Review of C J Sansom's Dark Fire
The Race to Recreate Deadly Greek Fire
The year is 1540, and London is baking under the relentless sun of one of the hottest summers on record. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake has been keeping his head down, focusing on his work in a bid to keep a low profile and escape the attentions of Thomas Cromwell, whose favour he seems to have lost following a drawn-out murder investigation three years earlier.
The Murder of Ralph Wentworth
All that is about to change. A man whom Shardlake has acted for previously has come to him again, begging for his help in a seemingly hopless case. The man is Joseph Wentworth, and his niece Elizabeth has been accused of murdering her young cousin Ralph by pushing him down a well, a crime witnessed by the boy's two sisters. The papers have already picked on the story, and Elizabeth's chances look slim, particularly as she has remained silent since her arrest and refuses to plead her guilt in court.
Just as she is to be hauled off to the press – a macabre medieval instrument of torture – she receives an unexpected reprieve, courtesy of Thomas Cromwell. Shardlake has two weeks to uncover the truth behind the crime; in return, he must undertake a dangerous mission for Cromwell.
The Search for Greek Fire
During the dissolution of a London monastery, a formula has been uncovered for Greek Fire – otherwise known as Dark Fire, a mysterious substance that can destroy a ship in minutes. Shardlake must track down this formula so that Cromwell may find favour with King Henry once more; of course, he is not the only one wishing to discover the secret of such a valuable commodity, and a trail of violence and bloodshed soon ensues.
This second novel in the Shardlake series is much longer than Dissolution, its predecessor, and the plot is far more ambitious. Occasionally this means that the pace of the novel slows a little, particularly with the need to fill in the historical background to the existence of Greek Fire. However, as the plotlines start to come together in the second half of the book then Samson's great skills as a story-teller really come to the fore, as he manages to juggle the search for the Dark Fire alongside the increasingly complex Wentworth murder case.
New Character of Jack Barak
Shardlake is as engaging as ever – thoughtful, kindly and diligent, but the greatest addition to the series is a new assistant for Shardlake in the form of Jack Barak. He is an irreverent character with a colourful past, and initial clashes between himself and Shardlake are inevitable. However, as the novel progresses the friendship between them develops in a manner that promises much for future books in the series.
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom is published in the UK in paperback by Pan (2005), ISBN 0-330-41197-7.
Cover of Sansom's Dark Fire
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