I've been finding it strangely difficult to formulate coherent reviews of late. It's left me feeling a bit tongue-tied on the blog. But, even if reviews are not coming easy, I realised I could still natter about books in a less structured way.
Today's informal book nattering is about C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake books. The sixth one, called Lamentation, has just been published in a handsome hardback.
I love these books. They're set in the Tudor period, a time I've never lost my childhood affection for. They have a wonderful hero in Shardlake, a lawyer trying to behave according to his principles, and are exciting stories that feature a cast of very famous sixteenth century faces. They are a mix of historical crime, mysteries, and political intrigues - simply put, they are very very good.
I was handed a little sampler of Lamentation at Euston station last week, by people dressed in Tudor costume. It obviously brightened up my journey home, but what a great i…