Gossip, treason, and the ever present shadow of the Tower loom over everything. Royal intrigue surrounds the discovery and immediate loss of some sensitive papers. There is much to please Tudor history fans in this novel too – with appearances of historical figures: Archbishop Cranmer, Henry VIII, Lady Rochford and Catherine Howard. Poor old Shardlake is really put through it in this one, as he is attacked four times and spends a couple of days in the Tower himself.

I now feel quite invested in the characters of Matthew Shardlake and Jack Barrak.

Of the three Shardlake novels I have read so far – this was my favourite.

Shardlake finds that the mystery surrounding the dead man may well link to the prisoner he is charged with ensuring survives long enough to reach the Tower. Soon after arriving in York Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barrak are thrust into another mystery when a local glazier OLdroyd is murdered. He is to take responsibility for the welfare of a dangerous political prisoner – who will be taken to London when the Progress leaves York to be tortured in the Tower. Upon securing Matthew’s agreement Cranmer adds another task to his mission – one that Matthew knows instantly won’t be quite so straightforward. Cranmer has a seemingly simple mission for Matthew, to join travel to York in time to meet the royal Progress and assist in the legal work for submission of rebellious subjects to the King. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake who used to work for the later disgraced and executed Thomas Cromwell is surprised to be summoned to see Archbishop Cranmer. It is 1541 – Henry VIII has been married to young Catherine Howard for a little over a year. Well I do like to be thrust into the world of Tudor England – my favourite historical period, and so this well written page turner ticked a lot of boxes for me. I found myself – despite being tired from work – staying up until almost 1am to finish it last night. At more than 650 pages it’s a pretty big one, but a fairly quick read and certainly hard to put down. Sovereign is the third in the series of Matthew Shardlake novels. ‘Sansom is a master storyteller’ Guardian ‘So compulsive that, until you reach its final page, you’ll have to be almost physically prised away from it’ Sunday Times ‘Deeper, stronger and subtler than The Name of the Rose’ Independent on Sunday

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom