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Shardlake: Dissolution
Shardlake: Dissolution
Dec 26, 2024 10:50 PM

Author:CJ Sansom,Full Cast,Mark Bonnar,Jason Watkins

Shardlake: Dissolution

A thrilling BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on CJ Sansom's bestselling Tudor crime novel.

Winter, 1537. Henry VIII has declared himself Supreme Head of the Church, and instructed his chief minister Thomas Cromwell to dissolve England's religious houses and seize their wealth. But Cromwell's plot to bring down the abbeys has hit a snag – one of the King's Commissioners has been found brutally murdered in Scarnsea monastery, on the south coast of Kent. If news of the killing were to get out, the consequences could be disastrous.

Desiring a quick, discreet result, he sends his trusted lawyer-detective, Matthew Shardlake, to investigate. However, as Shardlake interviews the prime suspects and delves deeper into the mysteries of Scarnsea, it soon becomes clear that the case will not be as simple to solve as he had hoped. Which of the terrified monks is the murderer? And can Shardlake catch him before he strikes again?

CJ Sansom's 'Shardlake' series has sold over two million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his début novel to electrifying life. Fast-paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Reviews

Harper Lee has a worthy successor. Wolk is a big new talent

—— The Times

Weaving together complex themes with extraordinary skill, debut author Lauren Wolk has created a book that deserves to be read . . . A timeless story, beautifully placed in an evocative and brilliantly realised historical setting

—— Guardian

Suspenseful, wise, beautifully written and emotionally engaging

—— Sunday Times

Haunting . . . With a precociously perceptive girl as a main character; a damaged, misunderstood recluse; and themes of prejudice and bigotry, comparisons to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird will abound. But Wolk gives us her own story - one full of grace and stark, ­brutal beauty

—— New York Times

A powerful, beautifully written coming-of-age novel . . . This emotionally intelligent, complex story deserves recognition and praise

—— Daily Mail

Atmospheric, haunting and beautifully written, this is a wonderful and very moving story

—— Robin Stevens

A beautifully written, poignant page turner

—— Jacqueline Wilson

This book is extraordinary. With shades of To Kill a Mockingbird but inspired by her own mother's family, Lauren Wolk has created a work of fiction where every character lives off the page. It is a gripping, moving, living, breathing tale written by a highly skilled hand. I cannot recommend it enough

—— Philip Ardagh

There are echoes of To Kill a Mockingbird . . . An accomplished and powerful debut

—— The Bookseller

Beautifully written, with memorable characters, sensitively handled moral issues and a storyline that lingers long after the final page. I loved it

—— Daily Mail

A poignant story of prejudice, bigotry and one girl’s efforts to prove a man’s innocence

—— Sunday Express

Shades of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird loom close in Lauren Wolk's confident debut. Annabelle is every bit as determined and passionate as Scout Finch, but this is a plot that stays in the fields and farmhouses of the land . . . Sensitive and thought-provoking

—— Booktrust

Intriguing and powerful . . . an ultimately uplifting read, with hope for humanity at its heart

—— Teach Primary

Gorgeous . . . Wolk’s novel stuns

—— Kirkus

The spare but hauntingly beautiful language paints every early morning walk to school, household chore, emotion, and rational and irrational thought in exquisite detail . . . Perfectly pitched to be used in classrooms alongside To Kill a Mockingbird

—— Booklist

Powerful, complex and lifelike . . . Truly moving

—— School Library Journal

Profound

—— Publishers Weekly

The honesty of Wolf Hollow will just about shred your heart, but Annabelle’s courage and compassion will restore it to you, fuller than before. This book matters

—— Sara Pennypacker

Has the feel of an instant classic

—— Linda Sue Park

Book of Numbers brilliantly and rigorously examines a question that confronts literature today: What does the explosion of information from the internet mean for the future of storytelling?

—— Matthew Zeitlin , Buzzfeed

Fascinating...for chutzpah alone, Cohen's chaotic fantasia certainly impresses

—— Observer

Frequently amazing, [it is] the first work of fiction to engage fully with the internet and its influence on modern living

—— New Scientist

There are wonderful things here cloaked with an invisibility spell, tucked away in the middle of the book, where only the stubbornest seeker after enchantment will find them

—— Adam Mars-Jones , London Review of Books

Groundbreaking.

—— Pride Magazine

A really intriguing premise.

—— Anna's Reading List

On the surface, Underground Airlines is a well-crafted thriller, suspenseful and with fascinating characters. But not far below the surface is a philosophical debate about how one small change of events in history can put the world on a different path.

—— Mystery People

‘Intriguing’

—— SFX
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