I’d not heard of the Shardlake saga until a friend gave me the first five in the series.
I have read a few of the Brother Cadfael stories and the Shardlake genre is similar so I hope I’m in for a treat. Shardlake, a farmer’s son from Lichfield, lives in the 16th century. I do not turn again to Dick Francis, or Agatha Christie for that matter. Both create cardboard cut-out characters, Francis’s always carry some physical or emotional baggage. In this respect, and I hope only in this respect, Shardlake is similar. He became a hunchback in childhood.
“My disability had come upon me when I was three; I began to stoop forward and to the right, and no brace could correct it.” (Dissolution, CJ Sansom)
I conject he was born with congenital kyphosis and the condition only became apparent when he was three. These days a simple operation would cure his deformity but take away the MacGuffin for seven (so far) novels. The physical rigour of life on a farm was too much to contemplate. If I may digress, pig farming is very physically demanding, according to the Downton Abbey episode we watched last night (middle of series six). Shardlake becomes a lawyer in the service of Thomas Cromwell and recounts his adventures. He has a good eye for detail and the books would readily transfer to the screen. There have been a few radio adaptations but a mooted TV series in 2007 was abandoned when Kenneth Branagh could not be secured to play Shardlake.
I have just finished A Pound of Books by John Baxter, about his life collecting and dealing in second hand books. He should look out for a first edition of Dissolution (2003) with dust jacket – they go for about £350 to collectors. Readers today must be content with a garishly covered paperback.
Colin Dexter’s encomium is as double-edged as a Tudor baselard when read in full. “Extraordinarily impressive. The best crime novel I have read this year.” He may have submitted this on New Year’s Day. Anyway, my reading for a month or two is settled. Now what to watch post Downton?
They are brilliant – excellent plotting & characterisation, & the author knows & understands the period like the back of his hand. He was said to be unwell – I hope there will be further volumes.
I’ve still to start reading the Shardlake series, having only heard some of the R4 adaptations, but Dominion by the same author was a great read.