Tombland by C.J. Sansom

• Hardcover: 880 pages
• Publisher: Mantle; Main Market edition (18 Oct. 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1447284488
• ISBN-13: 978-1447284482

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos . . .

The nominal king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rules as Protector. The extirpation of the old religion by radical Protestants is stirring discontent among the populace while the Protector’s prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure and threatens to involve France. Worst of all, 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 younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of Edith Boleyn, the wife of John Boleyn – a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth’s mother – which could have political implications for Elizabeth, brings Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake’s former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding Edith’s death, as a second murder is committed.

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 establishing a vast camp outside Norwich. Soon the rebels have taken over the city, England’s second largest.

Barak throws in his lot with the rebels; Nicholas, opposed to them, becomes a prisoner in Norwich Castle; while Shardlake has to 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 rebel camp and of the Norfolk gentry . . .

 

Review

Tombland is the most unexpected release for me this year as I thought Lamentation, the sixth book, was the last in his Shardlake Series. This now has to be the most anticipated book of the year for me, and I was very excited to receive a copy to review.

Set in 1549, three years after the last book, Tombland sees Matthew Shardlake now working for The Lady Elizabeth as her lawyer. The three years have seen the death of Henry VIII and Catherine Parr, Shardlake’s former employer and friend, and the young Edward VI on the throne. Whilst some characters have died many of the familiar characters from the previous books return; Jack Barak, Nicholas Overton, Guy, William Cecil and Lord Richard Rich. Shardlake is bored with the legal work of land registration for Lady Elizabeth so jumps at the chance to go to Norfolk to look into the murder of a distant Boleyn relative of Elizabeth to ensure justice is achieved. Set against the peasant rebellions in Norfolk, Tombland is remarkable read, that combines fact and fiction seamlessly.

Tombland refers to an area of Norwich where many of the gentleman and wealthy classes resided, and where Shardlake and Overton stay whilst on business in Norfolk. This book has so many layers to it, that weave themselves into a rich tapestry of prose.  Evelyn Boleyn has been murdered in s despicable way and her husband, John Boleyn is arrested for her murder, and Shardlake is charged with making sure the murder is fully investigated and if her relative John Boleyn is found guilty a pardon sent to the young King. Shardlake, Overton and Barak find themselves in Norfolk in a time of unrest, the poor starving due to bad crops and landowners taking common land from the lower classes to graze sheep.  This unrest led to rebellion by the peasants against the gentlemen land owners, with Norwich having the biggest rebellion camp.  Samsom’s attention to detail and research brings the the tension between the two factions to life, also the smells and sights of camp life where over five thousand men and women were living: unwashed bodied in close proximity, animal carcass’, the fires, food, and the horrors of war.

As I have come to expect from C.J. Sansom the characters captivate your attention, and draw you into their lives.  Shardlake is still as dogged in his pursuit of justice at all costs.  He still has his side kick Barack and junior colleague Overton at his side, and meeting them again in this book felt like connecting with old friends.  There were also some memorable new characters including John Boleyn’s sadistic twin sons, the corrupt Sir Richard Southwell, tyoung Simon Scrambler and the Kett brothers who were at the centre of the rebellion, all of whom add to the richness of this book, and offer varying viewpoints of the problems in sixteenth century England.

Tombland is a large read at eight hundred and fifty pages long, but each of those pages is justified to be there, giving a depth and richness that make this book stand out from others. This really is one of those books that you fall into and almost forget to come up for air, so compelling and immersive is the plot and characters.  For me, C.J.Samsom is the master of Tudor historical fiction,  he brings the voices and atmosphere of the period vividly off the page and into your heart. So much more than just a murder mystery, Tombland is an erudite and brilliant read that builds to a catastrophic finale for all involved; a magnificent read.

 

Thank you for reading my review of Tombland.  If you like my review I hope you will share it on social media and consider following my blog x