Tombland by C. J. Sansom

November 14, 2021

Tombland by C. J. Sansom

Spring 1549 - With a child king on the throne, England is heading into chaos. Radical Protestants are waging war on Catholics, the Protector's war in Scotland is a disaster, and the economy is collapsing. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake is working for the Lady Elizabeth, Henry VIII's younger daughter. The murder of Edith Boleyn, a distant relative of her mother, could have political consequences for Elizabeth.

I love this series, but this is my least favorite book thus far. It is well-researched like all of the books in this series since the author is an historian. But it's way too long, and the author focuses too much on Kett's rebellion in Norfolk - the book would have been 400 pages shorter (basically the last half of the book could have been edited out - it's mostly history, not mystery). Sansom should have stuck with Edith's murder. If he wanted to write a book about Kett's rebellion, it should have been a separate nonfiction book.

The next book, #8 in the series, is coming out toward the end of 2022.

Map of Kett's rebellion in Norfolk