Dissolution

This is a very good historical mystery. I feel like I learned a lot about the time period (the English Reformation). I stress “feel like” because I really don't know. But the book seemed to present different viewpoints fairly. The characterizations are excellent, and most characters are multi-dimensional. I cared about them, and I also felt immersed in the setting.

I do have a complaint, and it's the same thing I usually mention. There are two gay characters who both die, and one of them is pretty pathetic. This book was published in 2003, and I guess I expect all of that from older books. But I don't like it. At least they weren't evil, I guess.

I did not guess the mystery's solution until the main character started to figure it out, but I found it all satisfying. I had a strong emotional reaction to something that happened near the end, and I won't spoil it.

I look forward to continuing this series sometime soon.

Slow build up and a lot of learning but a rewarding tale

I know nothing about the 1500s and only remember Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell as passing names from my high school history lessons. Therefore the religions and politics during this time had to be learnt almost from fresh so the first 200 pages were quite the slog for me.

The remainder of the book was a treat though and the pace really picked up which brought my score up from probably 3/5 to 4/5.

I loved the flawed main character(s) and look forward to reading the sequels to find out more about them.

3.75 stars. It's a bit of a weird rating but felt the most right. Dissolution had its flaws and had a little bit of some pre-2010 trappings, but ultimately I weirdly enjoyed myself throughout it all and may be continuing the series. I want to give a shout-out to Anton Lesser who narratd the abridged audiobook. His performance of the story was a huge factor in pulling me into the story at the beginning before the action starts.

Where Sansom shines is really the historical context of the story. He's apparently got some degrees in English history and it shows. Sansom goes into a visceral degree of detail about the sights, the sounds, and the smells of 16th century England, particularly London. The historical context of the English Reformation and the clashing of the Roman Catholic Church and the burgeoning Protestants in royal favour, both struggling with corruption within its ranks, was very well done and immersive. The first few chapters do take some time to really get things going though, and I almost DNFed at some points.

The central mystery, however, reads like text-based RPG. This isn't to say that it was unenjoyable. I weirdly liked it, but maybe it's because I like text-based RPGs to begin with. When our crime-solving hero Shardlake interrogates other characters, it's a very straightforward to-and-fro dialogue, like: “What were you doing in the infirmary?” “I was mixing herbs.” “Who were you mixing it for?” “Brother Francis complained of a sore leg, so I was mixing it up for him.” The above is completely imaginary dialogue, but that's basically how most interrogations went in the whole book. Once again, I didn't mind this style at all and I can't explain why.

I'm on the fence about our hero Shardlake. In some areas, he seems like a sympathetic character with a moral compass that most of the other characters around him lack, and is therefore worth rooting for. He also has some type of spinal deformity that makes him a hunchback, something that affects the way characters interact with him and also his own perspective about people and himself. What really annoyed me about him was the way he treated Mark and Alice. I didn't mind him developing a fascination for Alice, and it might've been fun if Alice had fallen in love with Matthew instead, but then when it's clear that Alice did not have romantic affection for Matthew but instead was into Mark, Matthew behaved in a bit of a spiteful jealous hypocritical way. The way he sought to change Mark's mind by representing to him the fact that Alice is a servant and therefore not "worthy" of him, but then turning around and pining after Alice himself and feeling happy whenever she said anything remotely sympathetic or comforting to him. It just felt so blegh. What redeemed it a bit for me was that at least Matthew admitted to himself that he was being a hypocrite, and it wasn't smoothed over in the narrative.

The book also brings us Brother Guy who is described as being a “Moor”. I can't recall off the top of my head now where he's supposed to come from, but he's a brown-skinned Catholic monk in England, so that's a pretty interesting and diverse choice to make for a pre-2010 book. I liked Brother Guy's interaction with Shardlake, and he's easily my favourite character in the cast. Of all the monks in the monastery, only Brother Guy seems to act and behave like he's a religious fellow. Every other monk in this one has some pretty atrocious behaviour.

On the treatment of certain characters: I was really, really worried at one point when suspicion was cast upon Brother Guy. If the only person of colour in the cast ends up being the ultimate villain and murderer, it would certainly have pulled my rating of this book down a few notches. I was therefore incredibly happy that Brother Guy remained the only role model of the cast here, perhaps even more commendably so than Matthew Shardlake himself. Another character I was really worried about was Brother Gabriel. I'm not a fan of the trope where the only queer character is represented as being perverse, depraved, and cowardly. Gabriel does get a bit of a redemption in the end when he sacrifices himself to save Matthew, but I could've done without the whole "secret voyeur jerking himself off to other men" thing that was ascribed to him. We do definitely have a bit of balance because the other monks were said to be lusting over women and sexually harrassing servant girls like Orphan and Alice, so Gabriel's not the only sexually depraved one here but yeah, still.

Overall, an enjoyable historical mystery which I'm keen to continue.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dissolution, though it was darker than some of the historical mysteries I've read. By the end, I was grateful to be living in the time I do now. I appreciate luxuries like regular bathing, warm (deloused, unsoiled) clothing in the winter, fresh, uncontaminated food, and beer free of chicken poop.

Fans of Brother Cadfael and Sister Fidelma could probably appreciate this well-researched and well-written book, though Dissolution takes place later in the historical timeline of the U.K. than either of the others.

Toward the end I guessed who-dun-it. Or I thought I had. The author hid some devious twists and turns in the last few pages that I didn't anticipate.

I would definitely pick up the next book in the Shardlake series, because I want to know how the character progresses after his disillusionment.

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom is a rich and immersive historical mystery novel set in 16th century Tudor England. Sansom transports readers back to 1537 during the beginning of the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII.

The story follows the reluctant lawyer Matthew Shardlake who is sent to investigate a brutal murder at the monastery of Scarnsey on the Sussex coast. What begins as a seemingly straightforward case soon spirals into a dangerous conspiracy with political implications.

Sansom's attention to historic detail is simply remarkable. He vividly recreates the religious tensions, power struggles, and atmosphere of the era. The richly developed characters, especially the complex and principled Shardlake, further elevate the novel.

The pacing is excellent, maintaining suspense as the clever plot continuously twists and turns. Sansom struck a masterful balance between the dual mystery and historical fiction genres.

My only minor critique is that the ending felt slightly rushed compared to the meticulously rendered build-up. But overall, Dissolution is a atmospheric and intelligent page-turner.

With its intricate storytelling and insight into a turning point in English history, this novel is a must-read for fans of literary historical fiction and mysteries alike. I give Dissolution a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars.