C. J. Sansom

In 1540 Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, is trying to keep a low profile and concentrate on his legal practice. His involvement in a prominent murder case brings him back into Cromwell's sights, and he is given a new assignment by the most devious politician in England. Book 2 of series.

In 1537 Thomas Cromwell is obeying King Henry VIII's order that all monasteries be dissolved. Many monks are opposed to this, and when Cromwell's Commissioner is found dead, Matthew Shardlake is sent to uncover the truth. Book 1 of series.

1952. In an alternative Britain Twelve years have passed since the country surrendered to Nazi Germany after Dunkirk, and the long German war against Russia rages on in the east: In a Birmingham mental hospital an incarcerated scientist, Frank Muncaster, may hold a secret that could change the balance of the world struggle for ever.

An old servant of Catherine Parr gives Matthew Shardlake an intriguing case involving claims of ‘monstrous wrongs’ committed against a ward of the court. Shardlake and his assistant Barak travel to Portsmouth where they find a city about to become a war zone. Shardlake also takes on the case of Ellen Fettipace, a young woman held in the Bedlam. Book 5 of series.

1546, and the great heretic hunt is underway across England. The radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew has been arrested and condemned to death, and Shardlake is ordered to attend the burning. It's a grisly, cruel spectacle that leaves him feeling disturbed. Rumours are circulating that Anne had connections to his protector, Queen Catherine Parr - and if she falls, he could be next... His unease deepens when a messenger arrives from Whitehall Palace: the Queen is in trouble, and asking for his help. Unwilling to put himself in danger again, he almost declines - but his loyalty to her permits no refusal.

The palace is in turmoil - King Henry VIII is dying, and his Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a desperate power struggle to control his eight-year-old heir, Prince Edward. In this climate of fear and uncertainty, the Queen has committed a dangerous indiscretion. She has written a compromising confessional tract, so incendiary it could see her accused of treason - and someone has stolen it from her private chamber. Only one page has resurfaced, clenched in the fist of a murdered printer. Shardlake's search for the missing manuscript takes him from London's seedy backstreets to the heart of the Tudor court, where he becomes enmeshed in a web of intrigue, deception and dark political machinations - and finds himself facing a fateful audience with King Henry himself...

The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery series

Set during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers.

Dissolution - Winter, 1537. When a King's Commissioner is brutally murdered at Scarnsea monastery, Thomas Cromwell sends Shardlake to investigate. Can he catch the killer before he strikes again?

Dark Fire - Summer, 1540, and Shardlake is embroiled in two urgent cases: tracking down a batch of Greek Fire, an ancient weapon of mass destruction, and defending an orphan girl accused of murder. Accompanied by Cromwell's man, Barak, he must race against time to save Elizabeth's life - and Cromwell's skin.

Sovereign - Autumn, 1541. As the King embarks on a Royal Progress to York, Shardlake and Barak arrive in the city on a secret mission for Archbishop Cranmer. But soon they are caught up in a murder investigation - and a daring plot to bring down the royal family...

Revelation - Spring, 1543. With London rocked by religious turmoil, Shardlake must complete two vital assignments: help a teenage boy imprisoned in Bedlam for his heretical ravings, and prevent a serial killer from completing his unholy mission.

Heartstone - Summer, 1545, and Shardlake and Barak are drawn into two murky mysteries: one involving 'monstrous wrongs' committed against a ward of the court, the other involving the troubled past of Bedlam inmate Ellen Fettiplace. Meanwhile, across the Channel, the French fleet is preparing to attack...

Lamentation - 1546. Henry VIII lies dying, and his Protestant and Catholic factions are vying for power. As heretics are burned at the stake, the Queen rashly decides to write a compromising confessional book - and when it is stolen, she turns to Shardlake. His investigations lead him from London's backstreet print shops to the heart of the royal court...

Jason Watkins and Justin Salinger star as Shardlake, with Bryan Dick as Barak, Mark Bonnar and Robert Glenister as Cromwell, Sam Dale and Sean Baker as Cranmer, and Emily Wachter and Jessica Hardwick as Queen Catherine Parr.

In Autumn 1541, Henry VIII and his new queen, Catherine Howard, make a royal Progress to the North, ending in York. Matthew Shardlake and Jack Barak are already in the city, on a mission for Archbishop Cranmer. When a glazier is murdered Shardlake finds himself in close, but dangerous, proximity to the Royal Court. Book 3 of series.

England, 1549: Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos . . .  The nominal king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rules as Protector. The extirpation of the old religion by radical Protestants is stirring discontent among the populace while the Protector's prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure and threatens to involve France. Worst of all, the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry. Since the old King's death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of Edith Boleyn, the wife of John Boleyn - a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth's mother - which could have political implications for Elizabeth, brings Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake's former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding Edith's death, as a second murder is committed.

And then East Anglia explodes, as peasant rebellion breaks out across the country. The yeoman Robert Kett leads a force of thousands in overthrowing the landlords and establishing a vast camp outside Norwich. Soon the rebels have taken over the city, England's second largest. Barak throws in his lot with the rebels; Nicholas, opposed to them, becomes a prisoner in Norwich Castle; while Shardlake has to decide where his ultimate loyalties lie, as government forces in London prepare to march north and destroy the rebels. Meanwhile he discovers that the murder of Edith Boleyn may have connections reaching into both the heart of the rebel camp and of the Norfolk gentry . . .  Book 7 of series.

When Harry Brett, a reluctant agent for the British Secret Service, is sent to spy on an old school friend turned shady businessman in 1940 Madrid, little does he realise what a dangerous game he is playing.