Heartstone: Murder Mystery and Tudor History in This Atmospheric Historical Fiction Novel

C. J. Sansom

sen, 2010 · Pan Macmillan

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'C. J. Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' – The Sunday Times

Heartstone is the fifth spellbinding mystery in C. J. Sansom’s number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.

England, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII’s invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel.

Meanwhile, Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of ‘monstrous wrongs’ committed against a young ward of the court, Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak journey to Portsmouth. There, Shardlake also intends to investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettiplace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam.

Once in Portsmouth, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing for war. The mysteries surrounding the two cases involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. And soon, events will converge on board one of the King’s great warships gathered in Portsmouth harbour, waiting to confront the approaching French fleet . . .

Heartstone is the fifth novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by the sixth book in the series, Lamentation.

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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. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in 2023. Sansom was the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Shardlake series, as well as Winter in Madrid and Dominion.