Heartstone, by C.J. Sansom is the fifth book in the Shardlake series, which follows the ups and downs of lawyer, Matthew Shardlake, as he navigates his way through the demands and tempestuousness of the court of King Henry VIIIth. It is 1545 and England is at war with France. England's fleet gathers at Portsmouth, and the king has ordered the gathering of the largest militia ever seen as the country ready's itself to repel a potential invasion. But all of this comes at a cost, and England's economy is at crisis point. Against this backdrop, Shardlake is given a legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. He must investigate "monstrous wrongdoings" against a ward of the court which has already resulted in one death. So, he and his assistant, Barak, head to Portsmouth (of course) and while there, Matthew takes the opportunity to find out more about Ellen Fettiplace, a troubled woman he has been visiting in Bedlam. Along the way, he crosses paths with members of the militia and is influenced by the characters he finds within. The case is complex and no-one seems very interested in telling him the truth, and, it turns out, there's a heavy whiff of corruption in the air, both with with this case, and the one of Ellen Fettiplace. After a further death, the ward of court runs away in an attempt to join the militia as an archer. Shardlake heads off to find them and winds up on the infamous ship, The Mary Rose ... This is a gripping from start to finish, it's a book that you can't wait to get back to and devour, but, at the same time, hate to finish. Full of Tudor period politics and historical detail, all wrapped up in a bow with a cast of superb characters and situations. Yes, credibility is stretched at points to squeeze in the key moments of these dangerous few weeks, but all is forgiven with the reward of a tale immensely well told and deeply entertaining. The main characters stay with you, and you care about them more and more with each book. Written by a master of his craft ... If you haven't started this series, I urge you to seek it out. If you are a fan of Wolf Hall, seek it out. If you like a good mystery, seek it out. What can I say, just SEEK IT OUT!
My STAR rating: FIVE.
Length: 768 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.
