I hope Sansom has more Shardlake books in mind. I was also very taken with Shardlake’s introduction in Lamentation to William Cecil, Mary Tudor and a young Elizabeth I. Along with the mystery of the missing book, Shardlake is working on the Cotterstoke dispute between rival siblings, and has problems at home with his domestic servants.

Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc. I’m not good at reading horrific scenes, but I managed this one without too much mental aversion of my eyes. Lamentation by CJ Sansom review a new chapter for Shardlake CJ Sansom The Guardian. Among the summaries and analysis available for Lamentation, there is 6 Book Reviews. It begins as Shardlake is ordered to watch the burning at the stake of Anne Askew and other heretics (a real event). The book evokes the people, the sights, smells and atmosphere of Henry’s last year and at the same time it’s an ingenious crime mystery, full of suspense and tension. What I like about these books is their historical setting and the Historical Notes giving yet more background to the period and emphasising that because the sources are ‘very thin’ that inevitably this is Sansom’s own interpretation of events and clarifying that Catherine Parr’s book was not, in the real world, stolen. Shardlake, a lawyer is asked by Queen Catherine (Parr) for help in discovering who has stolen her confessional book, Lamentation of a Sinner. It’s set in 1546, the last year of Henry VIII’s life. I have enjoyed the earlier books in the series so I had great expectations for Lamentation and I wasn’t disappointed. Once again I am behind myself with writing about the books I’ve read! So here are just a few thoughts about C J Sansom’s historical novel, Lamentation, the sixth Matthew Shardlake book.

Lamentation cj sansom summary