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Revelation

Shardlake, Book 4

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Revelation

By: C. J. Sansom
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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Perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory, C. J. Sansom's bestselling adventures of Matthew Shardlake continue in the fourth book, the haunting Revelation.

'When it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival' - Sunday Times
‘Sansom has the trick of writing an enthralling narrative. Like Hilary Mantel, he produces densely textured historical novels that absorb their readers in another time’ - Andrew Taylor, Spectator

England, 1543: King Henry VIII is wooing Lady Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. But this time the object of his affections is resisting. Archbishop 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 boy, a religious maniac locked in the Bedlam hospital for the insane. Should he be released to his parents, when his terrifying actions could lead to him being burned as a heretic?

When an old friend is horrifically murdered Shardlake promises his widow, for whom he has long had complicated feelings, to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to both Cranmer and Catherine Parr –and with 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 his friend, Guy Malton, follows the trail of a series of horrific murders that shake them 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 . . .?

The atmosphere and tension of the Tudor world is brought to life in this gripping bestselling historical series, which continues with Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation and Tombland.

 Christian Fiction Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Crime Exciting Fiction Murder Scary Royalty Tudor
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Critic reviews

Sansom’s meticulous attention to historical detail and vivid characters make this Tudor mystery as gripping and vital as any modern thriller.
A serial killer is using the Book of Revelation for his murders in this outstanding whodunit featuring the bestselling Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake.
Sansom’s evocation of 16th century London amidst the turmoil of the Reformation is compelling. (Helen Zaltzman)
Sansom’s deeply resonant novel depicts Tudor London as a benighted city overrun by fundamentalist fanatics, heretic-burners and the madness of crowds, while his narrative’s tingling intrigues will have you hooked from first page to last. (Trevor Lewis)
Only the wonderfully rich detail with which the author brings to life characters and settings lets us know that we are not in modern times, but in 1543 – and even this evocation of a filthy overcrowded London thronged with beggars and prostitutes seems uncomfortably close to present day reality . . . Mingling lightly worn erudition with pacy plotting, this is an utterly compelling read. (Christina Koning)
Historical mysteries are all the rage, but Sansom’s are in a class of their own. His sheer narrative skill is matchless. (Simon Shaw)
C. J. Sansom’s novels, set amid the stench and scandal of the 16th century, are impressive both for their intricate detail and serpentine plot twists.
Terror stalks Tudor London in this latest pungently atmospheric novel from the master of the historical murder mystery.
He has created a hugely detailed and wonderfully plausible picture of life in 16th Century London as religious schisms threaten to tear the country apart but he sweetens the pot in this tale of a Tudor serial killer by having his characters talking in modern English. A very superior entertainment.
There’s expert historical crime to be found in . . . C. J. Sansom’s Revelation, perhaps the first Tudor serial-killer mystery, which also illuminates 16th century attitudes to madness and fundamentalism.
I’ve just returned from a week in the sun when the pick of my holiday reads was C. J. Sansom’s marvellous Dark Fire. It’s a thrilling quest novel set in Tudor London and the second in Sansom’s historical series starring the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake. If, as I’ve been told, the next two books (Sovereign and Revelation) are even better I have further treats in store. (Jessie Childs)
The outstanding new whodunnit featuring Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake.
Compulsively gripping Tudor murder mysteries . . . As a plot with a clutch of steel pulls you through dramatic twists and turns and vivid, knowledgeable, widely diverse scenes of Tudor life, you watch Shardlake discern a terrible pattern in the butchery. (Peter Kemp)
All stars
Most relevant
A serial killer in a Tudor environment without the modern profiling and associated technology? This is creativity at its best. Reminded me of a recent film. However, the introduction of the seven vials from Revelation was a stroke of genius!.

The way in which the differing theological and reformist views was handled showed a real grasp of the issues involved. I particularly enjoyed the cameos of the movers and shakers of the reformist tradition as they were woven into the story. It gave a real foundation to the elements of political dogma and politicking of the time.

This has been the one Sansom volume I was unable to put down! I would certainly listen to it again, for I think there are many nuances which I have not picked up in a first encounter.

Hreartily recommended!

Fascinating!

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In this we delve a little deeper into both Baraks and Shardlakes characters and emotions. The story is, as usual, utterly fascinating and gripping! Bring on Heartstone.

Excellent!

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Having now disposed of wife number 5, loveable heart-throb Henry VIII is busily wooing lucky Catherine Parr, who unaccountably seems a little reluctant to become his bride. It’s unclear if her objection is to the weeping, stinking sores on his legs or to his habit of beheading earlier spouses – some women are just picky, I guess. However, Archbishop Cranmer is determined to bring the wedding about, since he hopes that Catherine will drag Henry back onto the path of Reform from which he has been straying in recent years. So when a man in Catherine’s entourage is found brutally murdered, Cranmer is determined that the murderer shall be found before any whiff of scandal can attach itself to the Lady, thus jeopardising the King’s plan to marry her. Meantime, a fellow lawyer and friend of Matthew Shardlake is also found brutally slain, in circumstances that suggest the two crimes may be linked. Shardlake finds himself working for Cranmer in the hunt for a man who seems to be on a murderous spree inspired by the Book of Revelation…

This fourth book in the Shardlake series continues to show the troubled era of Henry VIII and the English Reformation through the various crimes in which Shardlake becomes involved because of his connection to the power brokers in Henry’s court. By this stage, Henry has changed his mind about religion so often that the whole issue has become fraught with peril for his subjects, with the result that sects and cults are growing, each with their own interpretation of the Bible and matters such as predestination, purgatory and hell. Fanatics preach extremism to the gullible, while Henry’s men purge those who believe in the wrong version, and heretics – who only a few years earlier would have been seen as orthodox – are burned at the stake. And some, so messed up by the confused preaching of the times, become crazed, seeking to gain entry to Heaven by following their own corrupted version of the Word. It all sounds very 21st century, in fact!

Our murderer here appears to be attempting to bring about the End Times by acting out the horrors in Revelation. I’m not a Bible person myself, but I must admit Revelation sounds great – I really must read it! Gore, cruelty, torture, shrieking and screaming, eternal damnation and demonic mayhem – not quite Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, ‘Cos the Bible Tells Me So (which is about as deep as my religious education went). Through his characters, Sansom makes the point that many Christians didn’t feel Revelation should be considered part of the Bible, but also that it was then, as it still is, an excellent excuse for all kinds of craziness being allowed to flourish in certain sects. Shardlake himself shows the other side – that all the different versions of the “true faith” and all the cruelties done in the name of religion make it increasingly hard for many to believe in a loving God at all, however much they would like to. As well as the murders, Shardlake finds himself representing a young man, so screwed up by hellfire preaching about sin that he has become a psychological wreck, convinced of his own eternal damnation. He’s one of the lucky ones, though – merely committed to Bedlam rather being burned at the stake, so far at least.

As always, this is a massive and slow-moving book, both adjectives which should put me off completely. But it’s the depth of the characterisation and setting that holds my attention. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s a bit like watching a long-running drama serial – spending time with the much-loved characters is actually more important than the plot. I’ve been listening to the books this time around, read by Steven Crossley, and he’s the perfect narrator for them. He maintains each voice consistently throughout the book, or the series if they are recurring characters, so that it’s always clear who is speaking. This isn’t always the case with audiobooks, since authors write for the page and allow punctuation marks to do a lot of the work, so if a narrator doesn’t clearly differentiate it can become confusing.

All the regulars play a full part in this one, too, which is an added bonus. Shardlake is still the same honourable, decent, kind man as always, collecting waifs and strays as he goes. Barak and Tamasin are going through some problems in their marriage, and Guy has taken in a young apprentice, Piers. It’s the conversations between Shardlake and Guy that shed most light on the religious upheavals of the time, as each man tries to make sense of the many changes they have lived through. Theirs has become a deep and loyal friendship now, although there’s still room for them to disagree from time to time.

It’s redundant to say this is an excellent entry in the series, because they’re all excellent. I think this may be the only series to every book of which I have given the full five stars, and of course this is no exception. Highly recommended, book and audiobook both.

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

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Great story, the narration is excellent and characterisation consistent across the books. already download the next one.

Really enjoyed this book best I've read to date.

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Stephen Crossley brings the characters in this book alive. I just had to keep listening to find out what happens and if my sleuthing thoughts were right !! They were not entirely ! Great book to the end.

Keeps you on edge right to the end

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