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Dark Fire
- A Matthew Shardlake Novel
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
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Dark Fire
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Summary
Abridged edition.
Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, Dark Fire is the second thrilling historical crime novel in the Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom.
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 horribly 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 . . .
Continue this gripping historical series with Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation and Tombland.
Critic reviews
"Having hugely enjoyed Anton Lesser's reading of Sovereign, the third of C.J. Sansom's Tudor mystery series starring the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, I backtracked to hear the first two in the series, Dissolution and Dark Fire.. . As a trio, they reveal just how skilled Sansom is in creating convincing characters in a fully imagined historical world, and it is no surprise that a television series featuring Shardlake is planned. I'm not sure if Anton Lesser will star in it, but after hearing him narrate all three books, I can't imagine anyone better suited to the role... Following the text in a paperback, I let my eyes chase what my ears were hearing and was impressed at how little had to be lost." Christina Hardyment (The Times Books)
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What listeners say about Dark Fire
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- R M
- 02-12-14
Dark fire
If you could sum up Dark Fire in three words, what would they be?
A page turner
What was one of the most memorable moments of Dark Fire?
Barak singing his hair and eye brows.
What does Anton Lesser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
I read the book first, but I really enjoyed it being read too me. Lesser reads it so well and is captivating.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When the house was blown up and I thought Shardlake was dead.
Any additional comments?
I have enjoyed all the books in this series.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tina
- 13-07-21
I adore Anton Lessers acting.
Stunning voice acting... Wonderful storytelling. I listened in one go!!! You will love it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S
- 12-03-14
Wonderful!
C J Sansom/Matthew Shardlake and Anton Lesser are my dream team add an unusual and fascinating plot to the excellent dependable characters and there is nothing else to wish for. Recommended!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- LittlePlum um hum
- 03-09-21
A good story well read.
Although I will listen to anything narrated by Anton Lesser this was a good story and very informative about the period. The main character was very appealing. I even loved his horse. A great text and a great narrator meant you really felt that you were there.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jason
- 20-10-16
The best Shardlake
I know others have attempted but no one can hit Shardlake novels for six with The sheer mastery of Anton Lasser even bearing in mind the quality of the raw material his performance is hands down the best. To any who disagree I can only respond with a put down of the time have a care for your insolence churl!!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Andy Hurley
- 30-11-12
Heavily abridged
I love the Shardlake series, have read them all in print and I would say that Dark Fire is my favourite but unfortunately the heavy abridging of this version makes the story uneven and a bit hard to follow. I was pretty deeply disappointed but Anton Lesser makes an excellent reading of what text he was left.
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6 people found this helpful