
Shardlake: Dissolution
BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation
Author: CJ Sansom
Narrator: Full Cast, Jason Watkins, Mark Bonnar
Unabridged: 2 hr 14 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: BBC Digital Audio
Published: 07/07/2016
Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery & Detective, Nonfiction, Performing Arts, Radio
Synopsis
Winter, 1537. Henry VIII has declared himself Supreme Head of the Church, and instructed his chief minister Thomas Cromwell to dissolve England's religious houses and seize their wealth. But Cromwell's plot to bring down the abbeys has hit a snag – one of the King's Commissioners has been found brutally murdered in Scarnsea monastery, on the south coast of Kent. If news of the killing were to get out, the consequences could be disastrous.
Desiring a quick, discreet result, he sends his trusted lawyer-detective, Matthew Shardlake, to investigate. However, as Shardlake interviews the prime suspects and delves deeper into the mysteries of Scarnsea, it soon becomes clear that the case will not be as simple to solve as he had hoped. Which of the terrified monks is the murderer? And can Shardlake catch him before he strikes again?
CJ Sansom's 'Shardlake' series has sold over two million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his début novel to electrifying life. Fast-paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.


