lazylys's review against another edition
3.0
Buon libro, anche se non eccelso. Le premesse erano ottime, e l'ambientazione si mantiene vivida per tutto il racconto - riuscendo veramente a dare uno spaccato colorito dell'Inghilterra del cinquecento - tuttavia la trama s'è mostrata a tratti scontata (ben presto si riesce ad intuire quale sarà lo sbrogliarsi della matassa), senza contare la sensazione di un non necessario protrarsi della vicenda nell'ultimo quarto del romanzo.
I personaggi sono vari e sfaccettati, probabilmente se il narratore della vicenda fosse stato un po' meno irritante e cristallinamente stupido, il racconto avrebbe avuto meno tempi morti.
I personaggi sono vari e sfaccettati, probabilmente se il narratore della vicenda fosse stato un po' meno irritante e cristallinamente stupido, il racconto avrebbe avuto meno tempi morti.
courtsport3000's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did.
I wonder if I would have been able to follow the story and the many similar characters better if I’d read a text version rather than listening to the audio. As I experienced it, many of the monks and church folk blended together in a sea of old fashioned white guy names, which made the intricacies of the plot really difficult to follow.
I did enjoy the book’s protagonist and the action-packed ending was a nice surprise. Personally, I think it was just too little, too late to redeem this series for me.
Also worth noting that Steven Crossley is a great narrator. I never tire of listening to him.
I wonder if I would have been able to follow the story and the many similar characters better if I’d read a text version rather than listening to the audio. As I experienced it, many of the monks and church folk blended together in a sea of old fashioned white guy names, which made the intricacies of the plot really difficult to follow.
I did enjoy the book’s protagonist and the action-packed ending was a nice surprise. Personally, I think it was just too little, too late to redeem this series for me.
Also worth noting that Steven Crossley is a great narrator. I never tire of listening to him.
hilaryjsc's review against another edition
3.0
I'm reading these in the wrong order, but they are nonetheless very enjoyable!
sambailey's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, traditional mystery plot (protagonist goes to isolated estate to investigate murder, everyone has something to hide) that actually engages with its historical setting in an interesting way.
batbones's review against another edition
4.0
Monastery mysteries never fail to bring back memories of The Name of the Rose. This was shorter but satisfyingly puzzling, and a bit of a thriller, closing with an ending that leaves me reeling and thoughtful. The historical backdrop is vividly alive with architectural detail, lively conversations and sights and smells. Shardlake is an intriguing narrator: he's clever, burdened by his disability (which is well-written about; it never becomes an overbearing focal point of the plot but the emotions that come with it, mostly tortured and bitter, drives a continued interest in his thoughts), and very humanly flawed in ways that the reader can sympathise with, without becoming overly frustrated whenever he stalls. What he balks at and resists (violence, gore, putrid smells) are very relatable. He may be frequently emcumbered by his burdens both physical and emotional, but the result is acceptance, affection, and an effort at patience as the eager reader waits for him to undo the knot of murder with persistent hands.
rebeccazh's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This is a pretty unique take on the usual detective narrative - it's set in England during the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. A murder was committed in one of the monasteries and one of Thomas Cromwell's commissioners is sent to investigate. I was not familiar with the socio-historical background that the story is set in and struggled to grasp the context, the implications and the cast of characters. I also found the first 50% to be a bit of a drag, but things pick up wonderfully as the stakes keep amping up.
The main character, Shardlake, is not the type of detective that you see in Holmes and Poirot novels - all-knowing, unerringly intuitive and smart - but he is someone very human. He has biases and is often clouded by emotions as he assesses each person, leaving the reader in a similar guessing game. I found the last 20% very gripping, making up for the slow pace of the majority of the book and was flipping very quickly through my Kindle to see who did it. I did guess the murderer halfway through the book -- Shardlake's bias leaves huge blindspots which makes the murderer obvious - but other mysteries left me wondering. The air of danger and urgency also ramps up progressively as the book continues, leaving me fearing for the main characters.
Overall, a really solid introduction to the series and I'm definitely picking up the next few books.
The main character, Shardlake, is not the type of detective that you see in Holmes and Poirot novels - all-knowing, unerringly intuitive and smart - but he is someone very human. He has biases and is often clouded by emotions as he assesses each person, leaving the reader in a similar guessing game. I found the last 20% very gripping, making up for the slow pace of the majority of the book and was flipping very quickly through my Kindle to see who did it. I did guess the murderer halfway through the book -- Shardlake's bias leaves huge blindspots which makes the murderer obvious - but other mysteries left me wondering. The air of danger and urgency also ramps up progressively as the book continues, leaving me fearing for the main characters.
Overall, a really solid introduction to the series and I'm definitely picking up the next few books.
suehepworth's review against another edition
3.75
Book club. Jo. November 2022.
Historical novel set in time of dissolution of monasteries in 1537. Shardlake series. Shardlake sets out to investigate murder at monastery in Kent. Exciting, couldn't put it down.
Historical novel set in time of dissolution of monasteries in 1537. Shardlake series. Shardlake sets out to investigate murder at monastery in Kent. Exciting, couldn't put it down.
fateddyslim's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sharlie's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Perfectly fine. When this book had something going on it was fast paced, exciting, hard to put down. But, the problem with a murder mystery told in the perspective of the person solving it, is that you can only pick up clues and work things out as they do. This had a negative impact on the pacing as a whole, as lots of the story seemed like it wasn't adding to the overall picture. The characters were great though, and I liked the way it discusses the concept of the Church as am institution and the end of centuries old tradition and irradication of artefacts with the dissolution of the monasteries.