Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Lamentation
    Unavailable
    Lamentation
    Unavailable
    Lamentation
    Audiobook25 hours

    Lamentation

    Written by C. J. Sansom

    Narrated by Steven Crossley

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    As Henry VIII lies on his deathbed, an incendiary manuscript threatens to tear his court apart.
     Summer, 1546. King Henry VIII is slowly, painfully dying. His Protestant and Catholic councilors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle; whoever wins will control the government. As heretics are hunted across London, and radical Protestants are burned at the stake, the Catholic party focuses its attack on Henry's sixth wife--and Matthew Shardlake's old mentor--Queen Catherine Parr.
    Shardlake, still haunted by his narrow escape from death the year before, steps into action when the beleaguered and desperate Queen summons him to Whitehall Palace to help her recover a dangerous manuscript. The Queen has authored a confessional book, Lamentation of a Sinner, so radically Protestant that if it came to the King's attention it could bring both her and her sympathizers crashing down. Although the secret book was kept hidden inside a locked chest in the Queen's private chamber, it has inexplicably vanished. Only one page has been recovered--clutched in the hand of a murdered London printer.
    Shardlake's investigations take him on a trail that begins among the backstreet printshops of London, but leads him and his trusty assistant Jack Barak into the dark and labyrinthine world of court politics, a world Shardlake swore never to enter again. In this crucible of power and ambition, Protestant friends can be as dangerous as Catholic enemies, and those with shifting allegiances can be the most dangerous of all.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateFeb 24, 2015
    ISBN9781478983330
    Unavailable
    Lamentation
    Author

    C. J. Sansom

    C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer. Sansom is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Shardlake series, the Spanish Civil War thriller Winter in Madrid and the number one bestseller Dominion. in 2023, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. He lives in Sussex.

    More audiobooks from C. J. Sansom

    Related to Lamentation

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Henrietta Maria: Conspirator, Warrior, Phoenix Queen

      Jul 27, 2022

      Chatto & Windus £25 The pattern for the life of Henrietta Maria, future queen of Charles I, was set before she was six months old – when her father, Henry IV of France, was assassinated in May 1610. A Huguenot, Henry was a Catholic convert, thinking

      3 min read

    • Article

      Blue Bloods

      Apr 13, 2023

      Blue Bloods
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Controversial King

      Jan 7, 2022

      The Controversial King
      5 min read

    • Article

      Outrage!

      Aug 3, 2023

      Outrage!
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dawn Of A dynasty

      Aug 11, 2023

      Dawn Of A dynasty
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Tudors & Their History

      Sep 9, 2022

      The Tudors & Their History
      9 min read

    • Article

      1545 Tudor Rebellion

      Dec 29, 2020

      1545 Tudor Rebellion
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Treason

      Nov 25, 2021

      The Art Of Treason
      6 min read

    • Article

      Q&A

      Dec 28, 2021

      Q&A
      3 min read

    • Article

      STRUGGLE for SUPREMACY

      Oct 5, 2018

      STRUGGLE for SUPREMACY
      3 min read

    • Article

      Richard The Lionheart

      Dec 29, 2020

      Richard The Lionheart
      3 min read

    • Article

      Three History Extra Podcasts On Life In 17th-century Britain

      Sep 28, 2023

      The 17th century was a turbulent one, overshadowed by a civil war, a coup and a regicide, not to mention the looming threats of terrorism, plague and witch panics. Earlier this year the historian Jonathan Healey joined us on the podcast to discuss on

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Princes In The Tower

      Sep 30, 2021

      The Princes In The Tower
      5 min read

    • Article

      The ROYAL INSIDER

      Mar 12, 2024

      It was the biggest gathering of British and foreign royalty since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The former King of Greece, Constantine, who had lived in exile in London for some 50-or-so years, was not only family to our own royals but to many

      2 min read

    • Article

      Elizabeth At War

      Dec 5, 2019

      Elizabeth At War
      11 min read

    • Article

      Wives’ Tales

      Nov 30, 2018

      Wives’ Tales
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Troubled Childhood

      Oct 26, 2023

      Childhood is meant to be a time of innocence and stability. A time when you're sheltered from the often cruel world into which you're born. No such luck for the girl who would become Queen Mary I. The first 20 years of Mary's life can best be describ

      3 min read

    • Article

      Wars Of The Roses

      Mar 27, 2020

      Wars Of The Roses
      10 min read

    • Article

      Mary, Queen of Scots

      Jul 30, 2018

      Mary, Queen of Scots
      5 min read

    • Article

      Frederick I Barbarossa

      Feb 28, 2020

      Frederick I Barbarossa
      7 min read

    • Article

      My History Hero

      Jan 21, 2021

      Katherine Howard, Lady Aubigny died 1650 Katherine Howard, Lady Aubigny was a noblewoman and royalist during the Civil War. In 1638 she married her first husband, George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d’Aubigny, who was killed at the battle of Edgehill (1642)

      2 min read

    • Article

      Viveur Pitch

      Dec 1, 2023

      Viveur Pitch
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Return Of The King

      Nov 24, 2022

      The Return Of The King
      3 min read

    Reviews for Lamentation

    4.5/5

    241 ratings24 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Great novel, as all of the Shardlake stories are. Love a bit of historical fiction, with a compelling detective story for good measure!
    • 4/5
      Interesting little mystery and great history too. Really gives you a flavour of the factions jostling for power at court towards the end of H8's reign. Top stuff.
    • 4/5
      This is the latest -- and most compelling read yet -- of the Shardlake series. The events described here are set in the last tumultuous year of Henry VIII's life: 1546. The verisimilitude is magnificent; for mystery lovers there are lots of plot twists and you'll never guess "Who Dun It"!
    • 5/5
      Excellent historical mystery. The author has created a full representation of the Tudor world, easily incorporating history with the story.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant as ever. Queen Catherine's potentially controversial book "Lamentation" has mysteriously disappeared and there are fears that it will be used against her. Very sad to finish this series - hope there's a seventh!
    • 4/5
      Historian CJ Sansom continues with his Matthew Shardlake series in this latest book, Lamentation. Shardlake is a lawyer during the Tudor era and has often been called in to help the Queen du jour with various court intrigue. Henry VIII often plays a role, and I must say, he is never portrayed as a very great leader - more of a overbearing, conceited, autocrat. But, Henry's health is fading and the country is in a state of unrest with the huge debt that Henry has incurred as well as his wild erratic behavior regarding religion. In this story, the Queen (Catherine Parr), has written a small book, The Lamentation of a Sinner, which reveal her beliefs about religion -- not completely in line with Henry's. The book is stolen, putting Queen Catherine at great risk. Shardlake is brought in to try and find the book and destroy it. Although the mystery in these books is always good, the real gem behind these novels is his descriptions of life in Tudor England. The book opens with the burning of heretic Anne Askew and if you ever wanted to know the gruesome details of what a public burning is like, just read this book. But it isn't told in a sensational way and there are many more details that really give you a sense of life during that period. Definitely hygiene wasn't a top priority!For all of us who worried what would happen after Henry VIII died (this is not a spoiler!), it looks like there will be more of Matthew Shardlake. Can't wait to see what comes next!
    • 5/5
      Another excellent offering in the series and one of my favorites, along with "Dissolution," which introduced us to Matthew Shardlake, hunchbacked lawyer in London of Tudor times, and "Sovereign," which introduced us to Henry VIII and was simply amazing! The Shardlake novels are billed as historical mysteries, and there is that aspect to them, but the novels are rich in historical detail, as well as fictional and historical character development. The author is an historian and lawyer, and you can tell from the realism of the details, but I find the books imminently readable. (My first 5-star rating of 2015.)
    • 4/5
      'Lamentation' is the 6th instalment in the 'Shardlake' series from C. J. Sansom and continues in the same high quality mould. Shardlake is a lawyer living during Henry VIII's times who becomes involved in retrieving the manuscript of a dangerous book written by Catherine Parr, Henry's sixth wife and Shardlake's old patron. This novel works at two distinct levels: a political thriller where Court intrigue is a fluid game of alliances and enmities between senior figures vying for power and position as Henry approaches the end of his reign; and, an adventure as Shardlake and his team battle to retrieve the lost manuscript across Tudor London.Sansom uses his historical skills to present a clear picture of life at all social levels in London and to show the real dangers and opportunities affecting people in this world. The London presented here feels like a 'real' place and the characters are people we care about and are interested in.Another hit.
    • 4/5
      Once again I enjoyed this installment of Matthew Shardlake series. Once again, excellent combination of historical background and suspenseful plot. However, I found this novel somewhat bloated comparing with previous works. We will definitely see more of master Shardlake as author positioned his character very well in the end of this novel. There will be more intrigues, more threats against his new employer, more historical characters will be presented and I am looking forward to it.
    • 5/5
      Lamentation was one of those rare books that I didn't want to reach the end. Sansom creates such a believable world, and I love the richness of it, from problems with the servants to difficult clients, and the workings of the Court. Sansom is a gifted humanitarian who creates faulted individuals that you care about. I do hope Shardlake finds love in the next installment, he deserves it.
    • 4/5
      Matthew Shardlake is a lawyer in Tudor England, who serves ordinary folk and is also frequently asked to take cases that bring him in contact with the court of King Henry VIII. This novel takes place in 1546, when Catholic-Protestant tensions are high and the King is on the hunt for heretics. The book opens with a grisly execution that plunges the reader immediately into this fearful time. Shardlake has taken a case involving a property dispute between two siblings, and then Queen Catherine (Parr) asks him to investigate a theft. The latter case puts Shardlake and his associates in grave danger, perhaps more than any time in the past. Shardlake is deeply devoted to Queen Catherine, which blinds him to the danger and concerns raised by close friends. This book required me to do a little side research to understand the Anabaptist movement of this period -- I should have consulted the historical notes at the end of the novel, where Sansom provides this context and makes clear what is fact and what is fiction in the novel.Each of Shardlake's cases have an element of mystery; I typically find those set in the King's Court most interesting, but the other case adds interest and sheds light on other aspects of society and daily living during that time period. I also enjoy the way other recurring characters have evolved over the series, most notably the physician Guy and Shardlake's assistant Jack Barak. In Lamentation these relationships are tested nearly to the breaking point, and Sansom barely ties up the loose ends. And with the death of King Henry in 1547 (come on, that's not a spoiler!!), Sansom also takes care to set up Shardlake's future and leave room for more novels in this series.
    • 5/5
      C. J. Sansom's Tudor mysteries about hunchbacked lawyer, Matthew Shardlake, are the kinds of books that grab the reader from the first page and cause lack of sleep. But they are so worth the interruption of life. In his sixth installment, Sergeant Shardlake is forced to watch an execution as part of his duties. He has seen beheadings and hangings before but this one is death by fire, which is a particularly cruel way to die. Heresy is the crime du jour and a simple recantation will suffice to save lives, but people like Anne Askew are fervent in their beliefs and are willing to die for them. Another person with strong religious beliefs is the Queen, Catherine Parr, who has written a testimonial about salvation called "Lamentation Of A Sinner" which has been stolen from her locked trunk . She calls on her old friend Matthew to find the tract before it falls into the wrong hands. He would do anything for her including risking his life and the lives of his best friends. Lots of spying and subterfuge ensue, with more than a few sword fights with injuries and deaths, to make this a swashbuckling page-turner. Henry VIII is literally on his last legs but still rules with an iron fist and hard heart. Not even a beloved queen is safe from his style of justice.The reader can expect many rich historical details of dress, customs, food, transportation, etc. Shardlake is a historian who sticks to the facts but doesn't mind adding some fun characters and situations of his own. Be sure to read the 22 pages of historical notes at the end wherein he separates the two and adds some more interesting historical content. I love learning English history through the tutelage of C. J. Sansom and the antics of Matthew Shardlake.
    • 5/5
      This is the sixth book in the Shardlake series and is a fantastic read. Our hero is representing an intransigient woman fighting her brother over their late mother's will when he is called to the palace by the Queen. She has written a book which could be seen as heretical in the continuing protestant/catholic in-fighting but the book has been stolen!

      Full of the sights and 'sounds' of the time it reads like a narrative of the time rather than fiction not least because as usual we meet Shardlake's advisories Wriothesley and Richard Rich in particular.

      From the burning of Anne Askew, which was a historical event, to the very end we are immersed in the time period. Henry VIII was constantly changing how Christian worship should be so the population was constantly in fear that they would say or do the wrong thing which comes over well.

      His usual friends of Barak and Guy the physician are joined by others including Josephine and Timothy who have found a home with him'

      I cannot praise this book enough.
    • 5/5
      Sansom is back to form after the, for me, disappointing heartstone.
    • 5/5
      Where C.J.Sansom scores over other authors writing about the same period is in his creation of Matthew Shardlake. This sympathetic and rather vulnerable figure is central to the whole series of six (thus far) books. In 'Lamentation' he is asked by the Queen,Catherine Parr to recover a book which has been stolen. This book 'Lamentation of a Sinner' ha been written by Catherine Parr and if found by her enemies,could end in her downfall.In a word - Brilliant !
    • 5/5
      This is the sixth novel in the author's Shardlake series. It is now the dying months of Henry VIII's reign and religious paranoia, twists in official policy and the rise and fall of various figures in the opposing factions, reflect a society in a state of totalitarian oppression akin to that of Stalin's Soviet Union. The plot surrounds the radical religion of Queen Katherine Parr, as shown in the book she has written, The Lamentation of a Sinner, which may fall foul of the shifting religious sands. Murder and deception play themselves out in the usual complex and multi-faceted plot, with well written and convincing descriptions of Tudor London and the small details of street life. As in a couple of the others, I thought it was occasionally over-written, but overall extremely good and I felt for the recurring characters as they faced danger. The ending of the novel suggested a closure to the series (though Wikipedia suggests there will be further novels to come).
    • 5/5
      These go from strength to strength, although I think Shardlake is more unlucky than most in his choice of steward. There were quite a few fight scenes in this one - however benign Shardlake's case initially appears, it inevitably becomes perilous - all of which ended disastrously. This series is fascinating in its depiction of the way religion and politics and daily life were so intertwined.
    • 5/5
      I'm always a fan of the Shardlake stories, and C.J. Samson has a great way of bringing this period in history to life. Well done!
    • 4/5
      The Shardlake books are long but enjoyable. An immersion into a different time.
    • 4/5
      The story takes place in in the summer of 1546 in London and there is a lot of intrigue in the Tudor Court of Henry VIII. Shardlake, the Lincoln Inn Lawyer is hired by Queen Catherine Parr to find and destroy her personal text called lamentations which describes her way to hope and salvation by accepting the New Testament. At the same time, there is another book by a rebel preacher Anne Askew, that is also being tracked down.So Shardlake is thrown into this at the deep end by first witnessing the death of Anne and two heretics who were burned at the stake.Shardlake is assisted in his search by his faithful servant Batak and a new character, Nicholas who becomes like a son.There is a lot of palace intrigue, secret meetings, mistrust among those seeking power, spies everywhere, family arguments and many violent sword fights.Life at the Whitehall and Hampton Court are well described as are the clothes, the decor, paintings, banquets, pastimes. At this age of his life, Henry is 6 months away from his death and he is grossly obese and immobile.It’s an interesting story but I found it to be about 200 pages too long.
    • 4/5
      When you see the name of King Henry VIII, what's the image that comes to your mind? One in which the monarch has the physique and appearance of a model (as portrayed by Jonathan Rhys in the TV series The Tudors)? Or the way that Henry himself wanted to be portrayed; A man of authority who, even when he's not kitted out in full royal regalia exudes power. One of the most famous of contemporary portraits shows him directly facing the viewer, legs firmly planted apart and arms akimbo to emphasise his powerful physique. The message is clear: don't even think of messing around with me. In C.J Sansom's historical series featuring a 'detective' lawyer, Shardlake, the man of law has learned over the years to fear his encounters with the King and the powerful men who surround him. Lamentation, the latest episode in the series sees Shardlake once again become embroiled in the kind of political intrigue that could easily cost him his head. This time it's the King's wife Katherine who needs his help when a book of spiritual reflections she has written is stolen from her bedroom. In the religious turmoil of the 1540s, this book could incite even further discord in the land if it is published. Katherine's own safety as risk. For the King;s own wife to write such a text without his knowledge could be considered as treason. Shardlake has a soft spot for the queen so accepts her plea to find the book before the King discovers what's happened.What ensues is a romp around London, from its leafy Inns of Court and the splendour of its royal palaces to the seedy streets of the poorer quarters as Shardlake tries to discover who is behind the theft and why. It brings him into personal danger with sword fights and a spell in the dreaded dungeons of The Tower. It's all very entertaining if somewhat improbable on many occasions —although Shardlake suffers from his physical deformity and often refers to his aching back, the man still seems to have an extraordinary level of stamina, always dashing about on horse or foot for hours.That's really a minor point in a novel that otherwise exudes authenticity. Sansom's evocation of the period always feels authoritative and sure (he even provides extensive notes at the back of the book to substantiate his interpretation.) In Lamentation he plunges us into a time when the King's health is a matter for concern though he and his courtiers go to great lengths to keep up a pretence in his public engagements that all is well. Shardlake however stumbles upon some scenes within the inner sanctum of the palace that show the extent to which this once powerful man has declined. In a quiet courtyard he sees the King propped up by two helpers shuffle along the path:
    • 4/5
      London, 1546 – Matthew Shardlake is still haunted by the sinking of the Mary Rose the year before but pursues his legal cases as best he can. In July he is suddenly approached by a representative of the queen to help her in a most delicate personal matter: the confession of her beliefs, put down in a small volume entitled Lamentation of a Sinner, has been stolen. Terrified of what the king will do should he find out, Shardlake is tasked with recovering it, all with the utmost secrecy. In the course of his investigation he comes into contact with the most important men of the realm, and the political machinations make this a very dangerous case indeed.As always I'm completely in awe of how C.J. Sansom manages to weave a convincing whodunit story among certain established historical facts, turning the whole into a sort of entertaining history lesson. With Lamentation the plot is especially serpentine and illustrates beautifully the political elbow wrestling for power among the great of the realm and the real sense of suspicion and distrust in matters of religion, where wives are keeping secrets from their husbands, neighbour is set against neighbour and friends are at odds with each other. Yet somehow it didn't grab me as much as I expected (compared for example with the nail-biting tension and tautness of plot encountered in Dark Fire and Sovereign), perhaps because Shardlake, in the manner of many a private detective, crosses London hither and thither, talking to witnesses/suspects, that at times I felt the plot was treading water, and I feel the novel, with all of its 600+ pages, is definitely about 50 pages too long. It has to be said that even so it still stands head and shoulders among most of the other historical crime fiction out there.
    • 5/5
      Lamentation starts with the grimly detailed description of the burning of a Radical Protestant woman called Anne Askew and two of her followers. Our hero, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, has been sent by the masters of his Inn of Courts to observe and “be seen”. Henry VIII is on his last legs and those around him are jockeying for power. The religious witch-hunts across London are increasing in fervor and driving a wedge between friends and families. Shardlake, once a Reformer, believes it’s safest to “worship in the way the King decrees”.

      The Catholics have their sights set on bringing down Catherine Parr. She summons Matthew who has done confidential work for her in the past. What she tells him could put them to death. The Queen has unwisely written an account of her religious views called Lamentation of a Sinner, which have moved dangerously close to what might be construed as heresy. Worse, she has concealed her writing from the increasingly tyrannical and suspicious king. If the manuscript, which has been stolen, were to find its way into the wrong hands, it could cause her to end up like Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. It has gone missing from a locked chest to which only the she has a key. Shardlake, still harboring unrequited love for the queen, will do anything to protect her and sets about investigating the theft, involving himself and his friends in the plots of others and schemes of his own as the bodies and threats begin to pile up.

      Lamentation has a double story line, the hunt for the missing manuscript and a seemingly unrelated but profoundly interesting private case Shardlake has taken on that features the litigious case of a brother and sister at each others throats.

      One of the best things about the Shardlake series is the way the author captures his character. He's a man of incredible intelligence and personal charm. We grow to love him and to feel for him. He is disabled but does not let that stop him from doing anything. He's a man we have come to trust and when he’s disappointed or unhappy we feel the same. He is also a very romantic man and perhaps one day he will find true love. I hope if Sansom ever decides to end this series he does it with Matthew finding happiness.

      While Lamentation is not a perfect book (there is a little too much repetition and some of Barak's language includes slang that probably wasn't used in the 16th century), it's filled with rich detail of life in the Tudor age. Even though it is the sixth book in a series, Lamentation could easily be read as a standalone book. I listened to the audiobook and Steven Crossley does a magnificent job narrating.

      Will the death of Henry mean the end of Shardlake’s career? The book closes with a summons to Greenwich so we'll have to wait and see what C. J. Sansom has planned for Matthew Shardlake's future.
    • 4/5
      Are we born with the innate gift of writing stories? I’m not sure. What I’m pretty sure is that it takes more than being born with a knack for words to write something worth reading. There’s no point for a writer to complain to the gods that she or he does not have the writing skills of Shakespeare, or Dickens, or Heinlein: what a writer needs to do is to the best he/she can with whatever gifts the writer may have, constantly striving with all one’s soul to enhance the mastery of the craft. That very well may be how all those great writers whose natural endowments we all envy had had to achieve their greatness. Probably by constant study, practice, and sweaty hard work. Shakespeare’s first plays may have been better than anyone else’s first plays, but even he didn’t turn out Lear and Othello during his apprentice years.


      You can read the rest of this review on my blog.