REVIEW: Dark Fire (C.J. Sansom)
Author: CJ Sansom
My rating: 4.5/5.
Premise: It is 1540. Matthew Shardlake is defending a girl accused of brutal murder when he is given a new assignment by Thomas Cromwell. The Court of Augmentation has discovered the formula for Greek Fire in a dissolved monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds a series of brutal murders and the formula missing. He must follow the trail of Greek Fire across London, while trying to prove his young client's innocence. But nothing is as it seems.
I'd enjoyed the first book in this series, Dissolution, although it took be a couple of years to finally read the second book. But it didn't disappoint. This book doesn't just have one mystery, but two! The author manages to carefully weave the two mysteries together so your interest in each is piqued. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the slight philosophical/moral/religious reflections throughout the book - given the tumultuous times this book is set, religion plays a big part of life and work for Shardlake, especially as he's connected to Cromwell. But the moral aspect of Greek Fire was interesting, seeing the conflict between duty and what is moral. A very good book and one I was sad to finish this book!