The first novel in a series of six, Dissolution immerses us in the world of hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake, the thinking woman’s crumpet. He’s an intelligent, compassionate man with the misfortune to be born during the rule of Henry VIII. His physical deformity makes him an object of almost constant sniggering and ridicule yet he plods on, doggedly doing his best to solve a murder in a monastery about to be dissolved by order of the king. Everything in the sixteenth century stinks, from the Thames to the corruption of the people wielding power. It’s exemplary historical fiction: an intriguing murder mystery that brings the filth and horror of that time to life so vividly you can almost smell it.
Get to know Shardlake. He’s well worth it. If you like this one, there’s another five!
