Tombland

I have been looking forward to this installment of the Matthew Shardlake Mystery from C. J. Sansom for two years since I finished reading the last book in the series. This is the 7th book in the series.

The story opens with Matthew Shardlake being approached by courtiers for Lady Elizabeth, not yet a princess or queen, to investigate who killed Edith Boleyn. Elizabeth's relative, John Boleyn, has been arrested for the murder of his former wife and is expected to be found guilty and hanged. Edith Boleyn disappeared nine years ago and John Boleyn remarried as soon as he could legally declare her dead. People were suspicious when he remarried so quickly.

Shardlake learns that two nearby landowners want Boleyn's property and he begins his investigation with them. It appears that the boundary lines from the old monastery deeds were unclear and an adjoining landowner was declaring ownership of part of Boleyn's property when Edith's body was found lying in the mud on the boundary line. Lady Elizabeth's courtiers believe that this scandal could put her in danger with her brother King Edward's Protector, Edward Seymour. Anne Boleyn had been executed just thirteen years prior and the country was still suspicious of the Boleyn family.

I enjoyed this story but feel that the pace was slow. It's 866 pages did not scare me off but as I was reading I felt that I was not gaining any momentum.  This is unusual for a C. J. Sansom book. I normally find them riveting. There were incredible twists and turns in the story and the characters acted realistically for the time period. The aristocracy were brutal during the Middle Ages! However, if the story was told in 100 - 200 pages less it may have been better reading.

If you have been reading the Shardlake series you will want to read Tombland. While it can be read as a stand alone novel, readers new to the series should be prepared for its slow pace.

The book began as a whodunnit and then turned into historical fiction which is what the author is celebrated for writing. Perhaps I was expecting a historical mystery given the story's beginning. The first two chapters moved quickly as the reason for the story was introduced.  Then the pace slowed. Tombland just isn't my favorite book in the series but I am still glad that I read it, mainly to keep up with the characters.