SOVEREIGN

Detective & Mystery Stories Historical Fiction

By C J Sansom

Synopsis

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. Shardlake, book 3.

Sample Player

Narrator	Dennis Butcher
Length	23hrs
Catalogue No.	7922
Publisher	Macmillan

Other audiobooks by C J Sansom

DARK FIRE

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. Shardlake, book 2.

DISSOLUTION

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. Shardlake, book 1.

DOMINION

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.

HEARTSTONE

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. Shardlake, book 5.

LAMENTATION

As heretics are hunted across London, and the radical Protestant Anne Askew is burned at the stake, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry VIII's sixth wife, Queen Catherine Parr. Shardlake's investigations take him on a trail that leads him into the dark and labyrinthine world of the politics of the royal court; a world he had sworn never to enter again. Shardlake, book 6.

REVELATION

Spring, 1543. King Henry VIII is wooing Lady Catherine Parr, but the embattled Protestant faction at court are watching keenly, for Lady Catherine is known to have reformist sympathies. Matthew Shardlake, meanwhile, is working on the case of a teenage boy whose terrifying religious mania leads to him being burned as a heretic. Shardlake, book 4.

SHARDLAKE: THE COMPLETE BBC RADIO COLLECTION

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...

WINTER IN MADRID

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.