Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake #1) - C. J. Sansom

Something a bit different for me - although I love historical fiction, this one is a bit more hard-core than what I'm used to! C. J. Sansom has a PhD in history and a wealth of knowledge about the Tudor period, and this novel is the first in the Matthew Shardlake series. It follows the eponymous protagonist Shardlake, a lawyer and servant of Thomas Cromwell, and begins in 1537. The Catholic Church in Britain is in the process of being eliminated by King Henry VIII, with monasteries all over the country being eradicated and many executions taking place. At a monastery in the remote location of Scarnsea, one of Cromwell's commissioners had been stationed to investigate the goings on of the St. Donatus monastery - until he was brutally beheaded. Now, Shardlake has been sent to Scarnsea, along with his slightly awkward and bumbling assistant Mark Poer, to investigate the murder and unlock the secrets of the monastery and its inhabitants.

Shardlake has little sympathy with the religion and is a supporter of reform, however it becomes apparent that he is unaware of the true extent of the brutality which is being inflicted under Cromwell's command. The novel is narrated from the first-person perspective of the lawyer, which adds to the tension and drama of the novel as we are watching the events unfold along with him. Matthew Shardlake was born with a deformed spine and describes himself as a hunchback, which only adds to the monk's dislike of him and makes him feel more alienated and vulnerable. The remote setting of Scarnsea is gloomy, eerie and atmospheric (aided by the snowy weather throughout the novel), and the marshland which surrounds the monastery further amps up the mystery of the story.

Whilst Shardlake is stationed in Scarnsea, further murders play out - seemingly linked to the first, though every suspect appears to have a convincing alibi. You spend the whole novel desperately trying to figure out who the culprit is, only to find that you've been completely foxed by Sansom and the mystery only deepens. The monastery is deeply corrupt and the monks themselves have been involved in some pretty dodgy stuff, so you really do suspect everyone at some point. This is such a great murder mystery and a gripping thriller, and I really like the fact that Sansom rounded off the story in this novel, not leaving a cliffhanger for the following books. Despite this, I'm excited to read the rest of the series!