Lamentation

This gripping new novel by the inventive C. J. Sansom shows that, when it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival … Lamentation is sure to give Sansom’s many fans further cause for jubilation * Sunday Times *Shardlake’s back and better than ever … Lamentation, like its predecessors, is a triumph both as detective fiction and as a novel … Sansom’s deep feeling for the psychology of religious faith and for the defenceless makes him, in my view, superior to Hilary Mantel. * Independent *Sansom is highly skilled at weaving together the threads of his plot with the real and riveting history … Lamentation is a wonderful, engaging read. The atmosphere of fear and suspicion is brilliantly rendered * The Times *As always, Sansom conjures the atmosphere, costumes and smells of Tudor London with vigour, from the gilded halls of Whitehall Palace to the dungeons of the Tower … once Shardlake finds himself in real jeopardy [the novel] quickly picks up pace, all the way to a shocking climax that promises to mark a new chapter for Shardlake, and for England * Observer *Packed with accurate and atmospheric historical detail … In a crowded Tudor field, this novel finds Sansom again at the top of his game * Daily Telegraph *The Tudor Holmes finds himself plunged into crisis at the English Court … Sansom recreates a fascinating era as he carries the reader along with Shardlake on his diligent and perilous quest, criss-crossing medieval London from the luxury of the royal palaces at Whitehall to the filthy backstreets of the city * Daily Mail *Sansom has an extraordinary gift for atmosphere: he immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, smells and dreadful paranoia of life in the last days of Henry VIII … Utterly gripping – Marian Keyes, The Irish Times Books of the YearSo engrossing is the tale that I didn’t pause long enough to take a note. Even when judged by the high standards of the earlier Shardlake novels, this one stands out - not least because it successfully maintains suspense for over 600 pages. With the Shardlake series, and with this volume in particular, Sansom has surely established himself as one of the best novelists around * Spectator *Hilary Mantel may gobble up the big literary prizes for her explorations of the complex mind of Shardlake’s old boss, Thomas Cromwell, but when it comes to recreating the authentic atmosphere of 500 years ago Sansom wins hands down * Tribune *This is a terrific book … It is a convincing account of a cruel and fascinating period and a very exciting read * Literary Review *

C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex until becoming a full-time writer. Sansom is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Shardlake series, as well as Winter in Madrid and Dominion. C.J. Sansom died in April 2024.