Dark fire

In a metropolis full of fraudsters and fanatics, he must find the truth and protect an innocent girl as well as his country… In the summer of 1540, a sweltering London is gripped not only by a terrible stench, but also by a suffocating atmosphere prevailing between the reformers and the papists. It is no wonder that Master Matthew Shardlake, who has not yet fully recovered from his terrifying stay at Scarnsea Monastery three years earlier, is increasingly toying with the idea of moving to the quiet countryside. But right now, he is snowed under with work. Not only is he trying to save a girl accused of murdering her own cousin, who has yet to speak despite threats of torture, but his services have once again been requested, after a long time, by the feared Lord Cromwell. In less than two weeks, he must obtain for him the rare recipe for the so-called Greek fire, long thought to be lost but now discovered by an English lawyer and his alchemist brother. Shardlake, however, arrives at their house too late – the sought-after materials are gone, and both siblings have been murdered. He must therefore exert all his strength and experience to prevent the enemies of King Henry VIII, who is busy searching for another wife, from acquiring the devastating weapon, and also to have Cromwell help him free the poor Elizabeth in return… In the second volume of the popular series of historical novels set in Tudor England, the sharp and principled London lawyer with a physical disability returns to the scene to save a supposed murderess from execution. But his neck will also be on the line if he fails to complete a new task from Thomas Cromwell himself, with the fate of the entire island kingdom at stake. “The stories of the hunchbacked lawyer have won my literary heart. I admire his obsession with justice, I understand his weariness and the creeping disappointment that the Reformation, in which he enthusiastically believed, is beginning to devour itself and history is irrevocably moving in a direction he did not imagine.” – from reader reviews on Databazeknih.cz “Dark Fire is a masterfully constructed historical thriller that combines suspense with a deep insight into the religious and political turmoil of Tudor England. The author manages to maintain the pace until the very last pages without compromising historical accuracy.” – Kirkus Reviews “The book's greatest strength lies in Shardlake himself – he is a hero with whom the reader can easily identify, a lawyer trying to retain his humanity in a world dominated by the brutal power politics of Henry VIII.” – The Guardian “The ingenious plot revolving around the search for a legendary weapon serves as an excellent framework for a drama in which Cromwell’s power play confronts Shardlake’s personal integrity. It is a compelling and atmospheric story that confirms Sansom's position at the top of the historical detective genre.” – Publishers Weekly “Sansom combines detective craft with respectable historical research. The result is not just a suspenseful book about the hunt for a mysterious substance, but a complex portrait of an era where truth was the most precious and dangerous commodity.” – Daily Telegraph