Reviews
"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...LAMENTATION builds to a shocking climax."-- Stephanie Merritt , The Guardian, PRAISE FOR C.J. SANSOM AND THE SHARDLAKE SERIES: "C.J. Sansom has long been one of my favorite writers."-- Kate Atkinson, PRAISE FOR C.J. SANSOM AND THE MATTHEW SHARDLAKE NOVELS: "One of my favorite writers."-- Kate Atkinson, "Engrossing . . . Tense and exciting . . . This is a fine historical novel, one to embrace."-- Nelson Appell , Southeast Missourian, "In [Sansom's] writing, 16th century London is vividly alive ... Atop vibrant streets, Sansom layers a rich depiction of English court life and all its pretentions and splendors. Then there's Shardlake himself, an extremely likable character ... gripping ... LAMENTATION holds its own." -- Nishant Dahiya , NPR, Brilliantly sketched [with] Shakespearean characterization and Byzantine plotting: Amid all the stink and muck of Tudor London, Sansom offers a master class in royal intrigue." -- Kirkus Reviews, "Richly entertaining and reassuringly scholarly. History never seemed so real."-- Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review, on Heartstone, "Everything works in Sansom's superb sixth Matthew Shardlake novel: the murder mystery with grave political ramifications, the depiction of Tudor England, and the further development of a lead who's both courageous and flawed... Rich period details burnish Sansom's status as one of today's top historical writers."-- Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review), Brilliantly sketched [with] Shakespearean characterization and Byzantine plotting: Amid all the stink and muck of Tudor London, Sansom offers a master class in royal intrigue."-- Kirkus Reviews, "Sansom brings alive all levels of English society, from cutthroats and common soldiers to the king and queen themselves."-- Washington Post, "A richly entertaining and scholarly series. History never seemed so real."-- New York Times Book Review, "Having withdrawal [from] the PBS adaptation of Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall'? Here's your fix ... LAMENTATION is literary fiction at its best." -- Laura DeMarco , The Plain Dealer (Grade: A), "I read this in one weekend, stopping only to sleep. Not to be missed."-- Margaret Cannon , The Globe and Mail, "Utterly convincing. Historical fiction has long languished in the doldrums, despised by critics as an inferior genre. Those days are past...a fine example of the intelligent imagination playing on history [that] shows what the reader of history may often tend to forget: that events now safely in the past were once uncertainly and dangerously in the future."-- Alan Massie , Wall Street Journal, "Sansom joins history and fiction seamlessly. . . . Read it for the history or read it for the mystery, but definitely read it." -- Booklist, "Everything works in Sansom's superb sixth Matthew Shardlake novel: the murder mystery with grave political ramifications, the depiction of Tudor England, and the further development of a lead who's both courageous and flawed... Rich period details burnish Sansom's status as one of today's top historical writers." -- Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review), "Having withdrawal [from] the PBS adaptation of Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall'? Here's your fix ... LAMENTATION is literary fiction at its best."-- Laura DeMarco , The Plain Dealer (Grade: A), "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...LAMENTATION builds to a shocking climax." -- Stephanie Merritt , The Guardian, "Sansom seems to have born with, or instinctively acquired, that precious balance of creativity and research, history and humanity."-- Chicago Tribune, "Utterly convincing. Historical fiction has long languished in the doldrums, despised by critics as an inferior genre. Those days are past...a fine example of the intelligent imagination playing on history [that] shows what the reader of history may often tend to forget: that events now safely in the past were once uncertainly and dangerously in the future." -- Alan Massie , Wall Street Journal, "[An] excellent re-imagining of a crucial period in English history . . . This sixth Matthew Shardlake novel is a jewel, the crowning glory of an exquisite series." -- John M. Formy-Duval , About.com, "[An] excellent re-imagining of a crucial period in English history . . . This sixth Matthew Shardlake novel is a jewel, the crowning glory of an exquisite series."-- John M. Formy-Duval , About.com, "In [Sansom's] writing, 16th century London is vividly alive ... Atop vibrant streets, Sansom layers a rich depiction of English court life and all its pretentions and splendors. Then there's Shardlake himself, an extremely likable character ... gripping ... LAMENTATION holds its own."-- Nishant Dahiya , NPR, "Sansom joins history and fiction seamlessly. . . . Read it for the history or read it for the mystery, but definitely read it."-- Booklist, "Engrossing . . . Tense and exciting . . . This is a fine historical novel, one to embrace." -- Nelson Appell , Southeast Missourian, "I read this in one weekend, stopping only to sleep. Not to be missed." -- Margaret Cannon , The Globe and Mail
