Revelation: A Shardlake Novel

By C. J. Sansom

The fourth novel in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series—the inspiration for the Disney+ original series Shardlake!

In 1543, while Tudor England is abuzz with King Henry VIII's wooing of Lady Catherine Parr, Matthew Shardlake is working to defend a teenage boy, a religious fanatic being held in the infamous Bedlam hospital for the insane. Then, when an old friend is murdered, Shardlake's search for the killer leads him back not only to Bedlam but also to Catherine Parr-and the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation.

Awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger – the highest honour in British crime writing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 18, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307365774

C. J. Sansom

C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer. Sansom is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Shardlake series, the Spanish Civil War thriller Winter in Madrid and the number one bestseller Dominion. in 2023, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. He lives in Sussex.

Reviews for Revelation

[finxy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've just finished reading the last of the first four Shardlake books by C.J.Sansom. I discovered them earlier on in the year and have been working steadily through them until now. They follow the life of a hunchbacked lawyer in the sixteenth century. The first book begins shortly after the execution of Ann Boleyn. Shardlake is a sympathetic character rapidly becoming disillusioned with his former reformist beliefs by the maelstrom of politics, religion, greed and courtly intrigue that rages around him. Tasked by Thomas Cromwell and latterly Archbishop Cranmer to investigate politically sensitive crimes, he tries to solve several murders while steering clear of falling foul to the many powerful players that vie for position in Henry VIII's favour. The dissolution of the monasteries is in full swing during the first book, which takes place in a monastery at Scarnsea but the strong portions of the books are set in amongst the throng of London. London is a character in its own right. The only parts that seemed to drag too much were in the third book which took us north to York Minster in the aftermath of the northern rebellion, which gives us the one short appearance by the old Mouldwarp himself King Henry VIII. Even though the king has little physical presence in the books his shadow is always there. Anyone could inform on anyone at anytime, for advancement, for cruelty or to save their own head from the chopping block. I've read a few books set during this part of Tudor history but these books rank very highly. Sansom is never the most economical of writers but he does tell a good tale in a world with enough detail to always feel authentic. Review from:Badelynge

[baswood · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the fourth book in the Mathew Shardlake Mysteries and the one that I enjoyed the least. First of all the positives: the depiction of mid sixteenth century London during the reign of Henry VIII is colourful and exciting, the dirt, the grime, the stench are ever present as Sansom concentrates more on the poorer quarters of London than on the Palaces of the courtiers. He also captures the feeling of a city struggling with religious persecution, where speaking out of turn can lead to serious trouble and where a hardening of views on both sides of the catholic/protestant divide lead to confrontation. Sansom imagines vividly the sanctuary around the dilapidated Westminster cathedral and Bedlam the first of the hospitals for the mentally ill. His characters both historical and imaginary are well drawn, but in this story they have too much of a modern feel to them, especially the character of Mathew Shardlake and his friend Dr Guy Malton. Shardlake’s detective work and Dr Maltons clinical practices seem to me to be quite a few steps ahead of the period in which the story is based. However this did not spoil the story for me, but the plotting and storytelling did.Shardlake and friends find themselves on the trail of a serial killer; a serial killer who is driven by a fanatical reading of the bible, which drives him to kill in ever more inventive ways to carry out his mission, which is to bring about the apocalypse. Shardlake works out that there are severn murders that will be committed in accordance with a section from the Book of Revelations; it is a race to stop the killer before he can complete the murders each one seemingly more gruesome than the last……………………….. stop me if you have heard this one before. It is a plot that Dan Brown might have written, in fact it is so bad, perhaps he did write it. Sansom is adept at shoehorning his stories to fit with the historical facts and he does this here, but in my view he should not have bothered. A disappointing three stars.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I would like to say that this is a wonderful series and the more you read, the more you want more! They take place during the Tudor era. This plot revolved around a serial killer who kills according to the prophecies in Revelations from the Bible. Sansom is an excellent writer and his books are all serious page-turners. His research gives the books great historical detail. The characters come to life and are very believable. You do need to start with book one, Dissolution, and read these books in order. I would highly recommend them to those who like historical mysteries that are well-written.

[ariadnearanea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction is my guilty pleasure - this one does not disappoint.

[infjsarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed the Shardlake series so far and this was no exception. And I did not spot the guilty party.

[aine.fin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Always a treat to read another Shardlake mystery! When Matthew's friend is murdered by a serial killer, he gets drawn into a dangerous hunt for the mysterious religious fanatic.

[fidchivers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Fourth in the Matthew Shardlake series (Dissolution, followed by Dark Fire and Sovereign)following the amatuer sluething and reluctant politicking of the hunchback lawyer, Matthew Shardlake in the time of Henry VIII. In this book Shardlake is drawn into the world of medieval mental illness through a case he has taken on, and also through the murder of his friend, which puts him on the track of a serial killer. (Or is it someone with a political/religious agenda? part of the mystery.) He is again drawn into the world of court politics, a world he finds both uncomfortable and dangerous. Added to all this is the backdrop of King Henry's changing religious attitudes, and the effect this has on life and government in London. The action and suspense build as more murders are uncovered and the killer. . . well, it is a mystery. I enjoyed the first few in this series, but will say this is the strongest so far, and the characterizations of the major players are more deeply explored. But they should probably be read in order, so start with "Dissolution" rather than this one, and work your way through.

[bhowell_35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Revelation is a remarkable historical mystery taking place in Tudor England. The novels of C. J. Sansom are not just adventure stories that happen to take place in the 16th century. Sansom's character, lawyer Mathew Shardlake, is deeply involved in the sinister politics and religious strife of the later reign of Henry VIII. Shardlake lives and works in London with a private practice but is employed from time to time by the great men of the day. In Sansom's earlier novels Shardlake carried out various commissions for Thomas Cromwell and in this book, his investigation of a series of gruesome murders brings him into conrtact with Archbishop Cranmer and Catherine Parr. Cranmer was, of course, the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury.I particularly enjoyed the portrait of Cranmer and this prompted me to dig out a book that I bought a couple of years ago in a used book store in London. I am reading it now. It is called "My Lord of Canterbury, A Novel About Cranmer " by Godfrey Turton, published in 1967 by W. H. Allen. It is quite wonderful and I will review it when I am finished. Revelation is a great thriller but it is quite gruesome and if you are sensitive to that you might want to read an earlier novel by Sansom to get a comfort level with the setting and the brilliant Matthew Shardlake. I highly recommend the novels of C. J. Sansom.

[john257hopper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great whodunnit - I had my suspicions as to who might be the killer, but I was wrong (and quite glad to be so). I'm not convinced that the background to the killings is realistic or that such a horrific series of murders could really be kept secret. But this is richly textured as ever and full of colour and life, even minor incidental characters are described in a way that makes you believe they really could have lived and are not just paper creations. The book gives a real feel for the politico-religious atmosphere of late Henrician England and you feel like you know the place and the people as well as your own. I hope there are more in this series.

[mrtall_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am an avid murder mystery fan, I like historical settings, and I tried and tried, but I simply could not finish this book. It's hard to put a finger on its faults, but I'll hazard a couple of guesses. While setting his story in the 16th century, Sansom tries to shoehorn in a 20th-century serial-killer plotline. And his characters are flat: Matthew Shardlake, for example, is quite dull; he's a bit of a goody-two-shoes.I feel bad, actually, for not liking this one more. It's obviously the product of serious research and it's not badly written, but it just refused to take off as I read it.

[dianaleez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Matthew Shardlake, C.J. Sansom's clever protagonist, faces off against a serial killer in 1543 London, in his newest adventure, 'Revelation.' Sansom's Shardlake series, known for its historical accuracy and interesting characters, is carefully plotted and entertaining. Shardlake, the hunchback lawyer, is involved with the embattled Protestant faction he much mistrusts in the pursuit of a serial killer who is knocking off victims in a gruesome manner prescribed by the Biblical book of Revelations. The characters from the earlier books are all present - Jack Barak and his wife Tamasin, Guy the former monk Moorish physician - but they are far more than stock figures - their lives are complicated, and they develop and change with each book. Jack and Tamasin are having problems in their marriage, and Guy has taken in an apparently likeable apprentice whom Matthew distrusts. Matthew himself is thinking of the possibility of love and marriage. Sixteenth century London comes alive under Sansom's pen, and Matthew remains one of fiction's more compelling, unique, and sympathetic heroes. On a personal level, I found the serial killings to be gruesome enough to make me uncomfortable and I found myself skipping over some passages. I deducted one star for this, although it probably won't bother most readers. For readers who haven't read any of the series, think about starting at the beginning. It's a great series. The characters develop and their relationships change. It's 'Dissolution,' 'Dark Fire,' 'Sovereign,' and 'Revelation.'

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Revelation is an excellent addition to the series, with an involving mystery that is -- once again, despite Shardlake's distaste for it -- linked to the politics of the day. Of course it begins to seem a little bit ridiculous that such a man could be involved with so many rich and powerful men (and women) of his time, but if you've read this far, it's obvious that it can only escalate.I found Guy's subplot to be quite touching, and well-handled. That of Barak and Tamasin, too. I can only hope that the fifth book will end with more hope of a happy, content life for these characters that I've come to care about. I do wish that we wouldn't have the tantalising hints of a relationship for Matthew and then the constant withdrawal, before even the next book. It means that you can never trust good things to happen for Matthew.I'm still looking forward to Heartstone, but I don't think I'll be too sad to reach the last book, either. Too many of these kinds of plots would feel ridiculous (like the Famous Five always getting into the middle of a mystery).

[lauralkeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the fourth Matthew Shardlake mystery set in Tudor England, and I found it just as good as the others. In this book, Matthew vows to avenge a friend's murder by finding his killer. He learns of a previous murder, sees a pattern, and realizes he's on the hunt for a serial killer who is likely to murder several more people. There are plenty of grisly murder scenes in this one. Matthew's sidekick Jack Barak, and his friend and apothecary Dr. Guy Malton, figure prominently in this story as well, and provide interesting subplots. There's only one book left in this series, and I'll be sad when it ends.

[ilurvebooks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book as much as the previous ones nearly cried when I finished this book as its the last one written to date on the Shardlake series.

[polarbear123_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The fourth Shardlake mystery and I think the best novel so far by Sansom. The story seems to take no time at all to get going unlike some of the earlier books and there is plenty going on at all times - and we have got a real psycho murderer going around this time- great stuff and just as I was flagging this has picked me up and made me want to read the next one asap.

[fglass_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The fourth and final book in the C. J. Sansom's Tudor mystery series. Good tempo throughout ( I mean throughout the whole series.)

[olivermagnus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The year is 1543 and the hunchbacked lawyer and amateur detective, Matthew Shardlake, has sworn not to involve himself in any more affairs of state. But his quiet working life is shattered when his old friend Roger Elliard is found with his throat cut in Lincoln's Inn fountain. When the king's coroner seems to be covering up the murder, Shardlake finds himself trying to find the killer and to master his own affection for the widow.

What Shardlake begins to uncover is more horrifying than anything he and his young assistant Jack Barak have ever experienced. There have been multiple killings in previous books, but this is the first time Shardlake has found himself on the trail of a serial killer, one who treats killing as an art form and takes as much pleasure in teasing his pursuers as in the murders themselves. Shardlake shows his own brand of moral courage, facing down insults about his hunched back as well as physical danger.

Sansom has done extensive historical research and leads the reader through 16th-century London as if he lived there himself. Revelation takes a little time to get its main plot moving but it is very skilfully structured and once the killer's intentions become clear, don't expect to put the book down until you've seen it through to the finale.

[northern_light-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the fourth Shardlake book and the best so far. It follows him as he works to solve the murder of his friend ina rather gruesome manner and finds himself involved in the political life of the King and the church again. He is also working with his doctor friend to keep a young man in Bedlam who refuses to stop praying.

This book really keeps you hooked from begining to end and the disturbing ending.

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an amazing series that combines historic fiction with a good mystery. Set in Tudor England, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is on the hunt to find a killer whose crimes follow the predictions in the Bible's Book of Revelation. As with other books in this series, I feel like I learn something new about that era. This time we are exposed to the religious furor and the intense conflict between the people who want to go back to a more fundamentalist worship and the supporters of King Henry VIII's more lax form of religion. My favorite of the series so far.

[pixelette · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book didn't really live up to my expectations. As soon as I realised that it was another Revelation-inspired killing spree mystery (à la The Name of the Rose), I hoped that it would take some really dramatic twists and turns to keep the story exciting. I felt that it was pretty slow going, though, until very late in the book. I really though Adam Kite's character would turn out to be significant, or that the mystery would be a little more complicated. It wasn't a drag, but I was — based on the reviews and blurb — expecting a lot more.

[ahs7wolfy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the 4th book in the ongoing series featuring Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked lawyer, during the reign of Henry VIII. Upon the brutal murder of a friend, Shardlake vows to the widow that he will ensure the killer is caught. When the coroner's inquest does not seem to want an investigation his quest for justice leads him once again into the murky world of politics. He finds himself at the beck and call of Archbishop Cranmer as it seems his friend was not the first victim and it may impact the King's next matrimonial adventure. Shardlake is also settling into his new role at the Court of Requests and has been handed the case of Adam Kite, a boy who had been put in Bedlam, a mental institution, without a trial. Shardlake enlists the help of his old friend Guy Malton to assist with the boy's care.This is another excellent instalment of the historical mystery series which provides great insight into the period. There are obvious embellishments and liberties taken with some elements of the story but the author does acknowledge these at the conclusion of the book. The characters continue to grow and the regulars all feature to varying degrees as the tale progresses. It's not just the mystery which holds the attention here but the history of the time is vividly invoked. Religious strife and persecutions abound and the air of distrust this pervades is quite apparent. This series is showing no signs of deteriorating and I'm looking forward to the 5th book which is already sat on my tbr shelves.

[everfresh1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shardlake is still going strong and this fourth installment reversed the tide of diminishing returns and once again provides for very entertaining and very educating read. Once again, a great depiction of atmosphere of that time (year 1543, Henry VIII between his fifth and sixth wives).

[rkstafford_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fourth in the Shardlake series, set in 1543, as Henry is pursuing Catherine Parr. Shardlake pursues a serial killer who takes his inspiration from the Book of Revelations.

[glorybe1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have all the Shardlake books to date, and this is by far the best! I loved it! Its takes place in London in Henry Tudors' time, and is about the race to find a "serial killer" as we would call them today. Good upright people are being killed off in absolutely dreadful, mind-boggling ways!! A religious fanatic is following the book of revelation, killing people to bring about the end of the world! Great stuff, very well written. Had me guessing right to the end. A fabulous read.

[cathymoore_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sansom's fourth Shardlake novel. This time Shardlake is convinced by Archbishop Cranmer to look into the deaths of lapsed reformers, one of whom is a friend of Shardlake's. What is to the 21st century reader a psychotic serial killer, is to the 16th century investigator perhaps the devil himself? The brilliant Shardlake and his fantastic supporting cast: Barack, Guy Malton et al, are pitted against this killer against a background of religious disharmony as we reach the end of the reign of Henry VIII and his marriage to Catherine Parr. I loved this book as I have loved the previous Shardlake stories, although perhaps in this case it occasionally felt a little wordy and could probably easily have been chopped down by about 50 pages.

[barlow304 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 4th in this series featuring the hunchback Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake, who is once again dragged into matters of state when a madman hopes to trigger the Apocalypse through a series of murders. Exciting historical mystery with intriguing, but flawed characters.

[beth1980 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great book in the Shardlake series! Although I preferred the previous offering - Sovereign, it was still a good read, I love the characters and Sansom really makes Henry VIII's England come alive.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked, brilliant lawyer in 1543 London, encounters a truly evil nemesis who is bringing to life seven scenes from Revelation. Each new murder is even more shocking and horrific than the last. Shardlake is immediately drawn into the hunt for the killer when he finds his friend brutally murdered in a frozen fountain. At the same time he is assigned a young man who is convinced that he has sinned against God and must constantly pray to be forgiven, to the detriment of any other normal functions like eating. His family puts him into the Bedlam, the only mental facility of the era, to protect him from being accused of heresy.Sansom has a fabulous talent at drawing the reader into these stories and immersing them into 16th century life in good ole London. Shardlake is not the happiest of people - he suffers from his misshapen back, he is a lonely bachelor, and he helps the poorest and most abject of the city, but he is fiercely loyal to his friends and is a truly noble man.This is a great series for readers who enjoy murder mysteries as well as historical fiction.

[passion4reading_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amongst a background of escalating religious extremism, Shardlake has taken on the case of Adam Kite, a teenage boy suffering from religious mania who has been placed in the Bedlam insane asylum. Whilst investigating the murder of his friend and fellow lawyer Roger Elliard, Shardlake, along with his assistant Jack Barak and his physician friend Guy Malton, crosses paths with that of a serial killer intent on bringing about the apocalypse.As ever, Sansom's depiction of Tudor London is in a class of its own, the setting vivid and rich in detail, especially the descriptions of ever increasing religious strife and persecution, the suspicion and distrust that are once again pervading society at all levels, with neighbours informing on each other in a climate of fear. This is interspersed with musings on the nature of madness, with superstitious Tudor society offering up demonic possession as its most likely cause. Consequently the plot takes somewhat of a back seat, at first ambling along, then speeding up with the serial killer enacting the seven vials from the Book of Revelation with his victims in rapid succession. In my opinion it is stretching credibility just a bit too far to have Shardlake strike lucky with his shortlist of names of potential suspects when there could have been dozens of others who had migrated to London in the aftermath of the dissolution. As the body count rises and the nature of the murders becomes ever more grisly and violent, unfortunately it appeared to me that this could have been a book about any other deranged serial killer justifying their terrible deeds with religion, with echoes of Boris Starling's Messiah and David Fincher's bleak film Se7en, the Tudor setting almost incidental (the final prospective murder victim excepted). Towards the end, Guy and Shardlake are discussing the mind-set of religious fanatics, trying to understand their motivation; in his Historical Notes Sansom draws parallels with the Christian fundamentalists of Tudor times and the present, showing that parts of history are still very much relevant today, with the recent tragedy in Norway highlighting that humankind has not progressed at all since mediaeval times in that respect. To me that is the best kind of historical fiction there is.(Originally written in 2011.)

[kukulaj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well constructed. I had no clue who the killer was, but in the end it all fit together quite nicely. Lots of good historical context.