Dissolution
by C. J. Sansom
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Book Summary Information
Author: C. J. SansomEdition: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2004-04-27
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Dissolution
Book Review: A new historical series worth reading!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Dissolution" is the first in a series by C.J. Sansom and it features Matthew Shardlake, commissioner/lawyer in the employ of Henry VIII's vicar-general, Thomas Cromwell. It is the debut of a promising series, a police procedural, if you will, set in the 16th century, amidst the turbulence of this pre-Elizabethan time. Henry, obsessed with clearing out all the papists (those who still put their allegiance with the pope rather than with their king), at all Machiavellian costs, is surrounded by sycophants (what else is new?) who zealously follow his demands, at all costs. This was not a good time for the English.
One of Lord Cromwell's officials has been brutally murdered (beheaded, in keeping with the times) at a monastery he is investigating in Scarnsea and Shardlake is dispatched not only to find the killer but to finish up the commissioner's business, basically securing the surrender and final capitulation of this wealthy church. Saddled with his trusty aid, Mark Poer, Shardlake sets off in the dead of winter and what he finds merely multiplies the original crime: religious fanaticism, fraud, duplicity, crimes against nature, cruelty, you name it. In the 390 pages, Sansom treats us to full fare of 16th century England, warts (and there are lots of them) and all.
Shardlake is no ordinary king's man, of course. A brilliant man, he too is crippled by the times. He a hunchback who frequently suffers "the slings and arrows of outrageous" mockery and abuse, in spite of his brilliant successes. Sansom is adept in giving us the lessons of Job.
The author, too, gives us more than a murder mystery. During the chase, he weaves cleverly and adroitly into his narrative some of the more ingenuous aspects of Christian England. It is the time of the English Reformation, based upon more than one ideal. Since Ethelbert was converted by Augustine in the 4th century, corruption seemed to have been a common characteristic of the Church in England and when Henry finds the only way to get his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, he convinces, by hook, crook, bell and candle, the citizens that Catholicism is bad, evil, corrupt, you name it. And, as students of history know, he succeeds in having himself established as head of his own church and, of course, history, there, has not been the same.
In Scarnsea, however, Shardlake is baffled. It seems everyone is a suspect in the monastery, yet no one seems to fit the bill as "guilty" of the crime. Through diligence and quick wit, he and Mark begin to unearth a plethora of irregularities and as each is revealed, the killer (or killers) become more dangerous. Before a week's over, more bodies, all pointing to murder, murder that eventually involves court intrigue and participation. "Reform," Shardlake thinks, "was being built on an edifice of lies and monstrous brutality." How little he was to know. "This new world," he commiserates, " was no Christian commonwealth; it never would be. It was in truth no better than the old, no less ruled by power and vanity." Sansom strongly (and without a doubt) nurtures this theme throughout.
Sansom's narrative is fascinating, at times even mesmerizing, and the story moves at a fast pace. The author's history-lesson background does not impede the story and even if the reader is not well versed in this period of history, the storyline stands on its own. Possibly the strongest point of the novel is the character of Shardlake: a devoted man to the king's cause, even idealistic at time despite the reader's abhorrence at some of his blind actions in the name of the king. Before the story ends, however, Sansom reigns in his character, thus setting him up beautifully for the series. Sansom seems true to his characterization of Cromwell, who, of course, eventually comes to a dead end with Henry, although not in this series, at least not yet. The "creatures" Henry promoted (Cromwell, Richard Rich, Cardinal Wolsey, et al.) eventually are toppled and that knowledge helps the reader tolerate their cruelty as the story evolves. The evil and cruel practices, of course, were not limited to the 16th century, but the reminder is still relevant.
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