Tag Archives: books

#BookReview ‘The Spice Maker’s Secret’ by @RenitaDSilva #historical #India

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The Spice Maker’s Secret by Renita D’Silva is a sad, heartbreaking tale of two young women trapped by circumstance, by events beyond their control, different but in some unknown way connected. D’Silva is a magical writer about India, this time the scent, taste and power of spices is dominant. And she always writes intriguing, determined female characters, often difficult but always inspiring. Renita d'SilvaThere are two alternating timelines, of Bindu in 1930s India and Eve in 1980s London; their circumstances so different that a link between the two seems impossible. But both are trapped. Eve is weighed down by grief, struggling to leave the house, to eat, to return to a life that will never feel normal again. Bindu is weighed down by poverty, her small village suffering as drought hardens and everyone scratches a meagre survival. To protect those she loves, she takes a decision that finds her surrounded by obscene wealth, weighed down by elaborate jewellery. Bindu, the beautiful village girl who won a scholarship to college, who helps her grandmother Ajji cook wonderful curry feasts. Bindu who, according to spiteful gossipy villagers, thinks she is better than everyone else. When things get bad, Bindu remembers Wordsworth’s golden daffodils and she cooks.
Bindu’s narrative dominates and although this is good, I found myself wishing for a little more of Eve’s story before the life-changing event that shaped her world in 1980. After a start that wasn’t slow exactly but had me itching for things to develop, The Spice Maker’s Secret takes off at around 30%.
In Bindu’s India in the Thirties, the country is struggling towards independence as the world faces another global war. There are opportunities for women to be independent and Bindu wants to be one of them but instead finds herself in a traditional household; she is not allowed to mix with men, not able to enter the kitchen, forbidden to cook, daily newspapers are removed. Strong-willed, intelligent and brave, Bindu’s marriage starts to falter as she is unable to connect with her equally strong-willed husband Guru. She is expected to produce an heir, a son; but Bindu knows she is carrying a daughter. When full of despair and anger at her situation, she remembers the calm, soothing advice of her grandmother. Sometimes she listens to Ajji’s words, sometimes she doesn’t. So she makes plans to escape the elaborate mansion just as years ago she skived off school, enduring the nuns’ disapproval, to help her frail grandmother cook the catering commissions which helped them survive. But now Ajji is dead and Bindu must face childbirth alone.
D’Silva builds the tension layer by layer, chapter by chapter, passing through phases of happiness then sadness, a little hope and contentment then more sadness and happiness. It is a very emotional book.

Read my reviews of these other novels by Renita D’Silva:-
A DAUGHTER’S COURAGE
A MOTHER’S SECRET
BENEATH AN INDIAN SKY
THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING
THE ORPHAN’S GIFT
THE WAR CHILD

If you like this, try:-
‘The Wolf Den’ by Elodie Harper #1WolfDen
‘Restless Dolly Maunder’ by Kate Grenville
‘The Blue Afternoon’ by William Boyd

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SPICE MAKER’S SECRET by @RenitaDSilva https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Ip via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Verity Bright

Great Opening Paragraph 136… ‘High-Rise’ #amreading #FirstPara

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“Later, as he sat on his balcony eating the dog, Dr Robert Laing reflected on the unusual events that had taken place within this huge apartment building during the previous three months. Now that everything had returned to normal, he was surprised that there had been no obvious beginning, no point beyond which their lives had moved into a clearly more sinister dimension. With its forty floors and thousand apartments, its supermarket and swimming-pools, bank and junior school – all in effect abandoned in the sky – the high-rise offered more than enough opportunities for violence and confrontation.” JG BallardFrom ‘High-Rise’ by JG Ballard

And try the first paragraph of SUPER-CANNES, another novel by JG Ballard.

Try one of these 1st paras & discover a new author:-
‘Affinity’ by Sarah Waters 
‘Divisadero’ by Michael Ondaatje 
‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’ by Haruki Murakami 

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#Books #FirstPara HIGH-RISE by JG Ballard https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-79L via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘Murder at the Playhouse’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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Murder at the Playhouse is another good adventure for Kitty Underhay, hotelier and amateur detective. Third in this nicely developing between-the-wars mystery series by Helena Dixon, Kitty now finds herself drawn into the theatrical world. Helena Dixon Starting weeks after the ending of the previous book, Murder at Enderley Hall, Kitty is still not on speaking turns with her fellow investigator, Captain Matthew Bryant. And she isn’t only missing their cooperation as detectors. But before she can work out how to break the ice after their quarrel, everyday turns into drama when Matt is arrested on suspicion of murder. A young girl taking part in a treasure hunt at a party, is found dead on the golf course. She was strangled with a bootlace, the bootlace given to her and her friend by Matt when they knocked on his door to enquire about clues. Kitty, who soon discovers that the party was hosted by Matt’s next door neighbours, the theatrical Davenport family, volunteers for charity work with the Davenport’s daughter Genny and goes undercover.
Kitty and Matt’s relationship has reached an interesting stage, past their acknowledgement of mutual attraction they must now face up to their differing social expectations. Kitty is determined to prove her credentials as a detective, able to handle difficult and dangerous assignments as well as Matt himself. Soon she is part of the theatre company as it prepares for a charitable production. Burning the candle at both ends, Kitty’s assessment of likely risk becomes a little wobbly as she pushes on in her objective to clear Matt’s name. The cast of theatrical characters includes some colourful, and distasteful, people, so there are plenty of suspects. Assigned as prompter, Kitty fears sitting in the wings will prevent her ability to eavesdrop and discover clues. So she engages the Dolphin Hotel’s housemaid Alice to assist her again. Alice, deft with a needle and thread, proves adept at organising the theatrical costumes and props and rallying the troop of child performers.
Needless to say, Kitty takes one risk too many and, not wanting to worry Matt while also wanting prove herself to him, does not tell him everything that is happening. In the background is the longer-running mystery of Kitty’s lost mother; where did she disappear to during the war?
Kitty is a very likeable heroine while Matt has a complicated history. He is a widow and a war veteran, more of both in this book. The plot moves on nicely and the whodunnit is full of possibilities without being so complex that the clues become entangled in an impenetrable knot. More please.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘An Expert in Murder’ by Nicola Upson #1JosephineTey
‘The Cornish Wedding Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #1NoseyParker
‘The Anarchist Detective’ by Jason Webster #3MaxCamara

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Bd via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Renita d'Silva

#BookReview ‘Conspiracy’ by SJ Parris @thestephmerritt #historical #crime

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Paris 1585. In Conspiracy by SJ Parris, Italian philosopher spy Giordano Bruno is finding the French capital more difficult to negotiate than London. ‘God this city!… So many factions, so many plots; everyone an informer with two faces, playing one party off against the others.’ SJ ParrisFifth in this series, Bruno arrives in a Paris riven by religious fear and violence, when the reign of King Henri III is under threat from the Catholic League led by the Duke of Guise. Henri is ruled by his mother, Catherine de Medici, features regularly in scurrilous scandal sheets and seems unable to sire an heir. When a fellow priest is murdered, Bruno is drawn into the Parisian web of secrets, spies and court intrigue. Always balancing on a knife edge, Bruno must use his detecting skills to identify the murderer. He is ordered by two powerful men – neither knows of the other’s contract – to discover the truth of the murder. Bruno trusts neither and, though his knowledge of how the royal court functions is useful, he finds himself drawn deeper into danger.
A second most unexpected murder within the royal court itself threatens to reveal secrets about Henri, his wife Queen Louise, and his mother Catherine de Medici. This court is a world of courtesan spies where courtiers may be working for both sides, where everyone could be considered two-faced, their word untrustworthy. Bruno survives on his wit, bravery, and sheer damn luck. As Bruno is working for two bosses, he must also consider that everyone he meets is a spy, a double or triple agent, or may be lying to protect themselves, for ambition or for money. The plot ties itself in knots, at times the sheer number of suspects is bewildering.
I particularly enjoyed Bruno’s meetings with fellow spy Charles Paget whose wry remark that Bruno doesn’t look over his shoulder often enough would spoil some of the plot twists. The plot of Conspiracy continues some threads and recurring characters from earlier novels. Scandal and rumour combine in the echo chamber of the royal court as Bruno uncovers one conspiracy after another, or has he. Jumping to conclusions too early gets him into some scrapes and brings him into contact with a wide variety of personalities including an acting troupe I Gelosi.
These are long and complicated books and Bruno has enviable diplomatic and survival skills. The Parisian royal court is poisonous, the city is dirty and dangerous, there are sexy men, gorgeous women and gambling clerics.
A really good historical thriller. If you’re new to this series, please start with the first book to appreciate all the plot twists and themes.

Read my reviews of other books in the series:-
HERESY #1 GIORDANOBRUNO
PROPHECY #2 GIORDANOBRUNO
SACRILEGE #3 GIORDANOBRUNO
TREACHERY #4GIORDANOBRUNO

If you like this, try:-
‘The Burning Chambers’ by Kate Mosse #1Joubert
‘The Silver Wolf’ by JC Harvey #1FiskardosWar
‘Winter Pilgrims’ by Toby Clements #1Kingmaker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview CONSPIRACY by SJ Parris @thestephmerritt https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Hl via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon

#BookReview ‘The Girls Left Behind’ by @EmilyGunnis #mystery #suspense

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Emily Gunnis is a new author for me and I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Girls Left Behind. With triple timelines – World War Two, the Seventies/Eighties and the Noughties – it’s a complicated mixture to handle and there are a lot of personalities and twists to hang on to. Emily GunnisIn the Prologue it is 1975. A month ago WPC Jo Hamilton attended the beach where a young girl had fallen from the cliffs and died. Gemma Smith, fifteen, lived at Morgate House, a children’s home in an imposing Victorian building on the cliffs at Saltdean. The ‘Morgate children’ are generally regarded locally as wild. Now Jo is called to a ‘domestic’ at a house in Wicker Street. When violence turns to fire, Jo rescues two young sisters from the blaze. They are the only survivors. She takes Holly and Daisy to Morgate House. The Girls Left Behind is the story of the Morgate girls, vulnerable teenagers open to exploitation and whose tragedies are woven into the life of a young policewoman.
In 2015 and now a superintendent, Jo Hamilton is in her last week at work before retirement. When human remains are found it takes Jo back to a case she worked on as a young policewoman, a case that was emotionally difficult to handle, when she felt her voice was ignored by the top brass. Jo has carried regrets with her all her career. Her week becomes extra intense when her elderly mother is moved from her care home to palliative care. Her relationship with her mother Olive, is prickly; she is close to her older brother and fellow police officer Charlie; with her daughter Megan, things are changeable.
Intertwined with the two slices of Jo’s life, is the story of her mother Olive who during World War Two worked at Bletchley Park as a motorcycle courier trusted with top secret packages. Olive lodges in the village with Lorna, another Bletchley girl who she met on the train journey. Olive’s world is small, just Lorna, her boss Commander Travis, Geoff Price, manager of the bike workshop, and a few of her fellow motorcycle couriers. Then Olive falls in love for the first time.
A slow-mover for me. The two girls, Gemma and Holly, and their similar storylines merged together. The frequent summarising and repetition meant I reluctantly skipped paragraphs. But oh my, at about 70% and in one of Olive’s sections, the story took off and didn’t stop until the end.
A good mystery thriller which would benefit from a reduced character list and from being cut in length with shorter snappier chapters to increase the tension. A sad story with dark complex characters, hidden secrets and lies told to protect important people.

If you like this, try:-
‘Stolen Child’ by Laura Elliot
‘Then She Was Gone’ by Lisa Jewell
‘The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE GIRLS LEFT BEHIND by @EmilyGunnis https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7FP via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- SJ Parris

#BookReview ‘A Rustle of Silk’ by Alys Clare #historical #mystery

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April 1603. The Scottish King James is to sit on the English throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. In Devon, former ship’s surgeon and now rural physician Gabriel Taverner is called to examine a corpse found with a blade in his stomach. I’ve found a new historical mystery series and the first book is A Rustle of Silk by Alys Clare. Alys ClareI started the tale not sure what to expect but found myself racing through the pages, not wanting to put the book down. Clare is a new author for me and as well as this series, there are many other Clare mysteries to explore.
The dead man is Gabe’s brother-in-law, a silk trader. Jeromy Palfrey is an assistant to a local wealthy dealer in silks, Nicolaus Quinlie. Celia’s house is much grander than Gabe’s quiet house, Rosewyke. She dresses in silk, the colourful home furnishings are silk and she spends much time alone in her luxurious house while her husband travels for work. Until he doesn’t return his body is found.
Immediately I was drawn to the complex character of Gabe. A man with a colourful past travelling, and fighting, on the oceans until a head injury forced him to find an occupation on land. Now a qualified doctor, he continues to study current medical tomes which he combines with avant-garde experience picked up on his travels around the globe and medical techniques learned onboard in the heat of battle. Now his feet are firmly on dry land and he is trying to establish a name in his local area. Unfortunately someone objects to his presence; deposited on his doorstep has been a series of ‘little gifts’ – faeces, dead mice, a headless rat, a square of linen soaked in blood, and worse. Not one to be threatened easily, Gabe knows he must stop the person making these threats. But then Plymouth coroner Theophilius Davey knocks on his door.
Is there a connection between the threats to Gabe and the death of his brother-in-law. Was Palfrey involved in money-making schemes to pay his debts and could his employer have found out. Two more deaths follow.
The portrayal of medical treatment at the beginning of the 17th century is fascinating – formally-trained doctors such as Gabe, barber surgeons, midwife Judyth and herbalist Black Carlotta. Both female medics live in danger of being denounced as witches. Clare also shows the social restrictions on women at that time. Once married, all wealth and property transfers to her husband. An unscrupulous husband may spend his, and his wife’s, wealth without recourse to her.
A Rustle of Silk is not a long book, unlike some historical crime novels, and I read it easily in two days. An easy entertaining read though it does include some gruesome medical descriptions. I would describe this as a historical mystery rather than historical crime. Gabe is a doctor in search of the truth but he is also an able amateur investigator. I enjoyed the circle of professionals around him; coroner Theo and his assistant Jarman Hodge, and local preacher Jonathan Carew. I anticipate many hours spent reading the rest of this series.

Here are my reviews of other novels in this series:-
THE ANGEL IN THE GLASS #2GABRIELTAVERNER
THE INDIGO GHOSTS #3GABRIELTAVERNER

If you like this, try:-
‘Winter Pilgrims’ by Toby Clements #1Kingmaker
‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’ by Sara Collins
‘The Drowned City’ by KJ Maitland #1 Daniel Pursglove

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#BookReview A RUSTLE OF SILK by Alys Clare https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7EN via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Emily Gunnis

#BookReview ‘Run to the Western Shore’ by Tim Pears #historical

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Run to the Western Shore by Tim Pears is the mesmeric story of Olwen and Quintus as they run together across Wales, living off the land, heading westwards to the sea. Britain AD72. Given by her father in marriage to the Roman governor Frontinus as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees in the night. She awakens a slave boy and together they run. Both are nineteen years old. Tim PearsQuintus is a translator, he has lived in many foreign lands but has no real home. He serves his Roman masters as they conquer one country after another. Olwen is part of tribal royalty. She leads Quintus through the countryside and seems at one with nature, wildlife, the land, the soil and its legends. The Welsh woodland, valleys, peaks and streams are beautifully described as they follow a meandering path designed to defeat their Roman pursuers. As they lope across the countryside they share stories of their lives, families and cultures. Quintus is unsure whether Olwen’s story are true, myth or a moment of fanciful imagination.
The writing style is simple and elegant. When a dark purple sky heralds a snow blizzard, ‘It was as if they were bottled inside some receptacle not much larger than themselves and a whimsical god was shaking it. Perhaps two such gods were tossing it to the other.’ Another day they near the River Wye, ‘Below them lay a wide green mead, its grass covered in white lace.’ Made by ‘the little people,’ Olwen says, a funeral shroud or a bridal veil. In fact they are cobwebs, white in the morning dew. The further they travel, Quintus becomes more aware of the ground beneath his feet, the birds that soar above, the joy of feeling free.
Only 152 pages, this is a memorable novella which is effortless to read as the pair day by day approach the western shore and their destiny. It is part history, part road trip, part nature essay, part love story. Beautifully written, it stayed with me for many days afterwards. Enchanting.

Here’s my review of another novel by Tim Pears:-
THE HORSEMAN #1WESTCOUNTRYTRILOGY

If you like this, try:-
‘The Good People’ by Hannah Kent
‘Rush Oh!’ by Shirley Barrett
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview RUN TO THE WESTERN SHORE by Tim Pears https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7AP via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Alys Clare

#BookReview ‘The Hidden Years’ by Rachel Hore @Rachelhore #WW2 #Sixties

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The Hidden Years by Rachel Hore is a dual-timeline story set in and around a Cornish country mansion, Silverwood, during World War Two and twenty years later. Events that occur in the Forties have long tentacles and, although the Sixties feels a free and liberated time, the after-effects of the war are very real. Rachel HoreWhen nineteen-year old Belle falls for a musician, she leaves university without sitting her last exam and travels with him to Cornwall to an artistic commune near Falmouth and the Helford Estuary. Despite feeling the odd one out at Silverwood, Belle cannot contemplate leaving because she has fallen in love with Gray. And then she stumbles on a number of coincidences which trigger questions about her own background. An unexplained conversation overheard, a photo of a strange woman holding a baby, a shabby box containing the belongings of a nurse.
In the wartime strand we meet Imogen Lockhart, on her way to Cornwall by train. Her role is as a responsible adult accompanying two young brothers travelling to their school which has been evacuated to a country house, Silverwood. Though intending to return home, Imogen finds herself remaining at St Mary’s School where the matron has been taken ill. In fact she stays in Cornwall, completes her nursing training and works in a hospital. The Hidden Years is about Belle and Imogen and the connection between them.
This is a story of mystery, romance and relationships, rather than a story of war. Despite the threat of bombing, I found it slow and repetitive in places and skipped paragraphs which summarised things I’d already read. I was underwhelmed rather than disappointed. At times I was exasperated with Belle and the 1966 strand and would have been happier if the novel concentrated on Imogen’s story. Much of the important action at the end of the book is reported, not shown happening in real time, and so I felt distant from the secret when it was finally revealed. Cornwall is the hero of this book, it really steps off the pages and becomes true. The descriptions of Silverwood, during the war and in the Sixties, make it seem a real house.
Rachel Hore is a favourite author for me and, despite thinking The Hidden Years could be so much better, there are still plenty of her books for me to read. So far, my favourite is A Beautiful Spy.

Click the title to read my reviews of other books by Rachel Hore:-
A BEAUTIFUL SPY
A WEEK IN PARIS
ONE MOONLIT NIGHT
THE LOVE CHILD

If you like this, try:-
‘The Secret Shore’ by Liz Fenwick
‘Another You’ by Jane Cable
‘After the Bombing’ by Clare Morrall

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE HIDDEN YEARS by Rachel Hore @Rachelhore https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7BP via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Tim Pears

#BookReview ‘Murder at Enderley Hall’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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Read in two sittings over a rainy weekend, I devoured Murder at Enderley Hall by Helena Dixon, second in the Miss Underhay cosy historical murder mysteries. Picking up a matter of weeks after the events at the end of the first book, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel, the plotting is tight and the clues keep coming. I changed my mind three times about the guilty party. Helena DixonNow she’s had a taste of detecting, Kitty Underhay is finding life at her grandmother’s hotel in Dartmouth a quiet affair. She agrees to visit her previously-underheard-of aunt, Lady Medford, in the hope this will bring both a diversion and a clue to the truth of her mother’s disappearance. Elowed Underhay went missing when Kitty was a child and has never been found. Lady Medford is the sister of Kitty’s disreputable father Edgar. Arriving at Enderley Hall, Kitty finds a house party including cousin Lucy and dog Muffy, the family’s elderly nanny, a garden designer, an art conservator, two of Lucy’s friends from London, plus Lord Medford and his secretary Aubrey.
Lord Medford is an inventor of military munitions and materials and his work is conducted at Enderley in a secret laboratory. The setting is summer 1933 as Europe has become an uncertain, threatening place. So when important papers are stolen that may endanger the country, Sir Horace Blunt arrives from the government, followed by Inspector Greville and Kitty’s co-detective from the first book, Captain Matthew Bryant of Torbay Private Investigation Services.
Clues are collected and rumours abound. As the papers remain lost and one murder is followed by another, Kitty becomes irritated at being left out of the investigating. Alice, the Dolphin’s house maid who has been recruited as lady’s maid for the duration of Kitty’s stay at Enderley Hall, proves to be an able spy. Keeping watch, gathering gossip amongst the domestic staff, and acting as companion to Kitty when danger threatens.
This is only the second book of the series but I slipped easily into reading about these familiar characters. The story unfolds at a good pace as Kitty treads the delicate line of being a polite house guest with being a nosey, intrepid detective. I was cheering her on.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Next up is Murder at the Playhouse.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘The Vanished Bride’ by Bella Ellis #1BronteMysteries
‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ by Sophie Hannah #4Poirot
‘Moonflower Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz #2SusanRyeland

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7zK via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Rachel Hore

#BookReview ‘Tombland’ by CJ Sansom #Tudor #detective #crime

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Before reading Tombland by CJ Sansom I knew nothing about the English rebellions in 1549. What a magnificent series this is, so often emulated but rarely equalled. And how fitting that the final Matthew Shardlake book should shed light on such a little-known uprising. CJ SansomTwo years after King Henry VIII’s death his young son Edward VI sits on the throne, but a Protector rules in his stead. With war against the Scots and a new law allowing the enclosure of land, dissent among the yeomen and farm labourers rumbles into protest into rebellion. The poorest in society find their voice to protest against injustice imposed by the wealthy.
In these uncertain times lawyer Shardlake, living a quieter life in London, is called to investigate a murder in Norfolk. The man accused is related distantly to Anne Boleyn and therefore to her daughter Princess Elizabeth. What is planned as a short visit to Norwich turns into a prolonged stay when Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas Overton are caught up in the rebellion, captured by the rebels who see them as gentlemen and therefore enemies in the fight for peasant rights against the powerful landlords. Set in a time of continuing religious changes, the introduction of Cranmer’s new English language prayer book, churches stripped bare of decoration and walls painted white, people have become used to hiding their true beliefs. As the crown has spies amongst the rebels, the rebels have their own spies. Amidst this suspicion, distrust, gossipmongering and manipulation, Shardlake must find the murderer of John Boleyn’s former wife. Able for some time to survive in the rebel camp, aiding the leader Robert Kett to ensure good law is followed, he must decide whether he is a rebel or a loyalist.
Sansom sets a complicated murder story within a patchwork of historical events, some of those described sound too violent and far-fetched to be true though the Author’s Note assures us they happened. With familiar characters – the return of Jack Barack is welcome – many new faces add their voices to the world as we see it through Shardlake’s eyes, troubled as he is that the valid demands of the protestors will be defeated. Bullied stable boy Simon. Shardlake’s former servant Josephine and her husband Edward. Goodwife Everneke who is the ‘mother’ of the Swardeston village group within the huge Mousehold Heath rebel camp outside Norwich. Isabella Boleyn, former barmaid and second wife of the accused man. Throughout it all, the honesty and goodness of Matthew Shardlake shine through. He defends the underdogs, challenges the liars and stands up to bullies. Always in pursuit of the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, how painful, how inconvenient.
Tombland is a big book, 880 pages, but I read it far quicker than I do many shorter novels, picking it up at every opportunity. And though long, I would not reduce it. This paperback has been sitting on my shelf for ages, calling to be read. From the first sentence I knew I was in a familiar place, ‘I had been in my chambers at Lincoln’s Inn when the messenger came from Master Parry, asking me to attend him urgently.’ Such a simple sentence but the voice so clearly that of Matthew Shardlake.
I had been hesitating over picking up Tombland, wanting to have one more Shardlake book left on the shelf still to be read. Oh what a treasure it is. So now I’ll go back to the beginning and read Dissolution again.

And here are my reviews of other novels by CJ Sansom:-
DOMINION
DISSOLUTION #1SHARDLAKE
DARK FIRE #2SHARDLAKE
SOVEREIGN #3SHARDLAKE
REVELATION #4SHARDLAKE
HEARTSTONE #5SHARDLAKE
LAMENTATION #6SHARDLAKE

If you like this, try:-
‘Three Sisters, Three Queens’ by Philippa Gregory
‘Cecily’ by Annie Garthwaite
‘The Lady of the Ravens’ by Joanna Hickson #1QueensoftheTower

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview TOMBLAND by CJ Sansom #Tudor #detective https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7z3 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon