C. J. Sansom

When a friend's niece is charged with murder and threatened with torture for her refusal to speak, 1540 lawyer Matthew Sharklake is granted an unexpected two-week reprieve to investigate the case if he will also accept a dangerous assignment to find a legendary weapon of mass destruction. By the author of Dissolution. Reader's Guide available. Reprint.

Dark Fire

Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, Dark Fire is the second thrilling historical crime novel from C. J. Sansom."C. J. Sansom's magnificent books set in the reign of Henry VIII bring to life the sounds and smells of Tudor England" Sunday TimesSummer, 1540. Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, is busy trying to maintain his legal practice and keep a low profile. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin, brings him once again into contact with the King's chief minister - and a new assignment . . .The secret of Greek Fire, the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for centuries. Now an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered - the formula has disappeared.Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while trying at the same time to prove his young client's innocence. But very soon he discovered nothing is as it seems . . .

Jemima Scott

Truly, as the ancients taught us, there is nothing under the moon, however fine, that is not subject to corruption.

Sarah Escorsa

What a fantastic read! I had enjoyed Dissolution, the first instalment in the Shardlake series, but Dark Fire proved even more enjoyable! Once I started reading, I just couldn't put the book down:)

In this sequel to "Dissolution," it is now 1540, and Shardlake has returned to practicing law in London. When he is called on to help a friend's niece, charged with killing her cousin, he has no idea it will force him back into Cromwell's dangerous schemes.

Lea de Sousa

Very well written and love the new character Jack Barak but I still prefer book one (Dissolution) in this series as I found this one a little slow-going and predictable at times.

Dark Fire

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