Customer Reviews
Engaging and well-written mystery - By: Rivercassini, 26 Apr 2008 
Dissolution is an intelligent, literary murder mystery set in England at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. And I loved it. Ok, so it's not fine literature - although it is well written & well researched - but it is a gripping story, with plenty of pace, twists & turns of plot & a range of well drawn & recognisable characters.
Samson at his strongest - By: P. Yates, 12 Mar 2008 
This is a novel which appeals to the senses, paticularly of touch & smell. Although a morarallly focused book there are no 21st century judements, leaving the reader with a clear impression of the social structures of the time.It emphasises fear of the monarchy & reform regardless of your position. There is a simmering anger created by the need for the people to repress their thoughts,despite holding powerful beliefs. Emotions of the reader are exposed continuallly & it is impossible to put the book down (I woke in the night compelled to read the next chapter (or 2)). Hiistorical fact & the authors supposition about the era are interlinked in a whodunnit where the language is simple, but informative of the time. The plot is complicated, but is revisited through reflective passages,providing the reader with reminders of significant events (a great plus for readers who lack 100% concentration, such as me!).
The author sets the scene innocently & develops the characters with consistency. The conclusion is satisfying & unpredictable, although totallly believable. Fantastic novel.
ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID................................... - By: L. Hay, 28 Feb 2008 As one who normallly only reads in bed, I could not lay this book down, & got stuck into it every chance I could. There is a certain magic about it, not that the plot is fantastic, but it is compulsive reading,
I loved the main character, the hunchback Master Shardlake, & the physicician Brother Guy, a black face in Tudor England - a rare man indeed.
There are four murders & a lengthy list of suspects in an Abbey destined for closure by the Crown. King Henry VIII has distanced himself from the Pope in his need to divorce Catherine of Aaragon & marry Anne Boleyn......and on the story goes...............
Commissioner Shardlake is sent to Scarnsea Abbey by Lord Thomas Cromwell to investigate the murder of the previous Commissioner, Singleton. Then they start dropping like flies. Can one of the monks be a murderer?
Where is Cadfael when you need him?
The author has done some considerable research into this period & has given us an absolute cracker of a good old-fashioned whodunnit. The characters are colourful, diverse & interesting & the dialogue spontaneous - when it could have seemed olde worlde. The landscape & surroundings well described without becoming boring & you can picture yourself there.There is no shortage of excitement & at times I was reading faster & faster & turning the pages like the clappers.
Let us hope it the start of a long series.
I could take a lot more of this.
A fabulous read, not to be missed!!!
Pleasantly Surprised - By: Kevin McDermott, 13 Feb 2008 I don't usuallly favor historical fiction - too much Mary Renault as a boy, I expect - but got this as the make-weight on a 3 for 2 offer at Waterstones {WHY can we always only find two that we reallly want?} & have reallly enjoyed reading it. The story is more than adequate but the feeling of historal authenticity made it a real page turner that kept me interested from start to finish. Today, I've logged on to buy the other two in the series.
A great book - By: A. G. Stubbs, 08 Feb 2008 I could not put it untill I had finnished reading this story. History brought to life. If children in school want to learn about Tudor England this book is the ideal vehicle. It makes history exciting, intersting & a great detective story as well. Alf Stubbs
