Book recommendation

Just finished the sixth, and sadly last so far, book in C. J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series. It’s a very well written historical mystery series set in Tudor times, starting with Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and continuing through the years. Supposed to go all the way to Elizabeth’s reign but it’s not there yet.

Shardlake is a lawyer at London’s Inns of Court with a penchant for detective work and a tendency to get mixed up, though reluctantly, in all sorts of high political intrigue. The books are complex and intricate, with a good mix of real persons and events of the time interspersed with fictional ones, and a hefty doze of contemporary atmosphere (yes, everything is smelly and dirty.)

I couldn’t put the books down and wish there were more already. Each book is complete, there are no cliffhangers, but you do need to start with the first to be able to properly follow the story.