A medieval who dun'it. Set during the dissolution of the monasteries, after Henry VIII split the English Church from Rome. The historical detail is fascinating and in the light of Brexit shows that nothing is forever and everything can be broken down and changed, even those institutions that had stood for 100's of years. Part of the Shadlake series of books, this is the first one, introducing the hunchback lawyer to us, his analytical thought process the political intrigue and how even then, the fingers of power stretched far and wide. One of Cromwell's Commissioners has been murdered at a monastery set for dissolution - it looks like witchcraft but is it really? The cold, wet, fetid atmosphere of medieval England is well described and a lot of historical detail is carefully inserted into the story - like a lot of crime fiction, the story is interesting but some of the characters lack depth.
Words used to describe it:
exploding myth (Anne Boleyn), Shadlake doesn't ask enough questions, long winded, chilling, atmospheric
Marks out of 10: between 5 - 7
Next Book
A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous
Next Meeting
Wed 30th November
117 Harbord St
Christmas Party
3 December 2016
208 Munster Road then onto The Southern Bell
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