, Winter in Madrid, by the author of the much-loved Shardlake series, C.J. Sansom.'An unsentimental and utterly fascinating portrait of Spain in 1940 . . . Superb' – The Guardian1940: The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined, its people starving, while the Germans continue their relentless march through Europe. Britain now stands alone while General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war.Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of old school friend Sandy Forsyth, now a shady Madrid businessman, Harry finds himself involved in a dangerous game - and surrounded by memories.Meanwhile Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged in a secret mission of her own - to find her former lover Bernie Piper, a passionate Communist in the International Brigades, who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama.In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom is an intimate and compelling tale which offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding, and the profound impact of impossible choices.'A convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller' – Sunday Times'Sansom's action-packed thriller is a classic tale of old loyalties pitched against new ideologies' – Daily Mail

From the bestselling author of Winter in Madrid and Dominion comes a second riveting sixteenth-century thriller featuring hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake 

 

In 1540, during the reign of Henry VIII, Shardlake is asked to help a young girl accused of murder. She refuses to speak in her defense even when threatened with torture. But just when the case seems lost, Thomas Cromwell, the king’s feared vicar general, offers Shardlake two more weeks to prove his client’s innocence. In exchange, Shardlake must find a lost cache of "Dark Fire," a legendary weapon of mass destruction. What ensues is a page-turning adventure, filled with period detail and history.

"Atmospheric and engaging" (Margaret George), this second book in Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series delves again into the dark and superstitious world of Cromwell''s England introduced in Dissolution.

The third Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery by C. J. Sansom, the bestselling author of Winter in Madrid and Dominion

C. J . Sansom has garnered a wider audience and increased critical praise with each new novel published. His first book in the Matthew Shardlake series, Dissolution, was selected by P. D. James in The Wall Street Journal as one of her top five all-time favorite books. Now in Sovereign, Shardlake faces the most terrifying threat in the age of Tudor England: imprisonment int he Tower of London.Shardlake and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak, find themselves embroiled in royal intrigue when a plot against King Henry VIII is uncovered in York and a dangerous conspirator they''ve been charged with transporting to London is connected to the death of a local glazer. 

A #1 internationally bestselling novel set in post-Civil War Spain by the author of Dominion and the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery seriesSeptember 1940: the Spanish Civil War is over, Madrid lies in ruin, while the Germans continue their march through Europe, and General Franco evades Hitler''s request that he lead his broken country into yet another war. Into this uncertain world comes a reluctant spy for the British Secret Service, sent to gain the confidence of Sandy Forsyth, an old school friend turned shady Madrid businessman. Meanwhile, an ex-Red Cross nurse is engaged in a secret mission of her own. Through this dangerous game of intrigue, C. J. Sansom''s riveting tale conjures a remarkable sense of history unfolding and the profound impact of impossible choices.

From the bestselling author of Winter in Madrid and Dominion comes the exciting and elegantly written first novel in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery seriesDissolution is an utterly riveting portrayal of Tudor England. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.A "remarkable debut" (P. D. James), Dissolution introduces a thrilling historical series that is not to be missed by fans of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.