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Review of C J Sansom's Sovereign

Murder in York as Henry VIII Makes His Progress to the North

Aug 17, 2009 Elizabeth Gregory

Sansom's third novel set in Tudor England sees lawyer Matthew Shardlake caught up in a web of deadly secrets and conspiracies that could bring down King Henry the Eighth.

It is Autumn of 1541, and once again King Henry VIII has problems on his hands. Rebellion continues to build in the North of England, where the people feel neglected and let down by a ruler who seems only concerned with affairs in the more prosperous South. Already one uprising has been quashed, and now King Henry is setting off on a spectacular procession to the North to show off his magnificence and reassert his power.

Henry's Progress to the North

As part of this great Royal Progress, King Henry plans to stay in York, to hear a submission from some of those involved in the rebellion five years earlier. The city is a hive of activity as the King and his party make their way up through the country; elaborate and lavishly decorated buildings are being erected, and extravagant entertainments planned.

Amongst all the chaos, a familiar figure to readers of C J Sansom is also preparing for the arrivial of the King. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake, accompanied by his assistant Jack Barak, is processing local petitions to be decided on behalf of the King, but has also reluctantly agreed to perform another office whilst in York - Archbishop Cranmer has asked him to ensure that a prisoner arrested for his part in the earlier conspiracy makes it back to London in one piece so that he may be tortured on the rack.

Murder in York

When a glazier appears to fall accidentally from his ladder to his death, Shardlake overhears his dying words and deduces that he has been murdered. From this point on, the lawyer finds himself caught up in a deadly trail involving secret papers that could undermine Henry's claim to the throne - a trail he is unable to drop, even when a series of attempts on his own life is made.

This novel, the third in the series, bears all the qualities of its predecessors Dissolution and Dark Fire, with Sansom effortlessly evoking the sights and sounds of the sixteen century. Some entertaining new characters are introduced, with ladies man Barak meeting his match in the form of the feisty Tamasin Reedbourne, as well as the reappearance of some familiar adversaries such as Sir Richard Rich.

Where this book has the edge over the others in the series is in its more ambitious scope - the novel takes us the length of the country rather than restricting itself to London, and involves a huge number of well-drawn characters. This means that the engrossing plot really works as a whodunnit; with so many potential perpetrators, Sansom keeps the reader guessing until the very last minute.

Sovereign by C J Sansom is published in the UK in paperback by Pan (2007), ISBN 978-0-330-43608-3.

The copyright of the article Review of C J Sansom's Sovereign in British/UK Fiction is owned by Elizabeth Gregory. Permission to republish Review of C J Sansom's Sovereign in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cover of C J Sansom's Sovereign